Henrik Dam Kristensen

Henrik Dam Kristensen
Kristensen in 2008
Speaker of the Folketing
In office 21 June 2019 – 1 November 2022
Monarch	Margrethe II
Preceded by	Pia Kjærsgaard
Succeeded by	Søren Gade
Minister for Employment
In office 10 October 2014 – 28 June 2015
Prime Minister	Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded by	Mette Frederiksen
Succeeded by	Jørn Neergaard Larsen
Minister of Transport
In office 3 October 2011 – 9 August 2013
Prime Minister	Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Preceded by	Hans Christian Schmidt
Succeeded by	Pia Olsen Dyhr
Minister of Social Affairs
In office 23 February 2000 – 27 November 2001
Prime Minister	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Preceded by	Karen Jespersen
Succeeded by	Henriette Kjær
Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
In office 27 September 1994 – 23 February 2000
Prime Minister	Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Preceded by	Bjørn Westh
Succeeded by	Ritt Bjerregaard
Member of the Folketing
In office 13 November 2007 – 1 November 2022
Constituency	East Jutland
In office 12 December 1990 – 7 July 2004
Constituency	Ribe
Member of the European Parliament for Denmark
In office 2004–2006
President of the Nordic Council
In office 1 January 2016 – 31 December 2016
Preceded by	Höskuldur Þórhallsson
Succeeded by	Britt Lundberg
In office 1 January 2011 – 31 December 2011
Preceded by	Helgi Hjörvar
Succeeded by	Kimmo Sasi
Personal details
Born	Henrik Dam Kristensen (1957-01-31) 31 January 1957 Vorbasse, Denmark
Political party	Social Democrats
Spouse	Bente Dam Kristensen
Children	Christina Dam Kristensen og Jannick Dam Kristensen

Henrik Dam Kristensen (born 31 January 1957) is a Danish politician and a former speaker of the Danish parliament. He has been a member of the Danish parliament for the Social Democrats from 1990 to 2004 and again from 2007, during which he served as Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries (1994–1996), Minister for Food (1996–2000), Minister for Social Affairs (2000–2001), Minister for Transport (2011–2013) and Minister for Employment (2014–2015). He served as President of the Nordic Council in 2011 and 2016.

Background

Kristensen was born in Vorbasse to Ove Dam Kristensen and Gudrun Dam Kristensen. From 1978 to 1986 he worked as a postman in Vorbasse, and also worked with the Danish Refugee Council from 1986 to 1988. From 1988 to 1990 he worked as a principal at a school. He is married to Bente Dam Kristensen.

Political career

Kristensen was first elected to the Folketing in 1990, and reelected in 1994, 1998, and 2001. From 1996 to 2000 he was Minister of Food, until 2000, where he became Minister of Social Affairs. Kristensen ran in the 2004 European Parliament election and was elected as a member of the European Parliament. To perform in his new position, Kristensen resigned his seat in the Folketing. Margot Torp took over his seat. In the European Parliament, Kristensen sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries, the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Delegation for Relations with the Countries of South-East Europe.

In 2006 Kristensen resigned his seat from the European Parliament, and the seat was taken over by Christel Schaldemose. He became the party secretary of the Social Democrats. He ran for the Folketing again in the 2007 Danish general election, where he was elected. He was reelected in 2011. On 3 October 2011 Kristensen was appointed to the post of Minister for Transport in the Cabinet of Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and left office on 9 August 2013. On 10 October 2014 he again entered the cabinet, when he was appointed the position of Minister for Employment.

Kristensen was reelected into the Folketing in the 2015 and 2019 elections. On 21 June 2019 Kristensen was appointed speaker of the Danish parliament, replacing Pia Kjærsgaard. Kristensen served as speaker between 2019 and November 2022, when Søren Gade became speaker.

In 2011 Denmark was to appoint a president of the Nordic Council and Kristensen was chosen. He was president again in 2016.

External links

• Biography on the website of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget)
• European Parliament CV
• Declaration (PDF) of financial interests (in Danish)

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