EU vice-president endorses Danish PM for top position

Neelie Kroes wants Helle Thorning-Schmidt to take over the EU presidency

Dutch EU commissioner Neelie Kroes wrote on her Twitter account today that she wants Helle Thorning-Schmidt to succeed Herman van Rompuy as president of the European Council, a job that includes the chairing of summits of the union's heads of state or government.

"I am going on record saying that Helle Thorning-Schmidt would make a great successor to [Herman van Rompuy] as president of the European Council," she wrote.

Twitter support
It's up to each member nation's head of state to decide who will get the top position, but Kroes retains a significant vote in Brussels, where she is vice-president of the European Commission. She is the most prominent politician to recommend Thorning-Schmidt for the job.

Her open support for the Danish prime minister comes two days ahead of a meeting that may conclude with the appointment of a new council president and a new head of foreign policy.

However, it could still take several months, as Van Rompuy ends his five-year term on November 1.

PM denies interest
Denmark's PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt keeps denying that she is looking for another job, but that won't stop national and international media from speculating.

The Financial Times wrote on Sunday that German chancellor Angela Merkel "has signalled a willingness to accept Helle Thorning-Schmidt”.





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.