Norway wants the EU to allow more oil from the Arctic

Norway – with almost two-thirds of its oil reserves in the Arctic – is Western Europe's largest exporter of oil and gas and accounts for around 30 percent of the fossil fuels used in the EU and the UK.

The EU introduced a ban on new oil and gas projects in the Arctic – defined as the area above the Arctic Circle – in 2021.

Drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic is controversial and, according to critics, risks causing irreversible environmental damage.

Norway recently opened up 70 new so-called blocks for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea.