There are great interests at stake in this region, like vast hydrocarbon riches, shorter transport routes, fish stocks etc., and the Commission is anxious that the EU is not left behind. For example, the EU wants permanent observer status in the Arctic Council.

After having recalled that the people in Greenland have lived on sealing for thousands of years and that the Commission now seeks to put an effective ban on this activity, L. VESTERBIRK, representing Greenland, claimed that "the Commission is harassing the people" and that "the EU is not trustworthy". He accused the Commission of wanting to have a share in natural resources but at the same time ban the livelihood of the people. D. WALLIS, Member of the European Parliament, expressed a lot of sympathy for the Inuit population and stressed that for this very reason she did not sign the Written Declaration of the European Parliament on banning seal products in the European Union. She also reiterated the ideas she presented in the IMCO committee on 10 November 2008, namely that the Inuit question has to be taken seriously and that she, for this reason, amongst other things, is opposing the idea of a ban that one detracts from. Instead she wants a "robust labelling regime", so that EU citizens can decide themselves if they want to buy these products. János HERMAN, from the European Commission's DG External Relations, defended the Proposal as a 'trade proposal' and concluded with the following example: "Greenland is not saying to us not to eat chicken […] we are not saying that the people in Greenland should not eat seals." On 25 November, (twelve days after this conference), the Commission published its Communication on the Arctic.