His government introduced tougher limits onimmigration and a freeze on tax rates (skattestoppet in Danish). Certain taxes were lowered, but his coalition partners in the Conservative People's Party repeatedly argued for more tax cuts and aflat tax rate at no higher than 50%. Rasmussen's government implemented an administrative reform reducing the number of municipalities (kommuner) and replacing the thirteencounties (amter) with fiveregions which he referred to as "the biggest reform in thirty years". He authored several books abouttaxation and government structure.
He resigned as prime minister in April 2009 to become Secretary General of NATO, a military alliance that was expanding into Eastern Europe. His term ended on 30 September 2014. He was the first former prime minister sincePaul-Henri Spaak of Belgium in 1961 to become Secretary General of NATO.
He became a private consultant on the international stage. He is a Senior Network Member at theEuropean Leadership Network (ELN).[8]
Rasmussen was born in 1953 inGinnerup,Jutland, Denmark, to farmer Knud Rasmussen and Martha Rasmussen (née Fogh). His surname is Rasmussen; Fogh, his mother's maiden name, is hismiddle name and not considered part of his last name. He is correctly referred to as Rasmussen (not Fogh Rasmussen), unless his full name (including his given name) is used. In Danish media and society, he has often been popularly referred to as Fogh Rasmussen, or merely Anders Fogh, when not referred to by his full name, mainly to distinguish him from other prominent politicians in the country with the same family name.[9]
He matriculated in languages and social studies from Viborg Cathedral School, in 1969–1972 and studied economics at theUniversity of Aarhus, graduating in 1978.[10] He has been active in politics most of his life and has authored several books about taxation and government structure. He and his wife Anne-Mette married in 1978 and have three children and six grandchildren.[11]
As an amateur cyclist, Rasmussen completed part of the notoriousAlpe d'Huez stage of the2008 Tour de France the day after the professional race took place.[12] His attendance atLe Tour was at the invitation of Danish former cyclistBjarne Riis.
He has held positions in government and opposition throughout his career, first winning a seat in theFolketing (Danish parliament) in 1978.[citation needed]
Rasmussen wrote the bookFrom Social State to Minimal State (Danish:Fra socialstat til minimalstat) in 1993, in which he advocated an extensive reform of the Danishwelfare system along classic liberal lines. In particular, he favours lower taxes and less government interference incorporate and individual matters. In 1993 he was awarded theAdam Smith award by thelibertarian societyLibertas, partly because of this book.
From 1987 to 1990 he was Minister for Taxation and from 1990 Minister for Economy and Taxation in the Conservative-ledPoul Schlüter government.[citation needed]
In 1992 Rasmussen resigned from his ministerial posts after a report from a commission of inquiry had decided that he had provided the Folketing with inaccurate and incomplete information regarding his decision to postpone payment of several bills fromRegnecentralen and Kommunedata from one accounting year to the next. Rasmussen disagreed with the findings of the commission, but faced with the threat of amotion of no confidence, he left his posts voluntarily.[citation needed]
His Liberal (Venstre) Party won power in the November2001 election, defeating theSocial Democratic government ofPoul Nyrup Rasmussen and enabling him to formhis first cabinet. That election marked a dramatic change in Danish politics. It was the first time since 1920 that the Social Democratic Party lost its position as the largest party in theFolketing (parliament), mainly due to a loss of working class votes toDansk Folkeparti (The Danish People's Party).[citation needed]
After becoming prime minister, Rasmussen distanced himself from his earlier writings and announced the death ofneoliberalism during the national elections of 2005. Commonly regarded to have been inspired by the success ofTony Blair, Rasmussen now seemed more in favour of the theories ofAnthony Giddens and histhird way. There was talk inLibertas of revoking Fogh Rasmussen's award as a result of this, though this never happened.[citation needed]
His government enacted tough measures designed to limit the number of immigrants coming to Denmark, specifically asasylum seekers or through arranged marriages. However, his governments depended on the support ofDansk Folkeparti, and it is impossible to draw a clear dividing line between his personal ideology and the required compromises with Dansk Folkeparti.[citation needed]
After the 2001 elections, Venstre banned all tax increases. Venstre campaigned by claiming that taxes had been growing constantly during the previous eight years under theSocial Democrats. While the overall tax burden was more or less unchanged from 1993 until 2001[citation needed], there was a shift from the taxation of income, both corporate and personal, to a personal consumption (especially through the "ecological taxes" (da.grønne afgifter)), which gave the average citizen the impression of rising taxes.
