Norway and Iceland to Join the EU’s GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 Programmes
Norway and Iceland signed agreements on 26 March to join the European Union’s GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 secure‑communications programmes. The accords were executed by Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth, Icelandic Ambassador to the EU Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson, and EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius. Both nations, while not EU members, will gain access to the EU’s sovereign satellite services for emergency response and security applications.
GOVSATCOM entered service in January as a precursor to IRIS2, aggregating capacity from eight existing satellites contributed by France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Luxembourg. The IRIS2 initiative, valued at €10.6 billion, plans a multi‑orbit constellation of roughly 290 satellites to deliver enhanced secure connectivity, with full operational capability targeted for 2030. Iceland’s agreement runs to the end of 2027 and includes an automatic ten‑year extension; the country will fund the programmes with ISK 127 million (≈ €886 000) in 2026 and ISK 119 million (≈ €830 000) in 2027, and may provide ground‑station infrastructure. Norway’s contribution is estimated at NOK 451.6 million (≈ €40 million) through 2027, reflecting its broader involvement in European space programmes such as Copernicus and Galileo.
The new participants expand the user base of Europe’s sovereign communications architecture, reinforcing collective response capabilities to security and economic challenges. By integrating non‑EU members through the European Economic Area, the EU strengthens its global positioning in secure satellite services while aligning with existing collaborative frameworks in Earth observation and navigation.
