Ulla Tørnæs
Ulla Tørnæs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education of Denmark | |
| Assumed office February 29, 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ulla Tørnæs 4 September 1962 Esbjerg, Denmark |
| Political party |  Danish:Venstre  EU:Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| Alma mater | |
Ulla Pedersen Tørnæs (born 4 September 1962) is a Danish politician and the former Minister for Development Cooperation of Denmark. She is a member of the Liberal Party and, from 1994 to 2014, was a member of the Danish parliament (Folketing). She currently serves as the Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education in the Lars Løkke Rasmussen II Cabinet of Denmark.
Political career
Role in Danish politics
Tørnæs served as Minister for Education in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I (2001–2005) and as Minister for Development Cooperation in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II from 18 February 2005. From 2007, she was a member of the World Bank Group’s High Level Advisory Council on Women's Economic Empowerment, which was chaired by Danny Leipziger and Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul.[1]
Tørnæs was in the news on 25 February 2005 when it became known that her husband, Jørgen Tørnæs, had illegally employed a Latvian supervisor on one of his pig farms without the required residence and work permits. She was not forced to resign as minister because there was no proof she knew the supervisor was illegally employed.
Member of the European Parliament, 2014–2016
Tørnæs became a Member of the European Parliament following the 2014 European elections. A member of the ALDE (Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) political faction, she served as Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. In 2015, she was the lead negotiator for the ALDE group on the eCall system.[2]
In addition to her committee assignments, Tørnæs was a member of the parliament’s delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education, 2016–present
Tørnæs left the European Parliament on February 29, 2016, becoming Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education in the Lars Løkke Rasmussen II Cabinet. Her successor is Morten Løkkegaard.
Other activities
- Danish Liberal Democracy Programme, Member of the Board
- Plan International Denmark, Member of the Board (2010-2013)[3]
Personal life
Tørnæs is the daughter of former minister Laurits Tørnæs and Katty Tørnæs.
References
- ^ The World Bank Group Advisory Council on Women’s Economic Empowerment World Bank Group, Gender Equality as Smart Economics newsletter, March 2008.
- ^ Zoya Sheftalovich (April 29, 2015), eCall emergency system a-calling despite internal objections Politico Europe.
- ^ Ulla Tørnæs Folketing.
- CV – from the website of the Danish Folketing
- Template:Da icon News story about the illegally employed supervisor – from TV 2 (Denmark)