The Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at the College of Europe held the third annual “External Perspectives on EU Diplomacy Lecture” in Bruges on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, followed by a short Q&A session.
Ms Tove SØVNDAHL GANT, Head of the Greenland Mission to the European Union
“The European Union – Greenland’s New Best Friend? The Evolving Partnership between the EU and Greenland”
In 2025, the year where Greenland celebrates the 40th anniversary of its partnership with the European Union, dramatic changes in the political and security situation have occurred. Greenland needs to strengthen its security, while following a self-determined path for the sustainable development of its vast potential, especially regarding critical minerals and green energy resources. Resources needed by the EU. How can this partnership be developed, so that it meets the needs of both parties and truly aims for mutually beneficial outcomes?
The lecture was followed by a drinks reception.
About the speaker
Tove Søvndahl Gant is the Head of the Greenland Mission to the European Union. She arrived in Brussels in September of 2025 after serving four years as the Head of the Greenland Representation in Iceland. Her primary responsibility at the Greenland Mission is to represent the government of Greenland in the bilateral relations with the European Union and its institutions. Throughout her career as an official of the Greenland Government, Ms Søvndahl Gant has also dealt with issues pertaining to Indigenous Peoples’ rights, human rights and sustainable development within, as well as vis-à-vis, various international fora and institutions (Arctic Council, Nordic Council of Minister, the European Union and the United Nations).
In her private capacity, Tove Søvndahl Gant has also served as an expert member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2020-2025). In the years 2008-2012 she served as member and chairperson of the Board of Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland in Nuuk, as well as a member and vice-chair of the Board of the Governors of UArctic, the University of the Arctic (2010-2019). She was born and raised in Qaqortoq, Greenland.
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