PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Kingdom of Denmark
Geography*![Map of Denmark](da-map.gif)
Area: 43,096 sq. km. (16,640 sq. mi.); slightly
smaller than Vermont and New Hampshire combined.
Cities: Capital--Copenhagen (pop. 0.5
million in Copenhagen and 1.8 million in the
Copenhagen Region). Other cities--Aarhus
(289,000), Odense (184,000), Aalborg (162,000).
Terrain: Low and flat or slightly rolling;
highest elevation is 173 m. (568 ft.).
Climate: Temperate. The terrain, location, and
prevailing westerly winds make the weather
changeable.
*Excluding Greenland and the Faroe Islands
People
Nationality: Noun--Dane(s). Adjective--Danish.
Population (July 1, 2005): 5,432,335.
Annual growth rate: 0.34%.
Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, German, Inuit,
Faroese.
Religion membership: Evangelical Lutheran 84.3%.
Catholics, Jews, other Protestant denominations,
and Muslims account for approximately 5%.
Languages: Danish, some German, Faroese,
Greenlandic. English is the predominant second
language.
Education: Years compulsory--9.
Attendance--100%. Literacy--100%.
Health: Infant mortality rate
(2005)--4.5/1,000. Life expectancy--men
75 years, women 80 years.
Work force (2005): 2.88 million. Employment:
Industry, construction, mining and utilities--23%;
government--35%; private services--38%;
agriculture and fisheries--4%.
Government
Type: Constitutional monarchy.
Constitution: June 5, 1953.
Branches: Executive--queen (chief of
state), prime minister (head of government),
cabinet. Legislative--unicameral
parliament (Folketing). Judicial--appointed
Supreme Court.
Political parties (represented in parliament):
Venstre (Liberal), Social Democratic,
Konservative, Socialist People's, Social
Liberal, Unity List, Danish People's.
Suffrage: Universal adult (18 years of age).
Administrative subdivisions: 13 counties and 271
municipalities.
Economy
GDP (2003): $212 billion.
Annual growth rate (real terms, 2004 est.):
2.1%.
Per capita income: $37,883.
Agriculture and fisheries (2.4% of GDP at gross
value added): Products--meat, milk,
grains, seeds, hides, fur skin, fish and
shellfish.
Industry (21.0% of GDP at gross value added):
Types--industrial and construction
equipment, food processing, electronics,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals, furniture, textiles,
windmills, and ships.
Natural resources: North Sea--oil and
gas, fish. Greenland--fish and shrimp,
potential for hydrocarbons and minerals,
including zinc, lead, molybdenum, uranium, gold,
platinum. The Faroe Islands--fish,
potential for hydrocarbons.
Trade (2003): Exports--$66.2 billion:
manufactured goods 81% (of which machinery and
instruments 35%); agricultural products 10% (of
which pork and pork products cover 48%), fuels
2%, fish and fish products 3%, other 4%.
Imports--$56.4 billion: raw materials and
semi-manufactures 43%, consumer goods 29%,
capital equipment 14%, transport equipment 7%,
fuels 5%, other 2%. Partners (percent of
total trade in goods)--Germany 21%, Sweden 13%,
U.K. 8%, U.S. 5%, Norway 5%, Japan 2%, east
European countries 5%.
Official exchange rate: (2002 avg.) 7.88 kroner=U.S.
$1; (2003 avg.) 6.59 kroner=U.S. $1.
PEOPLE AND HISTORY
The Danes, a homogenous Gothic-Germanic people,
have inhabited Denmark since prehistoric times.
Danish is the principal language. English is a
required school subject, and fluency is high. A
small German-speaking minority lives in southern
Jutland; a mostly Inuit population inhabits
Greenland; and the Faroe Islands have a Nordic
population with its own language. Education is
compulsory from ages seven to 16 and is free
through the university level.
