Bendt Bendtsen


Bendt Bendtsen is a Danish politician who served as Member of the European Parliament from 2009 until 2019. He is a member of the Conservative People's Party, part of the European People's Party.

Early career

Before being elected to the Folketing, Bendtsen worked in the police in Odense; he became a member of the Odense City Council in 1989, and he was Vice-Chairman of the Odense Criminal Police Association from 1989 to 1992.

Career in national politics

Bendtsen was the Conservative Party's social policy spokesman from 1994 to 1995, its labour market spokesman from 1995 to 1998, and its legal policy spokesman from 1998 to 1999. He became the political leader of the Conservative Party on 5 August 1999 and became the party's Chairman in November 2000. He was the leader of the Conservative People's Party from 1999 to 2008. He was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry from 2001 to 2008 under Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. In 2008, he resigned from these positions to become his party’s top candidate for the 2009 European elections.

Member of the Danish Parliament

Bendtsen was a temporary member of the Folketing for the Conservative Party, representing Funen County constituency, from 5 April to 24 April 1994, and he was subsequently elected as a Conservative member of the Folketing from Funen County constituency in the parliamentary election held on 21 September 1994. In the November 2007 parliamentary election he was elected from the Funen greater constituency.

Post-election 2001

Following the November 2001 parliamentary election, Bendt Bendtsen became Minister for Economic and Business Affairs and Minister for Nordic Cooperation on 27 November 2001 in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I. He left the post of Minister for Nordic Cooperation on 18 June 2002, but remained Minister for Economic and Business Affairs. He retained the latter post in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II and III. On 9 September 2008, he tendered his resignation as leader of the party, which then elected Lene Espersen as leader, also resigning from his post as minister.

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–2019

Bendt Bendtsen was elected Member of the European Parliament in the 2009 elections. Throughout his time in parliament, he served as member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. He was also a substitute member in the Committee on Budgets and Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis. In parliament, he was part of the European People's Party, which is the biggest political group in the parliament.
In addition to his committee assignments, Bendtsen was a member of the Parliament's delegation for relations with China from 2014 until 2019. In May 2012, he founded together with the Austrian MEP Paul Rübig and the Bulgarian MEP Nadezdha Neynsky a new organization called SME Europe, the pro-business organization within the European People's Party, which aims at improving the situation of small and medium-sized enterprises all across Europe. He held the position of First Vice-President. He was also a supporter of the MEP Heart Group, a group of parliamentarians who have an interest in promoting measures that help reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases.

Other activities