EU Retreats From Arctic Oil Ban Language In Strategy Draft

By Heidi Taksdal Skjeseth and Alberto Nardelli

Oct 19, 2026 (Bloomberg) –The European Union looks to be relaxing its opposition to oil and gas production in polar areas, while still calling for all fossil fuels to be kept in the ground in its forthcoming Arctic strategy.

A draft of the strategy, seen by Bloomberg, contains no references to a moratorium on new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, marking a shift in wording from the EU’s 2021 stance. The wording has been a topic of intense discussions between the trade bloc and Norway, which has lobbied hard for