Conclusion
So far, at least, the EU’s shipping legislation has not made much impact in the Arctic. Current legislation has not been developed with the Arctic in mind and includes no references to the Arctic area. More generally, too, the existing body of EU shipping rules adds only few obligations to those that already apply through the international rules. Some EU rules apply to ships flying the flag of EU/EEA member states irrespective of their location and some rather light operational EU requirements may extend to ships transiting the territorial seas and EEZs of Norway and Iceland. Requirements for ships entering EU/EEA ports have formed the main mechanism for the EU to implement its maritime policies, but even in this area, the more important discrepancies between EU and IMO requirements that emerged in the beginning of the millennium have largely been eradicated through subsequent flexibility on both sides. However, as is illustrated by the recent legislative activities in relation to greenhouse gas reductions from ships, this remains a potential mechanism for implementing particularly important regional rules, if global progress is not satisfactory.