Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
Encyclopedia
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
. Among these tasks are policy towards the EU, development aid
Development aid
Development aid or development cooperation is aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social and political development of developing countries.It is distinguished...
, trade policy and legal affairs in relation to the outside world.
The ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
services five distinct ministers: The Foreign Minister, the Minister for Nordic Cooperation
Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
, the Minister for Trade and Investment, the Minister for European Affairs and the Minister for Development Cooperation
Minister for Development Cooperation of Denmark
Minister for Development Cooperation of Denmark is a Danish minister office. The office was introduced with the Cabinet of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen I on 25 January 1993. The minister works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark...
. The Ministry is led by the Head of Department and four Directors.
History
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs first became its own institution in 1770 as the Foreign Service Department and was renamed The Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1848. Before then, the diplomatic tasks were usually handled by brief individual missions, but the increasing complexity of diplomatic affairs necessitated the creation of a larger organization. The Ministry currently employs thousands of people at home and abroad.Its official role is to further Danish interests in a way that furthers the freedom, security and well-being of Danish citizens abroad, while working for peace and stability in the world. In practice, the organization helps Danish companies in their export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
markets and Danish citizens in emergency situations abroad through close cooperation between the headquarters on Asiatisk Plads in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and the representations abroad.
Involvement in Oil-for-Food Programme
Accusations have surfaced that several high-profile Danish companies (including pharmaceutical company Novo NordiskNovo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services. Created in 1989 through a merger of two Danish companies dating back to the 1920s, it has become one of the world's leading companies in diabetes care, where Novo Nordisk pursues research into pulmonary delivery systems;...
) had been bribing various Iraqi government and UN officials in connection with the UN Oil-for-Food Programme
Oil-for-Food Programme
The Oil-for-Food Programme , established by the United Nations in 1995 was established with the stated intent to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to boost its military...
. According to a UN investigation, more than 2200 companies were involved in the bribery, among these 22 Danish companies, 17 of which are being investigated since 2005 by the State Prosecutor for Serious Economic Crime under the Ministry of Justice.
Some of these companies have since tried to pass on the blame to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alleging that they were encouraged by government officials to participate in the widespread corruption. The allegations have held sway in the media and among the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
-conservative government's opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
in Parliament
Folketing
The Folketing , is the national parliament of Denmark. The name literally means "People's thing"—that is, the people's governing assembly. It is located in Christiansborg Palace, on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen....
, who have also criticized the Ministry's unwillingness to comment the case openly. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has worked together with the State Prosecutor to clarify any issues to absolve itself of blame. In 2007, after several classified documents were leaked to the press, the Ministry decided to release its answers to the questions posed by the State Prosecutor in an effort to protect its employees.