Karen Ellemann

Karen Ellemann

Karen Ellemann (born Charlottenlund, 26 August 1969) is a Danish member of parliament for the party Venstre and current Minister of Social Affairs and the interior.

She is former Minister for the Environment of Denmark and Minister for Nordic Cooperation.

Personal life

Karen is the daughter of former Foreign Minister, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen. She is an educated teacher. She is divorced and has two children, with whom she lives in Hørsholm.

Political career

From 2005 to 2007, she was a member of the city council in Rudersdal Municipality. Following the 2007 parliamentary election, she was elected to the Parliament of Denmark (Danish: Folketinget). On 7 April 2009, she was appointed Minister of the Interior and of Social Affairs in the cabinet of prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. In February 2010, she became minister for the environment and Minister of Nordic Cooperation. On 28 June 2015 she was appointed Minister of the Interior and of Social Affairs in the cabinet of prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Karen Elleman is considered a controversial politician in Denmark due to the decision of importing 6,000 tons of highly toxic chemical waste HCB, also known as Hexachlorobenzene from Australia. Karen Ellemann is convinced that the import is a good opportunity to expose Danish knowhow at its best in the process of handling the HCB waste.

Opponents criticized the decision with reference to the extreme consequence an accident would have on the marine environment if one should occur during the 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km) transport to Denmark.

Karen Ellemann is humorously referred as "chemical Karen" by leading newspaper editors.

Adoption by homosexuals

On 13 March 2009, together with Venstre-people Gitte Lillelund Bech, Karsten Lauritzen, Malou Aamund, Ellen Thrane Nørby, and Sophie Løhde, she went against the official party politics of Venstre and passed, together with Liberial Alliance and the opposition, the suggestion by Simon Emil Ammitzbøll of Borgerligt Centrum that homosexuals be allowed to adopt.^[1]

Notes

1. "Flertal vil lade homoseksuelle adoptere" (in Danish). DR. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2009-04-07.