Spain

Considering the growing openness of the Arctic today it is not surprising that Spain, among other European countries, is showing increasing interest towards the High North. However, Spanish engagement in the region does not seem to have materialized. Perhaps the only exception in this regard is in the area of fisheries, where Spain has a large fleet and a long tradition of fishing activities. However, Spanish fisheries in the Arctic are currently at risk as the Arctic coastal states are progressively intending to extend their respective continental shelves and, thus, restrict the international access to the subjacent water column.

At the same time, Spain has traditionally shown an important engagement in polar science. Through its Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Spain participates in EU-PolarNet: a European research project, funded by the Programme Horizon 2020 (2015-2020) whose objective is to promote cooperation among the European countries in polar research areas. Several Spanish research institutes participate in other international research projects on the Arctic. For instance, the research centre CER-ARCTIC was created in Barcelona in 2017 and is the first centre of its kind.

To fully understand the Spanish position towards the Arctic, we should not neglect the impact that an ice-free Arctic and a navigable North-West Passage would have for international commerce.

From the Age of Discovery, the Spanish presence in both Polar Regions has been constant. The official Spanish political position parts from the basic consideration that the polar research—both in the Antarctic and the Arctic—is crucial for the study of virtually all sciences, including the environmental ones. According to this premise, Spain explains its responsibilities within the framework of international cooperation (the notion already appears in the Preamble to the Spanish Constitution) largely through scientific cooperation, which in turn would eventually allow it to diversify their policy options.

It is the premise of international cooperation that inspired the development of the future Spanish Polar Strategy: a document of political character which considers both the Antarctic and the Arctic regions. However, this has also attracted criticism, given the natural differences—continental masses in the Antarctic versus large maritime spaces in the Arctic—and the highly unbalanced Spanish presence between the two polar spaces (currently, in favor of the Antarctic).

The mobile infrastructure for polar research is the Oceanographic Research Vessel “Hespérides,” which is based at the Arsenal of Cartagena (Murcia, Spain). This vessel has been responsible for scientific campaigns in both the Antarctic and the Arctic regions and, when necessary, also performs general logistic support to the Antarctic campaign.

The National Centre for Polar Data, headquartered at the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain was created in 1998 to comply with the international obligations resulting from the Antarctic Treaty and, in particular, its art. 3 (c) that states: “[i]n order to promote international cooperation in scientific investigation in Antarctica, as provided for in Article II of the present Treaty, the Contracting Parties agree that, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, (…) scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available.” The main objectives of the Centre include management of (meta)data obtained during the Spanish researches, as well as storage, management and dissemination of the documentary collections under the supervision of the Spanish Polar Committee. The Centre also incorporates the Spanish Polar Archive.

International Agreements and Spanish Involvement in Polar Governance

Most of the Spanish scientific work in the polar regions has taken place in the Antarctic, although, recently, many researchers have started similar investigations on the Arctic or are collaborating with foreign scientists within the framework of international projects covering all possible sectors of scientific research.

Spain’s polar scientific activities have the following (support) structure:

• The Spanish Polar Committee: The committee, attached to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, represents the country at the main international polar institutions—such as the Arctic Council.This is the national body that grants authorizations for any scientific activities in the polar field, coordinates and manages the data obtained from the scientific activities in Antarctica and the polar zones in general. Therefore, it can be said that the Committee is, indeed, the Polar Authority of Spain.
• Annual Programs for Scientific Investigation These programs, organized by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, regulate matters concerning both polar areas, including the funding of the scientific projects relating thereto.
• Superior Council for Scientific Research
• The Army Manages the research vessel Hesperides and the logistic vessel Las Palmas, both involved in the Antarctic campaigns.

In addition to these bodies, the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (IEO) monitors all fisheries, in order to ensure the sustainability of the resources exploitation in the Arctic.

In 2016, Spain published Guidelines for a Spanish Polar Strategy, which lays out Spanish interests in the polar regions. The most important aspects of the strategy are:

• Foster peacekeeping, environmental protection and research in the framework of international cooperation;
• Protecting the polar environment;
• Support Spain’s involvement in all the major polar organizations;
• Consider the importance of action in the social and human spheres in the Arctic, especially indigenous communities;
• Promote the necessary measures for free, safe and environmentally friendly trans-Arctic maritime transit in line with international law:
• Consider Spain’s geopolitical interest in having an Arctic presence and in maintaining its status as observer country in the Arctic Council;
• Promote the implementation of environmental protection and sustainable exploitation policies in the Arctic;
• Support the creation of protected marine or terrestrial areas underpinned by the best scientific basis;
• The fishing industry must consider that the management of fishery resources is an European Union mandate, falling under the aegis of its Common Fisheries Policy;
• The general principle guiding fisheries is to ensure the sector’s sustainability, which includes respecting the environment and combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Since 2006 Spain has obtained an observer status at the Arctic Council. Later, in March 2009, the country was admitted to the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and ever since participated in its various Working Groups.

• Spanish Polar Committee
• Guidelines for a Spanish Polar Strategy