VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHCP #0104/01 0541226
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 231226Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5538
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS COPENHAGEN 000104 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/NB 
NSC FOR HOVENIER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL DA
SUBJECT:   MAJOR CABINET RESHUFFLE 
 
REF:  09 COPENHAGEN 435 
 
(U)  SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.  NOT FOR 
INTERNET. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen announced 
his new Cabinet February 23.  The most extensive reshuffle in recent 
Danish history, it sets his stamp decisively on the Government, 
nearly 11 months after he took office without an election when his 
predecessor became NATO Secretary General.  For the first time, 
women hold the key positions of Defense and Foreign Affairs. 
Outgoing FM Per Stig Moeller becomes Culture Minister, while 
outgoing Defense Minister Soeren Gade leaves government altogether. 
Other notable changes affect the Ministries of Justice, Transport, 
Science, Health, and Development Cooperation.  Complete list at 
paragraph 6.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) PM Lars Loekke Rasmussen had been expected to reshuffle 
his Cabinet early this year, to set his stamp on the Government 
whose leadership he inherited without an election in April 2009 when 
Anders Fogh Rasmussen left to become NATO Secretary General.  The 
extensive nature of this reshuffle is a decisive response to the 
chorus of criticism that Loekke is a mere caretaker.  The 
publication (expected February 24) of Denmark's economic Convergence 
Program will be an opportunity for the PM to set his stamp on policy 
as he has on the Government. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) New Foreign Minister Lene Espersen is the leader of the 
junior coalition partner, the Conservative People's Party.  She was 
and remains Deputy Prime Minister; she was highly regarded as 
Economic and Business Affairs Minister.  She succeeds her fellow 
Conservative Per Stig Moeller, who had been at MFA since the 
Liberal-Conservative coalition took office in November 2001.  The 
67-year-old Moeller, bereaved by the recent death of his son, moves 
to the Culture Ministry for which he has an affinity. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) New Defense Minister Gitte Lillelund Bech is a strong 
friend of the United States and this Embassy.  An alumna of the 
German Marshall Fellows, she moves up from chairing the Folketing 
(parliament)'s Foreign Policy Committee.  Gade, one of the most 
popular ministers, has had to contend with a barrage of criticism 
over various incidents in his ministry, some of which he had nothing 
to do with (see reftel), but which apparently eroded confidence in 
MOD during a time of military engagement.  Also, in the past couple 
of years he has suffered the deaths of his wife and his father. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Other changes of note:  Transport Minister Lars Barfoed 
moves to Justice; Justice Minister Brian Mikkelsen moves to Economic 
and Business Affairs; Liberal Party foreign policy spokesman Soeren 
Pind becomes Development Cooperation Minister; Education Minister 
Bertel Haarder moves to Health and also takes on the Interior 
portfolio; Hans Christian Schmidt returns to the Cabinet as 
Transport Minister.  Two new ministers are not even members of 
parliament:  Benedikte Kiaer (Social Affairs)and Charlotte Sahl 
Madsen (Science).  Dropped from the Cabinet altogether are:  Science 
Minister Helge Sander, Health Minister Jakob Axel Nielsen, 
Development Cooperation Minister Ulla Toernaes, and Culture Minister 
Carina Christensen. 
 
¶6.  (U) There follows the complete list of the new Cabinet(format: 
Name/Party/ 
Position/Previous Position if applicable): 
 
Lars Loekke Rasmussen/Liberal/Prime Minister/no change 
 
Lene Espersen/ Conservative/Foreign/ Economic and Business 
 
Per Stig Moeller/C/ Culture/Foreign 
 
Claus Hjort Frederiksen/L/Finance/no change 
 
Brian Mikkelsen/C/Economic and Business/ Justice 
 
Lykke Friis/L/Climate and Energy; Gender Equality/Climate and 
Energy 
 
Bertel Haarder/L/Interior; Health/Education; Nordic Cooperation 
 
Lars Barfoed/L/Justice/Transport 
 
Birthe Roenn Hornbech/L/Refugees, Immigration and Integration; 
Ecclesiastical/no change 
 
Troels Lund Poulsen/L/Taxation/Environment 
 
Inger Stoejberg/L/Employment/Employment; Gender Equality 
 
Karen Ellemann/L/Environment; Nordic Cooperation/Interior; Social 
Affairs 
NEW TO CABINET: 
 
 
Gitte Lillelund Bech/L/Defense/Parliament Foreign Policy Committee 
Chair 
 
Soeren Pind/L/Development Cooperation/Party foreign policy 
spokesman 
 
Hans Christian Schmidt/L/Transport/ 
Parliament party Group Chair 
 
Tina Nedergaard/L/Education/Party finance spokesman 
 
Benedikte Kiaer/C/Social Affairs/Copenhagen Regional Council Member 
 
Charlotte Sahl Madsen/L (TBC)/Science, Technology and 
Innovation/Danfoss Universe (R and D park) 
 
Henrik Hoegh/L/Food, Agriculture and Fisheries/Member of Parliament 
 
OUT: 
 
Soeren Gade/L/out/Defense 
 
Kristian Jensen/L/out, becomes party Group Chair in 
Parliament/Taxation 
 
Helge Sander/L/out/Science, Technology and Innovation 
 
Ulla Toernaes/L /out/Development Cooperation 
 
Eva Kjaer Hansen/L/out/Food, Agriculture and Fisheries 
 
Carina Christensen/L/out/Culture 
 
Jakob Axel Nielsen/L/out/Health and Disease Prevention 
 
FULTON