Commission backs Norway's Arctic vision: no new treaty

No new treaty is necessary to protect the Arctic, according to the European Commission. The current Law of the Sea is sufficient.

Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday offered the European Union's support for Norway's position that the melting pole does not mean that the region requires a document similar to the Antarctic Treaty, which set aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, banned territorial claims and prohibited military activities.

"As a matter of princ...