Connie Hedegaard (born September 15, 1960) is a Danish politician and public intellectual who has been officially nominated for the European Commission, and will most likely be the future European Commissioner for the Climate.[1] She is the former Danish Minister for The U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009,[2] and the former Danish Minister for Climate and Energy since November 23, 2007 as a member of the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen III and that of Lars Løkke Rasmussen and was the Danish Minister for the Environment from August 2, 2004 to November 23, 2007, as a member of the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I and the II. She is a member of the Conservative People's Party (DKF), and was a member of the parliament (Folketing) from January 10, 1984 to October 3, 1990. She has also been a member of the Folketing since the 2005 Danish parliamentary election. Prior to becoming a minister, she worked as a journalist at DR, the Danish national broadcaster. On November 24, 2009 she was picked by Prime-Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen for the European Commission, where the current President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has suggested she will have climate appointed as her portfolio.[3] On the European level, she is an active member of the European People's Party (EPP)[4][5].
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Background
Connie Hedegaard holds an MA in Literature and History. She has been active in government on and off since 1984, when she was elected as the hitherto youngest member of the Folketing, the Danish national parliament, where she sat for six years.[6] In 1990, she left politics to pursue a career in journalism. Over the next 14 years, she worked as a journalist at the newspaper Berlingske Tidende, took the post of Director of DR Radio News, and was the anchor for Deadline, a Danish TV news program.
Diving back into politics in 2004, she became Minister of the Environment. A year later, she was elected Minister for Nordic Cooperation. In the November 2007 general election, she was chosen as Minister for Climate and Energy. In May 2008, she told Denmark, “Sustainable economic growth is an attainable objective. The Nordic Region has made great progress with solutions based on environmental technology, and some day it will be possible to stockpile energy generated from renewable sources such as windmills, and to run vehicles purely on excess energy.” [7]
Her current work includes preparing for the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen.[8]
Connie Hedegaard and Denmark's energy policies
Since 2007, Connie Hedegaard has been behind Denmark’s energy successes. In April, she signed an action plan with India on renewable energy.[9] One notable achievement was her role in introducing Denmark’s Energy Policy 2008-2011. The policy made her country the first in the world to commit to an overall energy reduction, not just a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It includes the following language.
- Energy Savings: A target of 2% reduction of total energy use from 2006 levels by 2011, and 4% by 2020.
- Renewable Energy: Increased biomass/waste and wind energy and provide large, annual subsidies for solar and wave energy. Regarding wind power, plans include support for two 200 MW offshore wind farms that are scheduled to begin energy production in 2012. Additionally, money has been set aside for informational and labeling campaigns aimed at replacing oil-fired furnaces with heat pumps.
- Energy taxes: Higher taxes on CO2 emitters, as well as a new tax on emitters of nitrogen oxide (NOx).
- Energy technology: Doubled funding for energy technology R&D.
- Transport: Extended the electric vehicle tax exemption to 2012 and introduced a tax exemption for hydrogen vehicles. Planned a tests scheme for electric vehicles. Set the goal to use 5.75% biofuels for all land transit by 2010 and 10% by 2020, in line with EU targets.
On the other hand, Hans Jørgen Koch, Deputy State Secretary at Ministry of Climate and Energy of Denmark with Connie Hedegaard is one of three other candidates/nominees for Director General of IRENA.
References
- CV (in English) from the Ministry of Climate and Energy.
Notes
- ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSGEE5AN0JE20091124
- ^ http://www.berlingske.dk/klima/connie-h.-ny-eu-kommissaer
- ^ http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/member-states-bid-for-best-jobs-in-barroso-ii/66439.aspx
- ^ "Barroso gets new EU Commission team", BBC News, 25 November 2009; accessed November 28, 2009
- ^ "Barroso II: 13 EPP Commissioners receive key portfolios", European People's Party, 27 November 2009; accessed November 28, 2009
- ^ CV from Ministry of Climate and Energy. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
- ^ EcoWorldly: The Woman Steering Denmark’s Alternative Energy Success.
- ^ http://en.cop15.dk/
- ^ http://www.ens.dk/sw68304.asp
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hans Christian Schmidt |
Minister for the Environment August 2, 2004 – November 23, 2007 |
Succeeded by Troels Lund Poulsen |
| Preceded by Flemming Hansen |
Minister of Nordic Cooperation February 18, 2005 – November 23, 2007 |
Succeeded by Bertel Haarder |
| Preceded by Office created |
Minister for Climate and Energy November 23, 2007 – November 24 (?), 2009 |
Succeeded by Lykke Friis |
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