The Arctic is often portrayed as a region whose significance belongs to some distant future, to be addressed once geopolitical or climate tensions subside. Nearly two decades ago, Anis H. Bajrektarević, chairperson and professor in international law and global political studies, Vienna, argued that the melting Arctic should not be understood merely as an environmental phenomenon. Aside from Asia, the question confronting the EU and the rest of Europe is therefore no longer whether the Arctic will matter. This is precisely the rationale behind the Global Maritime Governance Forum of the Global Academy for Future Governance (GAFG), whose inaugural meeting is planned for Gibraltar this September. The greatest strategic mistake would not be failing to predict precisely when the Arctic will become Europe’s next great maritime frontier.