[63], In November 2011, the daily Politiken disclosed that the Tax Ministry deputy chief Peter Loft had attended several meetings attending to the Thorning-Schmidt case and had tried to insert comments into the final resolution text. The matter brought attention to the couple’s periods of separation and led to assertions that Kinnock was gay, which Thorning-Schmidt emphatically denied. Creators: Adam Price. She attended Ishøj Gymnasium from which she graduated in 1985. The party also campaigned on a platform of combating increased inequalities in society, and fighting global warming by supplying 45% of Denmark's energy from renewable sources by 2025. [2], Thorning-Schmidt served as a Member of the European Parliament for Denmark from 1999 to 2004 before being elected to the Danish Parliament in 2005. She met her husband while they were both attending the College of Europe. Danish Prime minister Mette Frederiksen is also known as Mette Fup (Fake). Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has married her long term film director partner at an intimate village wedding in Magleby Church, Zealand, a Danish island where the … She led the Social Democrats in the 2007 election, in which her party suffered modest losses and was forced into a third term in opposition. This has caused friction with the supporting Red-Green Alliance, which has been kept outside of influence. It was with Denmark’s first female Prime Minister … Jeff Wallenfeldt, manager of Geography and History, has worked as an editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica since 1992. Her father was an economics professor in Copenhagen. [32], Having lost the Danish general election of 2015, Thorning-Schmidt stepped down as Prime Minister and as leader of the Social Democratic Party. [8] She co-founded the Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR). It turned out that from 2000 to 2008 Thorning-Schmidt had made use of tax deductions applicable to her husband, even though he was not subject to Danish taxes and had no income in Denmark. She also proposed extending the workday by 12 minutes (without compensation), thereby increasing personal productivity by one hour per week. Peter Arnfeldt has been reported to the police by the Ministry for Taxation. Denmark’s struggling economy had been the central issue of the election, and Thorning-Schmidt laboured to guide her government through implementing harsh tax and unemployment-benefit reforms and spending cuts aimed at deficit reduction. [11], She was against holding a referendum on the European Reform Treaty. [25], During the first year in office her government rolled back anti-immigration legislation enacted by the previous government,[26] and passed a tax-reform with support from the liberal-conservative opposition. Borgen. In July 2013 the last of the 750 Danish troops who were serving in a combat capacity in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan returned home, in effect ending a much-criticized 12-year involvement. Despite their differences, Denmark’s real and fictional prime ministers share a common fate with women in even supposedly liberal western countries: the higher cost of professional success. Rasmussen's cabinet remained in office as a caretaker government[22] until 3 October, when Helle Thorning-Schmidt was appointed Prime Minister by the Queen following negotiations with the other opposition parties. This would constitute a hitherto unseen level of abuse of power in Danish political life. She occasionally goes to church but does not believe in eternal life, salvation, heaven, or hell. Knudsen plays the role of the fictional Danish Prime Minister Birgitte, the character is sometimes believed to be based on Denmark's first female prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt. 2010 TV-MA 3 Seasons Social Issue TV Dramas. Denmark does a good female prime minister – or statsminister, as you will know if you have watched Borgen. The stated goal is to entice Danes to work more in order to compensate for the decreasing workforce, by lowering tax on wages and gradually lowering welfare payments to those outside of the labour market to increase the economic benefit of working relative to receiving welfare. Many had protested the U.S. bank’s plans for a $1.4 billion investment in the utility, an arrangement that gave Goldman Sachs special veto powers not enjoyed by other shareholders. [1], Thorning-Schmidt was elected to the European Parliament as a member of the Party of European Socialists. The prime minister struggled in 2012, as she steered her sometimes volatile coalition through a tough program of tax and unemployment-benefit reforms, public spending cuts, and measures to balance the state budget by 2020. Bloomberg. On 2 December, Pedersen disclosed that he had found such big discrepancies in the two reports that he would set up a commission of inquiry to determine the actual course of events. "[70] Cameron said he was being polite when Thorning-Schmidt asked him to take part in the picture. Nonetheless, leading economists commended the government’s economic policy, and the Fitch credit-rating agency praised Denmark’s sound economic strategies, low public debt, and ongoing current-account surplus while confirming the country’s AAA credit rating. Anti-immigrant sentiment appeared to be at the root of the electoral response given the strong showing by the Danish People’s Party, which finished second with some 21 percent of the vote (the Liberal Party came in third with about 19.5 percent). She also holds a master's degree in European studies specialising in policy and public administration from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, where she studied from 1992 to 1993 (she is an alumna of the Charles IV promotion). On a previous occasion, Thorning-Schmidt had stopped her car to ask for a picture with the actress Sarah Jessica Parker after spotting her signing autographs in Oslo. [69][70] Defending her actions, Thorning-Schmidt