Satellite internet in Greenland will receive €9.1 million in European Union funding to improve connections in some of the island’s most remote communities, as Brussels expands its economic and political presence in the Arctic. The agreement was signed on Monday in Nuuk by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during a visit alongside Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
The project will bring satellite-based internet to communities in North and East Greenland, where connections remain considerably slower and less resilient than in Nuuk and other better-connected parts of the island. Denmark will contribute an additional DKK 15 million (€2 million) to the project, according to Danish broadcaster DR.
The satellite project is part of a much broader package announced during von der Leyen’s visit. The EU plans to invest €200 million in Greenland in 2026 and 2027, covering areas including digital infrastructure, energy, critical minerals, fisheries, tourism, education and housing.
Satellite internet could more than double current speeds
The agreement was signed during a visit to the Eutelsat OneWeb facilities near Nuuk. Greenland’s national telecommunications and postal company Tusass already works with Eutelsat to use its low-Earth-orbit OneWeb satellite network in areas where conventional infrastructure is difficult to build.
According to Tusass CEO Jonas Hasselriis, the new investment is expected to increase internet speeds in affected communities from around 6 megabits per second to 15 megabits per second.
For residents, the main effect should be more reliable access to everyday online services, including video streaming. But the project also has an infrastructure security component.
Many settlements in northern and eastern Greenland currently rely on a chain of radio transmitters and receivers installed along mountains and coastal areas. If parts of that system fail, communities can lose telecommunications connections.
Satellite coverage will provide an additional route for internet and telephone traffic, reducing dependence on that single network. Eutelsat describes its OneWeb system as particularly suited to remote Arctic locations, where geography, weather and low population density make fibre infrastructure expensive and difficult to maintain.
EU investment in Greenland goes far beyond connectivity
The €9.1 million satellite internet project represents only a small part of the new European investment package.
Von der Leyen announced approximately €200 million for 2026 and 2027, with investments planned in digital connectivity, sustainable mining, renewable energy, fisheries, tourism, education and housing. The package is intended to deepen the relationship between the EU and Greenland at a time when the Arctic is becoming increasingly important for European security, energy policy and access to critical raw materials.
Greenland is not part of the European Union, having left the European Communities in 1985, but it remains an Overseas Country and Territory associated with the EU. Greenlanders are also EU citizens through their Danish citizenship.
The relationship has expanded significantly in recent years. In 2023, the EU and Greenland signed a strategic partnership on sustainable raw materials, while the European Commission opened a permanent office in Nuuk in 2024.
During the September visit, the EU, Greenland and Denmark also signed a renewed joint declaration on their relationship. The European Commission said the talks focused on the growing strategic importance of Greenland and the Arctic and on concrete measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Greenland is becoming more important to European Arctic policy
The investments also come amid increased international competition over Greenland and the wider Arctic.
Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the United States to gain control of Greenland have intensified debate over the island’s strategic position and prompted stronger political engagement from European governments. During the press conference in Nuuk, von der Leyen said that Greenland’s future is for Greenland to decide, adding that the EU would stand with Greenland and Denmark.
The Commission is also preparing a new EU Arctic strategy, expected later this year. Digital infrastructure, energy and critical raw materials are increasingly being treated not only as economic issues but also as questions of European resilience and strategic autonomy.
For Greenland, however, the immediate effects of the satellite agreement are much more practical. In communities where geographical isolation still limits access to fast and reliable connections, the EU-backed project could more than double current internet speeds while providing an additional communications link if existing infrastructure fails.
The investment therefore illustrates the two dimensions of the EU’s growing involvement in Greenland: improving infrastructure for communities that remain difficult to connect, while building a more permanent European presence in an Arctic region whose strategic importance continues to increase.
