Søren Gade


Søren Gade Jensen is a Danish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2019, representing the Liberal party, Venstre. He has been a Liberal member of the Danish Parliament from 2001. Before entering politics, he was a military officer and businessman.

Political career

Gade served as Defence Minister from 2004 to 2010, when he replaced Svend Aage Jensby. During his time in office, he led Danish efforts to maintain public support for the deployment of 750 troops in Afghanistan. Gade resigned his position due to a long time conflict with the media after the publishing of a fake Arabic translation of Thomas Rathsack's book, telling the defence's methods in the Afghan war.
Gade was elected to the European Parliament in 2019. A member of the Renew Europe group, he has since been serving as chair of the Committee on Fisheries and as member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism. In 2020, he also joined the Special Committee on Beating Cancer.
In addition to his committee assignments, Gade is part of the Parliament's delegation for relations with India.

Other activities

In 2015, newspaper Jyllands-Posten published a document that it said proved that Gade tried to hide the Danish military's agreement with security company Blackwater whose contractors killed 17 Iraqi civilians and wounded 20 in Baghdad's Nisour Square in 2007.

Personal life

In January 2008 Gade lost his wife Helle Buskbjerg Poulsen after years of cancer.

Awards and Decorations