Although religious freedom is guaranteed, the
state-supported Evangelical Lutheran Church
accounts for about 84% (down from 92% in 1984)
of those persons claiming religious affiliation.
Several other Christian denominations, as well
as other major religions, find adherents in
Denmark. Islam is now the second-largest
religion in Denmark.
During the Viking period (9th-11th
centuries), Denmark was a great power based on
the Jutland Peninsula, the Island of Zealand,
and the southern part of what is now Sweden. In
the early 11th century, King Canute united
Denmark and England for almost 30 years.
Viking raids brought Denmark into contact
with Christianity, and in the 12th century,
crown and church influence increased. By the
late 13th century, royal power had waned, and
the nobility forced the king to grant a charter,
considered Denmark's first constitution.
Although the struggle between crown and nobility
continued into the 14th century, Queen Margrethe
I succeeded in uniting Denmark, Norway, Sweden,
Finland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and
Greenland under the Danish crown. Sweden and
Finland left the union in 1520; however, Norway
remained until 1814. Iceland, in a "personal
union" under the king of Denmark after 1918,
became independent in 1944.
The Reformation was introduced in Denmark in
1536. Denmark's provinces in today's
southwestern Sweden were lost in 1658, and
Norway was transferred from the Danish to the
Swedish crown in 1814, following the defeat of
Napoleon, with whom Denmark was allied.
The Danish liberal movement gained momentum
in the 1830s, and in 1849 Denmark became a
constitutional monarchy. After the war with
Prussia and Austria in 1864, Denmark was forced
to cede Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia and adopt
a policy of neutrality. Toward the end of the
19th century, Denmark inaugurated important
social and labor market reforms, laying the
basis for the present welfare state.
Denmark remained neutral during World War I.
Despite its declaration of neutrality at the
beginning of World War II, it was invaded by the
Germans in 1940 and occupied until liberated by
the Allied forces in May 1945. Resistance
against the Germans was sporadic until late
1943. By then better organized, the resistance
movement and other volunteers undertook a
successful rescue mission in which nearly the
entire Jewish population of Denmark was shipped
to Sweden (whose neutrality was honored by
Germany). However, extensive studies are still
undertaken for the purpose of establishing a
clearer picture of the degree of Danish
cooperation--official and corporate--with the
occupying power. Denmark became a charter member
of the United Nations and was one of the
original signers of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Cultural Achievements
Denmark's rich intellectual heritage has made
multifaceted contributions to modern culture the
world over. The discoveries of astronomer Tycho
Brahe (1546-1601), geologist and anatomist Niels
Steensen (1639-86), and the brilliant
contributions of Nobel laureates Niels Bohr
(1885-1962) to atomic physics and Niels Finsen
(1860-1904) to medical research indicate the
range of Danish scientific achievement. The
fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen
(1805-75), the philosophical essays of Soeren
Kierkegaard (1813-55), and the short stories of
Karen Blixen (pseudonym Isak Dinesen; 1885-1962)
have earned international recognition, as have
the symphonies of Carl Nielsen (1865-1931).
Danish applied art and industrial design have
won so many awards for excellence that the term
"Danish Design" has become synonymous with high
quality, craftsmanship, and functionalism. Among
the leading lights of architecture and design
was Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971), the "father of
modern Danish design." The name of Georg Jensen
(1866-1935) is known worldwide for outstanding
modern design in silver, and "Royal Copenhagen"
is among the finest porcelains. No 'short list'
of famous Danes would be complete without the
entertainer and pianist Victor Borge
(1909-2000), who emigrated to the United States
under Nazi threat in 1940, and had a worldwide
following when he died a naturalized U.S.
citizen in Greenwich, Connecticut, at the age of
91.
Visitors to Denmark will discover a wealth of
cultural activity. The Royal Danish Ballet
specializes in the work of the great Danish
choreographer August Bournonville (1805-79).
Danish dancers also feature regularly on the
U.S. ballet scene, notably Peter Martins as head
of New York City Ballet.
