EU Moves Ahead with Pan-Arctic Subsea Cable Linking Europe to Greenland and Beyond

The European Union is advancing the Pan-Arctic Cable project, which will create the first subsea internet connection between Europe and Greenland and may later reach Canada, Japan and South Korea. The initiative is outlined in a European Commission communication released on Oct. 20, 2026 and is described as a "sovereign, secure and resilient" link that could use "like-minded partners like Canada" as a stepping stone toward Asia.

"It is interesting that this project is even being considered, because five years ago it would have seemed like not a particularly commercially attractive proposition," said Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The effort follows a trilateral security agreement signed in September 2026 by the United States, Greenland and Denmark, which affirmed Greenland’s autonomous status while expanding U.S. military access. Relations between the United States and European allies have become strained after President Trump’s trade policies and his stance on the war in Ukraine.

Europe is seeking alternatives to the Red Sea route, which carries more than 90% of its traffic to Asia, because ongoing conflict in Yemen has made the Bab el-Mandeb Strait increasingly hazardous. The Pan-Arctic Cable received EU backing through the Connecting Europe Facility Digital program, with an investment of €107 million ($119 million) to support Greenland’s connectivity and the cable’s development.

The project faces technical hurdles, including the need for additional icebreaker vessels to install and maintain the cable in Arctic ice. Earlier proposals, such as the Arctic Connect cable that would have used Russia’s Northern Sea Route, were abandoned in 2021.

A separate Canadian-European transatlantic cable, the Leif Erikson system, is also under discussion, with Norwegian firm Bulk Infrastructure Group seeking a Canadian partner.

Braw noted that geopolitical considerations now play a larger role in cable planning, adding that future networks will aim to avoid the exclusive economic zones of unfriendly states.

Recent incidents—such as Russian-linked ships dragging anchors to damage cables in the Baltic Sea and Russian submarines practicing cable sabotage near Norway—have heightened security concerns. The EU’s Arctic strategy calls for an Arctic Cable Hub to monitor, protect and repair cables, and to deploy smart technologies that provide early warnings of threats.

Similar risks have been reported in the Pacific, where Chinese-linked vessels have been observed near undersea cables near Taiwan, and in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has threatened fees and potential attacks on cables amid ongoing regional tensions.