The skippers participating in the Vendée-Arctic-les Sables d'Olonne, left France on Saturday 4th July and will soon be arriving in subarctic waters not far from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.

This international sailing competition sails along the same maritime route as the schooners of the brave French fishermen who in the past came to fish cod in Icelandic waters, thus recalling thismutual maritime history shared by our two countries.

Today, France and Iceland are united more than ever by the fascination of the common challenges that we face. The Arctic is one of the most prevalent and important subjects shared between our two countries. Iceland assumed the chairmanship of the Arctic Council in May 2019, this is the main intergovernmental cooperation forum for this region, of which France has had observer status since 2000. Sustainable development is placed at the heart of Iceland’s chairmanship program, which outlines the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the protection of the marine environment, and the wellbeing of the people and communities in the region. These are also the priorities of France. France is also a nation that is very y involved in scientific research in the Arctic, particularly through the activities of the Paul-Emile Victor Polar Institute.

The Arctic is one of the regions of the world that are the most affected by global warming. This warming is said to accelerate the melting of the ice cap and the permafrost, but also contributes to extreme weather events in the Northern Hemisphere, disturbing the changes in the ocean and cryosphere, as recently highlighted in the latest special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Ocean pollution is one of today’s main challenges. The protection of the Arctic marine environment is therefore one of the priorities shared by the French and Icelandic governments, both of whom are mobilized in the fight against ocean acidification and plastic pollution. The Arctic Council working group for the Protection of the Marine Environment (PAME) is developing a regional action plan against marine litter. As part of Iceland's chairmanship of the Arctic Council, an international scientific symposium on this subject, ArcticPlastics2020, is planned to take place  from March 2nd to 4th 2021, in Reykjavik. It should also be noted that the IMOCA Newrest-Art & Fenêtres sailboat, taking part in the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'Olonne race, will map microplastics pollution in surface waters throughout the race.

By venturing into the tumultuous waters of the North Atlantic, the skippers of the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'Olonne race remind us that the ocean, apart from separating us, has always formed a very strong link between the two maritime nations, that are France and Iceland.

Graham Paul, Ambassador of France to Iceland, Unnur Orradóttir Ramette, Ambassador-designate of Iceland to France.