The Danish Film Institute, one of the oldest
in Scandinavia, offers daily public screenings
of Danish and international movies in their
original language and plays an active role in
the maintenance and restoration of important
archival prints. Over the decades, movie
directors like Gabriel Axel (Babette's Feast,
1987 Oscar for Best Foreign Film), Bille August
(Buster's World, 1984; Pelle the Conqueror, 1988
Oscar for Best Foreign Film; The House of the
Spirits, 1993) and Lars von Trier (Breaking the
Waves, 1996; Dancer in the Dark, 2000 Cannes
Golden Palm) have all won international acclaim.
In addition, Denmark has been involved virtually
from the start in development of the "Dogma
film" genre, where small, hand-held digital
cameras have permitted greater rapport between
director and actor and given a documentary film
feel to their increasingly realistic works.
Besides von Trier's Dogville (2003) starring
Nicole Kidman, and The Idiots (1998), The
Celebration (1998 Cannes Special Jury prize) by
Thomas Vinterberg, Mifune's Last Song (1999
Berlin Silver Bear award) by Soeren Kragh-Jacobsen,
and Italian for Beginners (2000 Berlin Silver
Bear award) by Lone Scherfig all are prime
examples of the Dogma concept.
International collections of modern art enjoy
unusually attractive settings at the Louisiana
Museum north of Copenhagen, "Arken" south of
Copenhagen, and the North Jutland Art Museum in
Aalborg. The State Museum of Art and the
Glyptotek, both in Copenhagen, contain
masterpieces of Danish and international art.
Denmark's National Museum building in central
Copenhagen harbors most of the state's
anthropological and archeological treasures with
especially fine prehistoric and Viking Age
collections; two of its finest satellite
collections are the Viking Ship Museum in
Roskilde west of the metropolis and the Open Air
Museum in a near northern suburb where original
buildings have been transported from their
original locations around the country and
reassembled on plots specially landscaped to
evoke the original site. The Museum of Applied
Art and Industrial Design in Copenhagen exhibits
the best in Danish design. The world-renowned
Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Factory exports
worldwide. The ceramic tradition is carried on
by designers such as Bjoern Wiinblad, whose
whimsical creations remain as popular today as
when they burst on the scene in the 1950s, and
is carried on by younger talents such as
Gertrude Vasegaard and Michael Geertsen.
Denmark has more than its share of impressive
castles, many of which have been converted to
museums. Frederiksborg Castle, on a manmade
island in a lake north of Copenhagen, was
restored after a catastrophic fire in the 1800s
and now houses important collections in
awe-inspiring splendor amidst impeccably
manicured gardens. In Elsinore, Kronborg (or
Hamlet's) Castle that once exacted tribute from
passing ships now houses important furniture and
art collections of the period, while hosting in
its courtyard many touring summer productions of
Shakespearean works. In Copenhagen, Rosenborg
Castle houses the kingdom's crown jewels and
boasts spectacular public gardens in the heart
of the city.
Among today's Danish writers, probably the
best-known to American readers is Peter Hoeg (Smilla's
Sense of Snow; Borderliners), while the most
prolific is Klaus Rifbjerg--poet, novelist,
playwright, and screenwriter. Benny Andersen
writes poems, short stories, and music. Poems by
both writers have been translated into English
by the Curbstone Press. Suzanne Broegger focuses
on the changing roles of women in society.
Kirsten Thorup's "Baby" won the 1980 Pegasus
Prize and is printed in English by the
University of Louisiana Press. The psychological
thrillers of Anders Bodelsen and political
thrillers by Leif Davidsen also appear in
English.
In music, Hans Abrahamsen and Per Noergaard
are the two most famous living composers.
Abrahamsen's works have been performed by the
National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC.
Other international names are Poul Ruders, Bo
Holten, and Karl Aage Rasmussen. Danes such as
bass player Niels Henning Oersted Petersen have
won broad international recognition, and the
Copenhagen Jazz Festival held each year in July
has acquired a firm place on the calendar of
international jazz enthusiasts.
