31. Reaffirms its support for, and urges the Commission to proceed with, the establishment of the EU Arctic Information Centre as a networked undertaking with a permanent office in Rovaniemi, with reference to the Preparatory Action ‘Strategic environmental impact assessment of the development of the Arctic’, as supported by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in their 2012 joint communication and implemented by the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland together with a network of European centres of excellence on the Arctic, with the goal of ensuring efficient access to Arc ...[+++]tic information, dialogues at all levels and communication for the purpose of harnessing information and knowledge with a view to sustainability in the Arctic;

Member States who are members of the Arctic Council are encouraged to actively promote the highest standards with regard to environmental safety in this vulnerable and unique ecosystem, such as through the creation of international instruments on prevention, preparedness and response to Arctic marine oil pollution, and through building, inter alia, on the work of the Task Force established by the Arctic Council and the existing Arctic Council Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines.

38. Acknowledges the rising international status and importance of the Arctic and calls for a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable EU policy for the Arctic taking into account local and indigenous peoples' rights; regards the Arctic Council, the Northern Dimension Policy and the Barents Euro-Arctic Council as focal points for cooperation in the Arctic and supports the EU's aspiration to become a permanent observer in the Arctic Council; emphasises the need for an Arctic unit within the EEAS;

38. Acknowledges the rising international status and importance of the Arctic and calls for a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable EU policy for the Arctic taking into account local and indigenous peoples' rights; regards the Arctic Council, the Northern Dimension Policy and the Barents Euro-Arctic Council as focal points for cooperation in the Arctic and supports the EU's aspiration to become a permanent observer in the Arctic Council; emphasises the need for an Arctic unit within the EEAS;

45. Recognises the important role of the AC as the foremost regional forum for cooperation for the whole Arctic region; recalls that, apart from the Member States Denmark, Sweden and Finland and the candidate country Iceland which are members of the Arctic Council, the Member States Germany, France, the UK, Netherlands, Spain and Poland are active permanent observers; affirms its commitment not to support any arrangements which exclude any of the Arctic EU Member States, candidate countries or Arctic EEA/ EFTA states; acknowledges the concrete work done ...[+++] in the working groups of the AC with the involvement of the observers and calls on the Commission and EU agencies to continue to actively engage in all relevant working groups whenever possible; favours strengthening the legal and economic base of the AC;

54. Confirms its support for permanent observer status for the EU in the AC; recognises that EU Member States are involved in AC work through various international organisations (such as the IMO, OSPAR, NEAFC and the Stockholm Convention) and highlights the need for coherence in all EU policies towards the Arctic; asks the Commission to keep Parliament duly informed about meetings and work in the AC and its Working Groups; stresses meanwhile that the EU and its Member States are already present as members or observers in other international organisations with relevance to the Arctic such as the IMO, OSPAR, NEAFC and the Stockholm Conv ...[+++]ention and therefore should more coherently focus on the work in these organisations; underlines in this regard in particular the need for coherence in all EU policies towards the Arctic; encourages the AC to involve civil society and non-governmental organisations more closely as ad-hoc observers;