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Birte Weiss

Birte Weiss (born 1 May 1941) is a Danish journalist and social democrat politician, who served in various capacities in the government of Denmark. She works as a journalist for the newspaper Weekendavisen.

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]

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]

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]

Weiss is married and has two sons.^[3]