This "tax stop" was criticised by left wing parties, allegedly for being "antisocial" and "only for the rich." Since the tax stop also froze the tax on real property (da.ejendomsværdiskat, 1%), it was beneficial to homeowners in densely populated regions that had experienced rising real estate values. The property tax was set at a nominal level – not at a relative level. While the rate was one percent when the tax stop was enacted, the rate is much less today when recent increases in property value (+20%/p.a. in large cities) are considered. The Danish Economic Council criticized this as unfairly benefiting current homeowners.
Even though the total tax burden was marginally higher in 2005 than in 2001, the tax stop was popular among voters. Thus, in January 2005, theSocial Democrats announced that they accepted the principle of a tax stop until at least one right-wing party was willing to participate in tax reform.
The tax stop has, however, been ineffective, judging by Venstre's intentions. Its goal was to halt the growth of public expenditures (and halt the growth of taxes), but even with cuts in public spending (which were considered aggressive by the political left wing), overall spending continued to rise by approximately one percentage point above inflation each year.
From 2004 and onwards, minor tax cuts came into effect, on two accounts:
People with jobs got a 3% tax reduction on the 5.5% "bottom tax" (da.bundskat).
An "employment deduction" (da.beskæftigelsesfradrag) was introduced. This initiative was to encourage people to get off welfare and take jobs instead.
The bottom limit of the "middle tax" (da.mellemskat) of 6%, was raised by 12.000DKK every year, over the next four years. This was supposed to limit the income stresses of middle incomes and families with children.
In 2009 a major tax reform was implemented. The overall marginal tax rate was reduced by 7.5%. In the end, the top tax rate (topskatten) was not changed, but the income level at which it applied was raised. This removed 350,000 Danes from the top tax bracket. The medium tax rate was eliminated, and the lowest was reduced by 1.5%. Various other tax reforms were enacted such as an increase in the old age pension, incentives for renovation, and various initiatives designed to improve energy efficiency.[14] Finance Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, called it the biggest reduction in the marginal tax rate since the introduction of income tax in 1903.[15] In 2009 tax revenue was 777,375 million Krone. It had grown to 831,172 million in 2011, 901,001 million in 2013, 954,473 million in 2015, and 995,058 million in 2017.[16] It's important to note that from 2011 to 2015 Social DemocratHelle Thorning-Schmidt was the prime minister, however, she passed a tax-reform with support from the liberal-conservative opposition.[17] It raised the top tax threshold, effectively lowering tax rates for high income earners.[18]
Rasmussen held the rotating presidency of theEuropean Union from July to December 2002, proving his dedication to a pro-EU agenda and the guiding principles of theEllemann-Jensen doctrine. He pursued this to its logical conclusion by publicly denouncing theDanish collaboration policy during its second World War occupation, the first official apology on behalf of Denmark for this.[19]
Under Rasmussen, Denmark supported American foreign policies.
As prime minister, Rasmussen strongly supported the2003 Iraq War. As in most European countries he faced considerable opposition, both in the parliament and in the general population. Subsequent opinion polls suggested the Danish population's opinion was split on the issue. One vocal protester managed to get into the Danish parliament during the period before the war, where he poured red paint on the prime minister while yelling "Du har blod på dine hænder" (literally: "You have blood on your hands"). A member of the Danish parliament for the socialistRed-Green Alliance,Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil, stated that it was a reaction she might have made under the circumstances, although she later denounced such behaviour. Denmark was one of only five countries to take part in the actual invasion operations (the others being theU.S.,UK,Poland andAustralia) though the contingent mainly consisted of two minor warships and staff and radio units that were never involved in actual combat. In the months after the initial phase of the war, Danish troops participated in themulti-national force stationed in Iraq. Approximately 550Danish troops were stationed in Iraq from 2004 and into 2007, first at "Camp Dannevang" and later at "Camp Einherjer", both nearBasra. When the contingent of troops left around August 2007, it was not replaced and Denmark shifted its focus to non-military support around Baghdad. The official reason provided is that the Iraqi government should now be able to handle security in the Basra area. Critics of Rasmussen argued that the withdrawal was motivated by decreasing domestic support for the war.