said, "There were lots of pictures taken that day, and I just thought it was a bit fun. [59][60], The Danish tax authorities (SKAT) investigated reports that Thorning-Schmidt's husband, Stephen Kinnock, was guilty of tax evasion. In addition, she has held several paid and unpaid positions, including: Thorning-Schmidt married Welsh politician Stephen Kinnock in 1996, becoming the daughter-in-law of Neil Kinnock, former leader of the British Labour Party and European Commissioner, and Glenys Kinnock, former British Minister for Europe. In 1999 she was elected as a member of the European Parliament (1999–2004). [58], Although Thorning-Schmidt has been baptized into the Church of Denmark, she is not confirmed. [29] Despite effectively lowering tax rates on high income earners, tax revenue continued to increase from 831,172 million Krone in 2011, to 901,001 million Krone in 2013, and eventually reached 954,473 million Krone in 2015 by the end of her time in office. She grew up with her businesswoman mother in Ishøj, a town near Copenhagen that had attracted many immigrants. However, the Social Liberals lost nine seats, leaving the left bloc without enough support to remain in office. [1], Helle Thorning-Schmidt was born in Rødovre to Holger Thorning-Schmidt, a lecturer in mathematics and national economics at the University of Copenhagen, and his wife Grete. Thorning-Schmidt lived in Copenhagen with their children, while her husband partly resided in Davos, Switzerland, where he worked as a director for the World Economic Forum. The case had been leaked to the newspaper several months previously. In March 2013 support for the Social Democrats fell to its lowest point since 1898, but the party suffered only minor setbacks in November’s local elections. Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old.[4]. 41-Year-Old Woman May Become Youngest Ever Danish Prime Minister - Bloomberg. The results were devastating for her governing coalition, which was forced from office. President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his decision to cancel his trip to Denmark, saying that the Danish Prime Minister's comments this … [7], From 1994 to 1997, Thorning-Schmidt led the secretariat of the Danish delegation of Social Democrats in the European Parliament. She received international recognition for the leading role in 'Borgen' and as Theresa Cullen in the HBO science fiction-Western television series 'Westworld'. The source of the leak was determined to be Peter Arnfeldt, spin doctor for then Minister for Taxation Troels Lund Poulsen. Denmark's current Prime Minister is Mette Frederiksen representing the social democratic … Marienborg, Lyngby, Copenhagen -Denamrk , 08 March 2015_Ms:mette Frederiksen social democrat and minister for justice arrives at lunch hosts by Ms. Helle Thornin-Schmidt Denmarks prime minister ( In red and black ) celebartes 100 years women voting right day by hosting lunch for 42 living women ministers from various parties and various covenornments 62 denmarks has female miniter during one h [67] On the same day, Troels Lund Poulsen announced he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Danish Parliament. Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. [13] She also opposed tax cuts announced by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, instead stating she would like to see more funding for welfare. Marienborg, Lyngby,Copenhagen -Denamrk, 08 March 2015_Ms:mette Frederiksen social democrat and minister for justice arrives at lunch hosts by Ms.Helle Thornin-Schmidt Denmarks prime minister (In red and black) celebartes 100 years women voting right day by hosting lunch for 42 living women ministers from various parties and various covenornments 62 denmarks has female miniter during one h Worse still was the revelation that her husband—the director of the World Economic Forum, who worked in its offices in Switzerland weekdays and joined Thorning-Schmidt and their two daughters in Copenhagen on weekends—had not paid any income tax in Denmark. Although her popularity plummeted, Thorning-Schmidt weathered the political storm with toughness that flew in the face of those who saw her as effete and characterized her as “Gucci Helle” because of her penchant for stylish dress. She was however not required to pay the amounts saved for the six years from 2000 to 2005, because of the statutory time limit for liability in such cases. Politics. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the extension of the current nationwide Covid-19 lockdown until January 17, 2021, in an … Although the party suffered considerable losses in the 2007 election to the ruling Liberal-Conservative coalition led by Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen, Thorning-Schmidt remained its leader. They have two daughters, Johanna and Camilla. A shocking turn of events puts Birgitte Nyborg in the Danish prime minister's seat as her country's first female leader in this landmark drama. [33], After her retirement from Danish politics, Thorning-Schmidt served as the CEO of Save the Children from 2016 until 2019. [35], Also in 2020, Thorning-Schmidt was appointed by the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe to serve as a member of the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development, chaired by Mario Monti.[36]. The mistake was corrected by SKAT for the three years from 2006 to 2008, and Thorning-Schmidt paid the amount she had saved due to the error. [6] In addition to her native Danish, she speaks fluent English and French. [24], Thorning-Schmidt presided over the successful conclusion of NATO's strike missions in Libya, to which Denmark was a contributor, less than three weeks after taking office. [10], Thorning-Schmidt campaigned for the party leadership as a moderate candidate and was elected by the party members on 12 April 2005, ahead of the other candidate, Frank Jensen. 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