Karen Ellemann


Karen Ellemann is a Danish member of parliament for the party Venstre and former Minister for Equality and Minister for Nordic Cooperation. She is the former Minister for the Environment of Denmark and the former Minister of the Interior and of Social Affairs.

Personal life

Ellemann is the daughter of former Foreign Minister, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen. She is an educated teacher. She is divorced and has two children, with whom she lives in Hørsholm.

Political career

From 2005 to 2007, Ellemann was a member of the city council in Rudersdal Municipality. Following the 2007 parliamentary election, she was elected to the Parliament of Denmark. On 7 April 2009, she was appointed Minister of the Interior and of Social Affairs in the cabinet of prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. In February 2010, she became minister for the environment and Minister of Nordic Cooperation.
On 28 June 2015 she was appointed Minister of the Interior and of Social Affairs in the cabinet of prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
Elleman is considered a controversial politician in Denmark due to the decision of importing 6,000 tons of highly toxic chemical waste HCB, also known as Hexachlorobenzene from Australia. She is convinced that the import is a good opportunity to expose Danish knowhow at its best in the process of handling the HCB waste.
Opponents criticized the decision with reference to the extreme consequence an accident would have on the marine environment if one should occur during the transport to Denmark.
Ellemann is humorously referred to as "chemical Karen" by leading newspaper editors.