Name Ulla Tornaes | Role Danish Politician | |
Education Copenhagen Business School (1985–1988), Odense University (1982–1984), University of Copenhagen Parents Laurits Tornaes, Katty Tornaes People also search for Morten Lokkegaard, Laurits Tornaes, Katty Tornaes Profiles |
Ulla t rn s tale p venstres landsm de 2015
Ulla Pedersen Tørnæs (born 4 September 1962) is a Danish politician and the former Minister for Development Cooperation of Denmark. She is a member of the Liberal Party and, from 1994 to 2014, was a member of the Danish parliament (Folketing). She served as Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education in the Lars Løkke Rasmussen II Cabinet of Denmark from February 2016 to November 2016.
Contents
- Ulla t rn s tale p venstres landsm de 2015
- Ulla t rn s
- Role in Danish politics
- Member of the European Parliament 20142016
- Minister for Science Technology Information and Higher Education 2016
- Other activities
- Personal life
- References
Ulla t rn s
Role in Danish politics

Tørnæs served as Minister for Education in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I (2001–2005) and as Minister for Development Cooperation in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II from 18 February 2005. From 2007, she was a member of the World Bank Group’s High Level Advisory Council on Women's Economic Empowerment, which was chaired by Danny Leipziger and Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul.
Tørnæs was in the news on 25 February 2005 when it became known that her husband, Jørgen Tørnæs, had illegally employed a Latvian supervisor on one of his pig farms without the required residence and work permits. She was not forced to resign as minister because there was no proof she knew the supervisor was illegally employed.
Member of the European Parliament, 2014–2016
Tørnæs became a Member of the European Parliament following the 2014 European elections. A member of the ALDE (Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) political faction, she served as Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. In 2015, she was the lead negotiator for the ALDE group on the eCall system.
In addition to her committee assignments, Tørnæs was a member of the parliament’s delegation for relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education, 2016
Tørnæs left the European Parliament on February 29, 2016, becoming Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education in the Lars Løkke Rasmussen II Cabinet. Her successor is Morten Løkkegaard.
Other activities
Personal life
Tørnæs is the daughter of former minister Laurits Tørnæs and Katty Tørnæs.