The heavily criticized Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard (M) is staying focused on his work, even though he is under pressure and facing a lot of criticism from both the red and blue blocs. He says this on his way into an urgent question in the Folketingsalen on Wednesday.
- I am going to start solving the green tasks that lie ahead, says the minister on his way into the Folketingsalen.
The urgent question takes place the day before a vote of no confidence in the Folketing on Aagaard's ministerial future. However, he is expected to be protected as a minister on Thursday, when the vote is to be held. Aagaard was saved before Easter by a political majority, even though a minority wants him removed as minister and has called for the vote of no confidence. He has apologized for having withheld information about the delay in the electricity grid from the Folketing. This happened during a consultation that lasted three hours. The apology continues on Wednesday in the Folketingsalen.
- I would like to begin by repeating my unreserved apology for the course of events and the lack of information provided to the Folketing and relevant conciliation circles, from which this debate arises, says the minister from the podium.
The urgent question has been called by a united opposition. It specifically concerns what consequences the minister will draw based on the case. But Aagaard is not leaving his post, even though the opposition does not trust him. The government has lost its domestic political majority. But three North Atlantic mandates, among others, support the government in the Aagaard case. These are Greenlandic Aaja Chemnitz (IA) and the two Faroese seats in the Folketing, Anna Falkenberg (SP) and Sjúrður Skaale (JF).
The independent Jon Stephensen is also helping to ensure that Aagaard can breathe a sigh of relief, while another independent Theresa Scavenius has announced that she will vote blank in the vote of no confidence. But even if Aagaard cannot be overthrown on paper, he must be formally protected first. And when the matter comes down to a question of votes in the Folketingshallen, it is crucial that all the government's supporting seats actually show up physically. Aagaard himself says from the podium that he has learned his lesson.
- I take your criticism to heart and will remember it in my further work, says the minister.
It is extremely rare that there are votes of no confidence in the Folketingshallen. The most recent was in 2006, when the then conservative consumer minister Lars Barfoed survived. The Greens, the Conservatives, the Social Democrats, the Alternative and the Alternative are calling on Aagaard to call for negotiations as soon as possible on how the delays in the electricity grid can be mitigated. This is done in a written comment.
- The Minister for Climate Change should take the process and today's debate as a sign with a cartwheel that he should introduce a completely new style to the Folketing, says the Greens' climate spokesperson, Leila Stockmarr.
Samira Nawa, climate spokesperson for the Social Democrats, notes that "we negotiated blindly in the autumn" and that renegotiations are therefore needed. The same message comes from Dina Raabjerg (K), Carl Valentin (SF) and Torsten Gejl (AL).
jel /ritzau/
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