The Royal Danish Consulate General in Flensburg will now expand its role beyond representing Denmark and fostering relations with the Danish and German minorities in the border region. In the future, the consulate will also help small and medium-sized Danish businesses establish themselves on the German market, according to Flensborg Avis.
Lacking the resources
Consul General Annette Lind, a former Social Democratic politician in the Danish parliament until this spring, plans to establish a Danish trade office, similar to those in Denmark’s larger representations in Hamburg and Munich. Recently, both the Danish Embassy in Berlin and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen have expressed support for the initiative. According to Flensborg Avis, Annette Lind will especially focus on the green transition, ensuring better services across the Danish-German border.
– Small and medium-sized businesses need special attention, as they often lack the resources to break into the market south of the border. We’re particularly focused on the green transition, which offers substantial opportunities for Danish businesses able to utilize skilled German labor, said the Consul General. Lind herself will head up the initiative, with one or two staff members and support from expert teams in Munich and Hamburg.
Still in planning stages
No date or budget has yet been set for the new initiative, which is still in the planning stages.
– I see the new trade office as a supplement to other institutions promoting cross-border trade. It complements offerings from organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Annette Lind told Flensborg Avis.
Denmark’s official representation in Flensburg, which recently marked its 100-year anniversary, is also working to have more vocational qualifications—particularly craft trades—recognized in Germany, thereby facilitating smoother processes for both employees and companies, Consul General Annette Lind noted.
