Birte Weiss
Danish journalist and politician (1941–2026)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Birte Weiss (1 May 1941 – 14 March 2026) was a Danish journalist and social democrat politician, who served in various capacities in the government of Denmark. She worked as a journalist for the newspaper Weekendavisen.
Birte Weiss | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Interior | |
| In office 25 January 1993 – 20 October 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | Poul Nyrup Rasmussen |
| Preceded by | Thor Pedersen |
| Succeeded by | Thorkild Simonsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 May 1941 |
| Died | 14 March 2026 (aged 84) |
| Party | Social Democrats |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Early life and education
Weiss was born on 1 May 1941.[1][2] She was trained as a journalist with the social democrat press from 1960 to 1963.[1] Later she attended the University of Copenhagen and studied there comparative literature.[1]
Career
Weiss began her career as a journalist, working for Demokraten and then for Information.[1] Next she involved in politics and became a member of the Danish Parliament for the Social Democrats for two terms; from 1971 to 1973 and from 1975 to 2001.[2] She was the chairperson of the council of Denmark’s Radio/TV from 1981 to 1986.[3] She served as the deputy chairperson of the social democrats from 1994 to 1996 and first vice-chairperson of the Parliament from 1998 to 1999.[4]
She assumed various cabinet positions. Her first ministerial post was the minister of interior, and she served in the office from 1993 to 1997.[2] She resigned from the post on 20 October, and Thorkild Simonsen succeeded her in the post.[5] She was also the minister of church affairs which she held from 1994 to 1996. She was appointed minister of health in 1996, and her tenure lasted until 1998.[4] Lastly she served as the minister of research and information technology from 1999 to 2001.[3]
Activities
When she was the interior minister Weiss delivered a bill in 1996, stating that a foreigner, who is guilty of drug-related crime, should be deported from Denmark.[6] A documentary, En minister krydser sit spor (Danish: A Minister Backtracks), filmed by Danish director Ulrik Holmstrup in 2000 is about her activities as interior minister.[7] It narrates the dilemma she faced in dealing with Bosnian refugees in the country.[7]