European leaders arrive in Finland's Rovaniemi for Arctic summit

ROVANIEMI, Finland - European leaders arrived in the northern Finnish city of Rovaniemi on Sunday for a two-day summit focusing on the Arctic region's economy and security, Finnish national broadcaster YLE reported.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was among those arriving on Sunday to attend the European Arctic Summit convened by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, according to YLE.

The gathering began with a working dinner on Sunday, ahead of substantive talks scheduled for Monday at the Arktikum science center and museum.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir also joined the dinner.

Preparations for the summit were already visible on Rovaniemi's streets on Sunday afternoon, with heavy traffic congestion in the city center. Police warned of further traffic delays on Monday, including possible disruptions to public transport.

According to the Finnish government, the summit aims to strengthen the European Union's common strategic approach to the Arctic as the region's geopolitical significance grows.

The government's updated participant list includes Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, leaders from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

European Council President Antonio Costa, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela are also attending.