In 2004 Rasmussen's government came under attack based on questions of how much intelligence it had with regard toIraqiweapons of mass destruction. The government held hearings, and was forced to publish classified reports it had consulted about the likelihood of banned weapons existing in Iraq. While the Blair and Bush administrations became the subject of criticism for extended periods because of their reliance on questionable intelligence, Rasmussen stayed clear of this controversy. This is probably largely because the motion passed by parliament (Folketinget) authorising the deployment of Danish troops states as the reason for the deployment Iraq's continued refusal to cooperate with UN inspectors in violation of the UN Security Council's resolution. The Danish deployment of troops was thus not formally based on a claim that Iraq had WMD's.
In March 2003, Rasmussen stated as one of the reasons to support a military intervention, "Irak har masseødelæggelsesvåben. Det er ikke noget vi tror. Vi ved det. Irak har selv indrømmet, at det har haft sennepsgas, nervegas, miltbrand, men Saddam vil ikke afregne. Han vil ikke fortælle os, hvor og hvordan de våben er blevet destrueret. Det ved vi fra FN's inspektører, så der er ingen tvivl i mit sind."[20] In English, this translates to:
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. This is not something we think. We know it. Iraq has itself admitted that it had mustard gas, nerve gas, anthrax, but Saddam will not settle. He will not tell us where and how the weapons have been destroyed. We know from the UN inspectors, so there is no doubt in my mind.[20]
Civil unions betweengay couples became legal in Denmark in 1989. In January 2004, Rasmussen stated his belief that homosexuals should be able to marry in religious ceremonies, which were not allowed at the time in the Evangelical Lutheran StateChurch of Denmark, but he has said it should be up to religious communities to decide whether to perform ceremonies for gay couples.[21]
On 18 January 2005 Rasmussen called anelection for 8 February 2005. He delayed the call by a couple of weeks because of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake which killed several Danes. His government was criticized for its allegedly slow response to that crisis, although a clear majority applauded the government's actions.
Although his party's support was reduced from the 2001 election, costing it four seats,Venstre was able to maintain its coalition through gains by other parties, and on 18 February Rasmussen formed theCabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II.
Rasmussen received the most "personal votes" ever of any politician in the Folketing (Denmark's Parliament) with 61,792.
A major period of conflict in Rasmussen's political career concerned a set of cartoons printed inJyllands-Posten, a major Danish newspaper. In September 2005 the newspaper printed a full page with 12 cartoons depicting various interpretations of Muhammad. Due to the cartoons portraying Muhammad as a terrorist, some Muslims found the cartoons offensive. Rasmussen denied a request from 11 ambassadors of Middle-Eastern countries to discuss the issue. Rasmussen described the controversy as Denmark's worst international crisis since World War II. Later he stated, that he "was deeply distressed that the cartoons were seen by some Muslims as an attempt by Denmark to mark and insult or behave disrespectfully towards Islam or Mohammed."[22]
One of Rasmussen's main initiatives was the introduction of municipal reform, the aim of which was the geographic and administrative consolidation of smaller municipalities and the abolition of counties. Major areas of public services, such as the national health service, were consolidated into five regional bodies, while the number of municipalities was reduced from 271 to 98. The reform was ratified on 16 June 2005 and was effective as of 1 January 2007.
In October 2007, Rasmussen called the2007 general election, which was held on 13 November.[23] His official reason for doing so was to allow parliament to face important upcoming decisions without being distracted by a future election, with welfare reform being cited as an example. Initial polls had predicted that neither the incumbent alliance nor the left-wing opposition would win a majority, leaving the centristNew Alliance with the balance of power.
At 11:30 p.m. on the night of the election, Rasmussen claimed victory on the basis of almost-complete results.[24] By the morning of 14 November 2007, after results came through from theFaroe Islands andGreenland, his centre-right coalition of theLiberals, theConservative People's Party and theDanish People's Party secured 90 seats, the minimum number required for a majority.[25] Rasmussen went on to become the longest-ruling Liberal Prime Minister of Denmark.