Cultural Policy
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs was created in
1961. Cultural life and meaningful leisure time
were then and remain subjects of debate by
politicians and parliament as well as the
general public. The democratization of cultural
life promoted by the government's 1960s cultural
policy recently has come to terms with the older
"genteel culture;" broader concepts of culture
now generally accepted include amateur and
professional cultural, media, sports, and
leisure-time activities.
Denmark's cultural policy is characterized by
decentralized funding, program responsibility,
and institutions. Danish cultural direction
differs from other countries with a Ministry of
Culture and a stated policy in that special laws
govern each cultural field--e.g., the Theater
Act of 1990 (as amended) and the Music Law of
1976 (as amended).
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs includes
among its responsibilities international
cultural relations; training of librarians and
architects; copyright legislation; and subsidies
to archives, libraries, museums, literature,
music, arts and crafts, theater, and film
production. During 1970-82, the Ministry also
recognized protest movements and street
manifestations as cultural events, because
social change was viewed as an important goal of
Danish cultural policy. Different governments
exercise caution in moderating this policy and
practice. Radio and TV broadcasting also fall
under the Ministry of Culture.
Although government expenditures for culture
totaled about 1.0% of the budget in 1996, in
2002 government expenditures for culture totaled
0.3% of gross domestic product (GDP). Viewed
against the new government's firm objective to
limit public expenditures, contributions are
unlikely to increase in the future. Municipal
and county governments assume a relatively large
share of the costs for cultural activities in
their respective districts. Most support goes to
libraries and archives, theater, museums, arts
and crafts training, and films.
GOVERNMENT
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. Queen
Margrethe II has largely ceremonial functions;
probably her most significant formal power lies
in her right to appoint the prime minister and
cabinet ministers, who are responsible for
administration of the government. However, she
must consult with parliamentary leaders to
determine the public's will, since the cabinet
may be dismissed by a vote of no confidence in
the Folketing (parliament). Cabinet
members are occasionally recruited from outside
the Folketing.
The 1953 constitution established a
unicameral Folketing of not more than 179
members, of whom two are elected from the Faroe
Islands and two from Greenland. Elections are
held at least every 4 years, but the prime
minister can dissolve the Folketing at
any time and call for new elections.
Folketing members are elected by a
complicated system of proportional
representation; any party receiving at least 2%
of the total national vote receives
representation. The result is a multiplicity of
parties (seven represented in the Folketing
after the February 2005 general election), none
of which holds a majority. Electorate
participation normally is around 80-85%.
The judicial branch consists of about 100
local courts, two high courts, several special
courts (e.g., arbitration and maritime), and a
Supreme Court of 15 judges appointed by the
crown on the government's recommendation.
Denmark is divided into 13 counties (Amter)
and 271 municipalities (Kommuner). The chief
official of the Amt, the county mayor (Amts-borgmester),
is elected by the county council from among its
members, according to the municipal reform of
1970. The cities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg
function as both counties and municipalities.
The Faroe Islands and Greenland enjoy home
rule, with the Danish Government represented
locally by high commissioners. These home rule
governments are responsible for most domestic
affairs, with foreign relations, monetary
affairs, and defense falling to the Danish
Government.
