PM: The gov’t considers a European Affairs Minister

When the three-party government was formed last year, there were discussions between the three parties about appointing a European Affairs Minister. And it has also been “discussed subsequently” and is still “a consideration”, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in an interview with the written press after the opening of the Folketing on Tuesday.
     The question has come up after the Liberals expressed a desire for Denmark to have a European Affairs Minister. President Jakob Ellemann-Jensen sees this as a way to prepare for the upcoming Danish EU Presidency in 2025. But he also stated that the government had not yet discussed the Liberal Party’s wish. “We haven’t talked about this specifically. But it is clear that we will discuss this at some point,” the Liberal chairman said. According to Mette Frederiksen, however, it has been discussed several times. “But there won’t be a European Affairs Minister right now. But this is a consideration we have in the government,” the prime minister said.
     According to the Liberals, a European affairs minister would have to take on tasks from Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. When he was presented with the Liberal Party’s wish on Tuesday, he said that “if we thought it was obvious to have a European affairs minister, we would probably have appointed one”. /ritzau/