Following on from the Danish election on the 15th September, a new government has been formed by the victorious left-wing coalition.
Mette Gjerskov, a social democrat, has been appointed Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and has experience of working with environmental issues. Ida Auken, of the socialist people’s party, will be Minister for the Environment. She is the daughter of the Green MEP Margrethe Auken, a substitute on the ENVI committee. Christian Bach, a social liberal, will be Minster for Development Cooperation, having previously worked with the Danish Church Aid programme.
Whether these new ministerial appointments will significantly shift Danish policy on fisheries issues and within the CFP reform debate remains to be seen. The main political parties in recent years have developed common positions on fisheries policy, so a degree of coherence is to be expected.