Principal Government Officials
Monarch--Queen Margrethe II
Prime Minister--Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Ministers
Economic Affairs, Business and Trade--Bendt
Bendtsen
Foreign Affairs--Per Stig Moeller
Finance--Thor Pedersen
Employment--Claus Hjort Frederiksen
Justice--Lene Espersen
Cultural Affairs--Brian Mikkelsen
Refugees, Immigration and Integration--Ms. Rikke
Hvilshoej
Development Cooperation--Ms. Ulla Toernaes
Taxation--Kristian Jensen
Transport and Energy--Flemming Hansen
Science, Technology and Innovation--Helge Sander
Food, Agriculture and Fisheries--Hans Christian
Schmidt
Defense--Soren Gade
Environment and Nordic Affairs--Connie Hedegaard
Interior Affairs and Health--Lars Loekke
Rasmussen
Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs--Bertel
Haarder
Social Affairs and Gender Equality--Eva Kjer
Hansen
Family and Consumer Affairs--Lars Barfoed
Ambassador to the United States--vacant
Ambassador to the United Nations--Ellen
Margrethe Loej
Denmark maintains an
embassy
at 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC
20008-3683 (tel. 202-234-4300). Consulates
general are in Chicago and New York.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Political life in Denmark is orderly and
democratic. Political changes occur gradually
through a process of consensus, and political
methods and attitudes are generally moderate.
Growing numbers of immigrants and refugees
throughout the 1990s, and less than successful
integration policies, however, have in recent
years led to growing support for populist
anti-immigrant sentiments in addition to several
revisions of already tight immigration laws,
with the latest revision taking effect July 1,
2002.
The Social Democratic Party, historically
identified with a well-organized labor movement
but today appealing more broadly to the middle
class, held power either alone or in coalition
for most of the postwar period except from 1982
to 1993. From February 1993 to November 2001,
Social Democratic Party chairman Poul Nyrup
Rasmussen led a series of different minority
coalition governments, which all included the
centrist Social Liberal Party. However, with
immigration high on the November 2001 election
campaign agenda, the Danish People's Party
doubled its number of parliamentary seats; this
was a key factor in bringing into power a new
minority right-of-center coalition government
led by Liberal Party chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen
(no relation to Nyrup Rasmussen).
Parliamentary elections held February 8, 2005
returned the coalition to government for another
term of up to four years. The coalition consists
of the Liberal Party ("Venstre") and the
Konservative Party, holding 71 of the 179 seats
in the Folketing, and has the
parliamentary support of the Danish People's
Party, holding another 24 seats. The opposition
Social Democrats hold 47 seats and the Social
Liberals hold 16 seats. Addressing the costs and
benefits of the Denmark’s comprehensive social
welfare system, restraining taxes, and
immigration are among the key issues on the
current domestic political agenda.
Denmark's role in the European Union (EU)
remains an important political issue. Denmark
emerged from two referenda (June 2, 1992, and
May 18, 1993) on the Maastricht Treaty on the
European Union with four exemptions (or
"opt-outs"): common defense, common currency, EU
citizenship, and certain aspects of legal
cooperation, including law enforcement. The
Amsterdam Treaty was approved in a referendum
May 28, 1998, by a 55% majority. Still, the
electorate's fear of losing national identity in
an integrated Europe and lack of confidence in
long-term stability of European economies run
deep. These concerns were at the forefront of
the September 28, 2000 referendum on Denmark's
participation in the third phase of the Economic
and Monetary Union, particularly the common
currency, the euro; more than 53% voted "no,"
and Denmark retained its "krone" currency unit.
The government and the pro-EU opposition have
agreed, and Denmark has received an EU green
light, to maintain the four opt-outs throughout
the process of approving and ratifying a new EU
constitutional treaty, with the ambition to
eliminate all opt-outs in the longer term. The
government intended to put Danish approval of
the new EU constitution to the public in a
referendum, but that process has been put on
hold until further discussion of the
constitution has taken place in the European
Council.
ECONOMY
Denmark's industrialized market economy depends
on imported raw materials and foreign trade.
Within the European Union, Denmark advocates a
liberal trade policy. Its standard of living is
among the highest in the world, and the Danes
devote about 1% of gross national product (GNP)
to foreign aid to less developed countries. In
addition, Denmark in 2002 devoted 0.33% of GNP
for peace and stability purposes, including to
cover pre-asylum costs for refugees, and for
environmental purposes in central and eastern
Europe and in developing countries.
Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy.
Its principal exports are machinery,
instruments, and food products. The United
States is Denmark's largest non-European trading
partner, accounting for about 6% of total Danish
merchandise trade. Aircraft, computers,
machinery, and instruments are among the major
U.S. exports to Denmark. Among major Danish
exports to the United States are industrial
machinery, chemical products, furniture,
pharmaceuticals, canned ham and pork, windmills,
and plastic toy blocks (Lego). In addition,
Denmark has a significant services trade with
the U.S., a major share of it stemming from
Danish-controlled ships engaged in container
traffic to and from the United States (notably
by Maersk-SeaLand). There are some 325
U.S.-owned companies in Denmark.
The Danish economy is fundamentally strong.
Since the mid-1990s, economic growth rates have
averaged close to 3%, the formerly high official
unemployment rate stands at 5.8%, and public
finances have been in surplus. Except for one
year--1998--Denmark since 1989 has had
comfortable balance-of-payments current account
surpluses, in 2002 corresponding to 2.9% of GDP.
The former Social Democratic-led government
coalition lowered marginal income tax rates but
at the same time reduced tax deductions,
increased environmental taxes, and introduced a
series of user fees, thus increasing overall
revenues. Under the tax reform plan agreed upon
by the government and the Danish People's Party
on March 31, 2003, taxpayers received tax relief
in 2004, albeit at a lesser rate than the
government proposed originally. Denmark has
maintained a stable currency policy since the
early 1980s, formerly with the krone linked to
the deutschmark and since January 1, 1999, to
the euro. Denmark meets, and even exceeds, the
economic convergence criteria for participating
in the third phase (a common European
currency--the euro) of the European Monetary
Union (EMU). Although a referendum on EMU
participation held on September 28, 2000
resulted in a firm "no" and Denmark, therefore,
has not yet adopted the euro, opinion polls show
support for EMU membership now exceeds 60%.
Danes are generally proud of their welfare
safety net, which ensures that all Danes receive
basic health care and need not fear real
poverty. However, at present the number of
working-age Danes living mostly on government
transfer payments counts more than 800,000
persons (roughly 23% of the working-age
population). Although this number has been
reduced in recent years, the heavy load of
government transfer payments burden other parts
of the system. Health care, other than for acute
problems, and care for the elderly and children
have particularly suffered, while taxes remain
at a painful level. More than one-fourth of the
labor force is employed in the public sector.
Greenland and the Faroe Islands
The Greenland economy has increased by an
average of some 3% to 4% annually since 1993,
the result of increasing catches and exports of
shrimp, Greenland halibut and, more recently,
crab. However, it was not until 1999 that the
economy had fully recovered from the economic
downturn in the early 1990s. The Greenland Home
Rule Government (GHRG) during the last decade
has pursued a fiscal policy with mostly small
budget surpluses and with low inflation. The
GHRG has taken initiatives to increase the labor
force and thus employment by, among other
things, raising the retirement age from 60 to 63
years. However, structural reforms are still
needed in order to create a broader business
base and economic growth through more efficient
use of existing resources in both the public and
the private sector. Due to the continued
critical dependence on exports of fish, the
economy remains very vulnerable to foreign
developments. The public sector, including
publicly owned enterprises and the
municipalities, plays the dominant role in
Greenland's economy. Close to one-half of the
government revenues come from grants from the
Danish Government, an important supplement of
GDP. Greenland has registered a foreign trade
deficit since the closure of the last remaining
lead and zinc mine in 1989. Despite several
interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration
activities, it will take several years before
production can materialize. Besides a continued
increase in local content, i.e., using a
Greenlandic rather than Danish work force in
both the public and private sector, tourism
appears to be the sector that offers the best
near-term potential, and even this is limited
due to a short season and high costs.