Shortly after his second reelection in 2007, rumours began to spread in the Danish media that Rasmussen was a candidate for high-profile international jobs. A first rumour was that he was informally one of the top candidates for the new position ofPresident of the European Council that could be created when theLisbon Treaty would come into effect.[26] Following the Irishrejection of the treaty in June 2008, it became obvious that this position would not be created in the near future. Rumors then spread around Rasmussen's candidacy for Secretary General of NATO.[27] Rasmussen denied the rumors until a few days before the official announcement of his selection was made.[28]
Rasmussen expressed support forIsrael's right to defend itself during theGaza–Israel conflict. He said that, "it was Hamas that broke the truce, and Hamas started the conflict by firing rockets on Israel. No country can just passively accept being fired on."[29]
After he was confirmed as the NATO Secretary General, Rasmussen announced that he would resign as Prime Minister of Denmark on 5 April 2009.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen became the 12thNATO Secretary General on 1 August 2009, succeedingJaap de Hoop Scheffer, who held the post from 2004 until 2009.[1] The announcement was made on 4 April 2009, at the2009 Strasbourg–Kehl summit inStrasbourg. During the final selection process only one country,Turkey, remained opposed to Rasmussen's candidacy, partly because of his handling of thecartoon episode in 2005, when the publication in some Danish newspapers of cartoons of Muhammad caused violent protests.[30][31] Another major element of Turkey's opposition was Denmark's tolerance ofRoj TV,[30][31] which is claimed by the Turkish government to be a mouthpiece for theKurdistan Workers Party (PKK).[32] Eventually, Turkey withdrew its opposition to Rasmussen's appointment in exchange of assurances Roj TV would be closed down.[33][32]
After his accession on 1 August 2009, Rasmussen's first mission was a visit toAfghanistan, where he met with PresidentKarzai and senior Afghan ministers, including Minister for Foreign AffairsSpanta, Minister for Defence GeneralWardak, and Minister of InteriorAtmar to discuss the then impendingpresidential and provincial council elections.[34]
World leaders host Hamid Karzai at the London Conference on Afghanistan, 28 January 2010
In April 2011, in relation to the2011 Libyan civil war Rasmussen said that on the dayNATO startedtaking command of the mission under the U.N. mandate, the alliance ruled out arming the rebels. Rasmussen said the coalition under his control was clear about its mission. "We are not in Libya to arm people. We are in Libya to protect civilians against attacks" from loyalists of the country'sMuammar Gaddafi government, he said at that time.[36]
U.S. PresidentBarack Obama thanks Rasmussen at the opening of the NATO summit in Chicago, 20 May 2012.
In October 2011, the intensive 7-month NATO intervention had "now moved much closer" to its end, according to Rasmussen. The last two major outposts of Gaddafi loyalists—Gaddafi's hometown ofSirte and the town ofBani Walid—had fallen and the deposed leaderhad been killed as he tried to flee from Sirte[37] towardMisrata.[38] Gaddafi's killing came with close NATO aerial support of Libyan ground forces.[37]
The Secretary General normally serves for a term of four years with a one-year extension option. On 3 October 2012, Fogh Rasmussens term was extended one year, so it ended on 31 July 2014.[39]
In February 2013 in the first visit of a NATO Secretary General to Ireland for a meeting with EU defence ministers, he said NATO had an "open-door policy" towards membership of the organisation. "Our door remains open for European countries, European democracies that fulfil the necessary criteria and can contribute to Euro-Atlantic security, but of course it's for individual partners to decide how they want to develop their relationship and partnership with NATO." Ireland is not a member of the organisation but ties through thePartnership for Peace Programme (PFP), a bilateral programme that allows for Irish forces to be used for peacekeeping and crisis management where there is a UN mandate and parliamentary approval.[40]
Bulgarian Prime MinisterMarin Raykov with Rasmussen in Brussels, on 27 March 2013.U.S. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry with Rasmussen in Brussels, on 22 April 2013.
On 19 December 2013 Rasmussen was invited to speak at a periodic meeting of theEuropean Council by the Prime Minister of the UK,David Cameron, in opposition to plans proposed by theExternal Action Service ofHRUFASCCatherine Ashton to create aEuropean Air Force composed of surveillance drones, heavy transport airplanes, and air-to-air refuelling planes. This plan was supported by France, Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany who together haveQMV majority.[41] Rasmussen's position was opposed to that ofEuropean Parliament PresidentMartin Schulz, who made a presentation at the same meeting where he said that "If we wish to defend our values and interests, if we wish to maintain the security of our citizens, then a majority ofMEPs consider that we need a headquarters for civil and military missions in Brussels and deployable troops." Rasmussen was satisfied with the role of NATO in European defence matters and saw every reason to maintain the status quo.[41]
Azerbaijani PresidentIlham Aliyev with Rasmussen in Brussels, on 15 January 2014.
