France, Oct. 20 -- From icebreakers and undersea cables to satellite connections and critical raw materials, the strategy aims to give Europe a stronger role in a region increasingly contested by Russia, China and the United States.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans for a Maritime Security Hub to track Russia's sanctions-busting shadow fleet, alongside a centre to monitor, protect and repair undersea cables in the North Atlantic and Arctic.

EU funding would support cameras, sensors and satellites to detect potential threats, and Brussels would also back a secure submarine cable connecting Greenland directly to the bloc.

"When we see that sovereignty, territorial integrity and the rules that have underpi...