Politically, the Greenland Home Rule
Government has had increasing autonomy since its
creation in 1979. An independent commission from
Greenland made recommendations for greater
self-rule in 2003. In May 2003, the Danish and
Greenland Home Rule governments reached
agreement on a set of power-sharing principles
on Greenland's involvement in Danish foreign and
security policy. The so-called Itilleq
Declaration provides that Greenland will have
foreign policy involvement with a view toward
having equal status on questions of concern to
both Denmark and Greenland. The Danish
Government intends to form, together with
Greenland, a new Danish-Greenlandic Commission
to make joint recommendations to the Danish
parliament on ways to update the Home Rule Act
of 1979.
The Faroese economy has performed strongly
since the mid-1990s with annual growth rates
averaging close to 6%, mostly as a result of
increasing fish landings and salmon farming and
high and stable export prices. Unemployment is
insignificant and there are labor shortages in
several sectors. Most of the Faroese who
emigrated in the early 1990s (some 10% of the
population) due to the economic recession have
now returned to the Faroe Islands. The positive
economic development also has helped the Faroese
Home Rule Government produce increasing budget
surpluses that in turn help to reduce the large
public debt, most of it to Denmark. However, the
total dependence on fishing and salmon farming
makes the Faroese economy very vulnerable, and
the present fishing efforts appear in excess of
what is required to ensure a sustainable level
of fishing in the long term. Initial discoveries
of oil in the Faroese area give hope for
eventual oil production, which may lay the basis
for a more diversified economy and thus less
dependence on Denmark and Danish economic
assistance. Aided by a substantial annual
subsidy from Denmark, albeit reduced from some
10% of GDP to about 6% in 2002, the Faroese have
a standard of living comparable to that of the
Danes and other Scandinavians.
Politically, the present Faroese Home Rule
Government has initiated a process toward
greater independence from Denmark, if not
complete secession from the realm, a project of
which the outcome is too early to predict. In
that respect, agreement on how to phase out the
Danish subsidy plays a crucial role.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Although Denmark remained neutral during the
First World War, its rapid occupation by Nazi
Germany in 1940 persuaded most Danes that
neutrality was no longer a reliable guarantee of
Danish security. Danish security policy is
founded on its membership in NATO. Since 1988,
Danish budgets and security policy have been set
by multi-year agreements supported by a wide
parliamentary majority, including government and
opposition parties. Current resource plans are
based on the 1999 defense agreement covering the
period 2000-04. In 2003, Danish defense
expenditures were 1.6% of GDP according to NATO
statistics.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Danish foreign policy is founded upon four
cornerstones: the United Nations, NATO, the EU,
and Nordic cooperation. Denmark also is a member
of, among others, the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund; the World Trade
Organization (WTO); the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD); the Council of Europe; the
Nordic Council; the Baltic Council; and the
Barents Council. Denmark emphasizes its
relations with developing nations. Although the
government has moved to tighten foreign
assistance expenditures, it remains a
significant donor and one of the few countries
to exceed the UN goal of contributing 0.7% of
GNP to development assistance.
In the wake of the Cold War, Denmark has been
active in international efforts to integrate the
countries of central and eastern Europe into the
West. It has played a leadership role in
coordinating Western assistance to the Baltic
states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The
country is a strong supporter of international
peacekeeping. Danish forces were heavily engaged
in the former Yugoslavia in the UN Protection
Force (UNPROFOR), as well as in NATO's Operation
Joint Endeavor/Stabilization Force in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (IFOR/SFOR) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR).
Denmark has been a member of NATO since its
founding in 1949, and membership in NATO remains
highly popular. There were several serious
confrontations between the U.S. and Denmark on
security policy in the so-called "footnote era"
(1982-88), when a hostile parliamentary majority
forced the government to adopt specific national
positions on nuclear and arms control issues.
With the end of the Cold War, however, Denmark
has been supportive of U.S. policy objectives in
the Alliance.