On 28 March 2014,Jens Stoltenberg was nominated as Rasmussen's successor as secretary-general. He was to take office on 1 October 2014.[42]
During the first week of April, the Foreign Ministers met at Brussels NATO HQ.[43]
On 6 April, Rasmussen wrote anop-ed piece in London'sThe Daily Telegraph to warn allies to invest in their armed forces, and to maintain that "Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine and its continued breach of international law" were clear.[44]Russian Foreign Ministry blamed Rasmussen for his "active employment of double standards."[45]
On 15 April, an EU Defence Ministers' meeting took place inLuxembourg with the Secretary-General.[46] The next day, the Defence Ministers meeting of theNorth Atlantic Council was convened, one day in advance of the meeting inGeneva between Russia, Ukraine, the US and the EU over theAnnexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.[47][43] Rasmussen said: "NATO's core task is to protect and defend our Allies. We have already taken a series of steps, including enhancing our Air Policing mission in the Baltic States, and AWACS surveillance flights over Poland and Romania... We will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water, and more readiness on the land. For example, air policing aircraft will fly more sorties over the Baltic region. Allied ships will deploy to the Baltic Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere, as required. Military staff from Allied nations will deploy to enhance our preparedness, training and exercises. Our defence plans will be reviewed and reinforced."[43]
In June 2014, Rasmussen claimed thatRussia "engaged actively with so-called non-governmental organisations – environmental organisations working against shale gas – to maintain European dependence on imported Russian gas", without providing evidence for this claim.[48]
In response to theGreenland crisis in 2026, Rasmussen said the U.S. actions are widely seen as a betrayal in Denmark. Rasmussen emphasized that Greenland is not for sale, that Greenlanders don't want to become part of the U.S. and that the only way for the U.S. to take it would be to invade the Kingdom of Denmark and destroy NATO. He said Denmark has no other choice than to defend its territory, and that non-resistance is not an option.[49] He further said that Trump is "the biggest threat to world peace."[50] He also suggested the establishment of a "European NATO" without the U.S.[51]
On 27 May 2016 Rasmussen became non-staff advisor toPresidentPoroshenko ofUkraine.[55] Rasmussen also convened the Friends of Ukraine group[56] of sitting and former senior politicians and diplomats to raise international awareness of Ukraine and to keep domestic reform on the agenda.
On 2 April 2020 global bankCiti announced Rasmussen would join as a senior advisor in Citi's European, Middle East and Africa business, with a primary focus on the Nordic region.[4]
In June 2022, Anders Fogh Rasmussen was asked by Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy to co-chair an international working group on security guarantees together withAndriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. The resultingKyiv Security Compact[57] became the foundation of a G7 joint declaration on security guarantees co-signed by NATO allies at the2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius.[58] At the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, the individual agreements negotiated between Ukraine and NATO allies were formalized in theUkraine Compact.
In 2017 Rasmussen founded theAlliance of Democracies Foundation a non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of democracy and free markets across the globe. Itsinitiatives include the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, an annual conference bringing together political and business leaders, including current and former heads of government, from the world's democracies. The first summit in 2018 was addressed[59] byJoe Biden and other speakers have includedTony Blair,[60]Mike Pompeo[61] andJohn Kerry.[62]
The Foundation also hosts the Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity, which 'helps advance solutions to protect integrity of democratic elections.'[63] The commission was founded by Rasmussen, Former US Homeland Security SecretaryMichael Chertoff andJoe Biden.[64]
Order of Liberty, awarded by the President ofUkraine, 7 August 2014[69] "For his significant contribution to the development of cooperation between the Ukrainian state and the Atlantic Alliance and the strong support in defending the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine"
Hendrickson, Ryan C. "NATO's next secretary general: Rasmussen's leadership legacy for Jens Stoltenberg."Journal of Transatlantic Studies (2016) 15#3 pp 237–251.
_world_leaders.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR.png)
