The European Commission’s Arctic Strategy, presented on October 20, 2026, names the Pan-Arctic Cable as a flagship project and backs a planned submarine connection directly linking Greenland and Europe. The strategy describes the link as part of a push for secure, resilient connectivity in the Arctic.
The six organizations named in the development effort
Submarine Networks reports that six organizations signed a memorandum to develop the Pan-Arctic Cable System (PACS) in early 2025: Cinia Oy, NORDUnet A/S, Tusass A/S, the Dutch Subsea Cable Coalition, GlobalConnect AB and Tampnet AS. The specialist publication describes PACS as a Cable Project of European Interest co-funded through the Connecting Europe Facility Digital program.
Canada and Japan are possible extensions
The Commission’s strategy describes potential future extensions toward Canada and Japan. Ars Technica has reported that a possible eventual route could also reach South Korea via Canada. That destination is part of the reported possibility, not one named in the Commission’s strategy.
Separate plans for cable protection and satellite links
The strategy also backs an Arctic Cable Hub to monitor and protect submarine cables in the North Atlantic–Arctic and support repairs. It separately calls for expanding European icebreaker capacity.
IRIS² Arctic Connectivity is another distinct initiative: the strategy describes it as satellite connectivity for government communications. It is separate from the planned submarine cable.