Danes have had a reputation as "reluctant"
Europeans. When they rejected ratification of
the Maastricht Treaty on June 2, 1992, they put
the European Community's (EC) plans for the
European Union on hold. In December 1992, the
rest of the EC agreed to exempt Denmark from
certain aspects of the European Union, including
a common defense, a common currency, EU
citizenship, and certain aspects of legal
cooperation. On this revised basis, a clear
majority of Danes approved continued
participation in the EU in a second referendum
on May 18, 1993, and again in a referendum on
the Amsterdam Treaty on May 28, 1998.
Since September 11, 2001, Denmark has been
highly proactive in endorsing and implementing
United States, UN, and EU-initiated
counter-terrorism measures, just as Denmark has
contributed substantially to the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan
and the neighboring countries. In 2003, Denmark
was among the first countries to join the
"Coalition of the Willing" and supplied a
submarine, Corvette-class ship, and military
personnel to the coalition's effort in Iraq to
enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1441.
Since that time it has provided 500 troops to
assist with stabilization efforts in Iraq.
U.S.-DANISH RELATIONS
Denmark is a close NATO ally, and overall
U.S.-Danish relations are excellent. Denmark is
active in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well
as a leader in the Baltic region. Denmark and
the United States consult closely on European
political and security matters. Denmark shares
U.S. views on the positive ramifications of NATO
enlargement. Denmark is an active coalition
partner in the global war on terrorism, and
Danish troops are supporting U.S.-led
stabilization efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The U.S. also engages Denmark in a broad
cooperative agenda through the Enhanced
Partnership in Northern Europe--the U.S. policy
structure to strengthen U.S.-Nordic-Baltic
policy and program coordination. President Bush
made an official working visit to Copenhagen in
July, 2005.
Denmark's active liberal trade policy in the
EU, OECD, and WTO largely coincides with U.S.
interests. The U.S. is Denmark's largest
non-European trade partner with about 5% of
Danish merchandise trade. Denmark's role in
European environmental and agricultural issues
and its strategic location at the entrance to
the Baltic Sea have made Copenhagen a center for
U.S. agencies and the private sector dealing
with the Nordic/Baltic region.
American culture--and particularly popular
culture, from jazz, rock, and rap to television
shows and literature--is very popular in
Denmark. Some 311,000 U.S. tourists visit the
country annually.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) base and early
warning radar at Thule, Greenland--a Danish
self-governing territory--serve as a vital link
in Western defenses. In August 2004, the Danish
and Greenland Home Rule governments gave
permission for the early warning radar to be
updated in connection with a role in the U.S.
ballistic missile defense system. At the same
time, agreements were signed to enhance
economic, technical, and environmental
cooperation between the United States and
Greenland.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--James
P. Cain
Deputy Chief of Mission--Sandra L. Kaiser
Political/Economic Counselor--Blair P. Hall
Economic Officer--Gregory S. Burton
Labor Officer--Daniel J. Lawton
Public Affairs Officer--Thomas Leary
Consul--Rekha V. Arness
Management Officer--Robert Needham
Environment, Science, and Technology
Counselor--Lori P. Dando
Agricultural Attache--Roger Wentzel (resident in
The Hague)
Senior Commercial Officer--Gregory S. Burton,
acting
Defense and Naval Attache--Capt. Geoffrey Pack,
USN
Army Attache--Lt. Col. Michael Schleicher, USA
Air Attache--Lt. Col. Kurt Marisa, USAF
Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation--Col.
Robert Corrie, USAF
Drug Enforcement Agency--Daniel Bruce, acting
Department of Homeland Security (ICE)--Yolanda
Paras
Regional Security Officer--Edward Collins
Legal Attache--Christopher Wiowode
The U.S.
Embassy is located at Dag Hammarskjolds Alle
24, 2100 Copenhagen O, Denmark (tel. +45
35-55-31-44). The website contains links to U.S.
Government agencies at the Embassy and provides
a wealth of information on U.S.-Danish
relations.