In 2025, the Prime Minister’s Office (Statsministeriet) will undergo a reallocation of resources, dedicating four full-time equivalent positions to efforts related to Denmark’s upcoming presidency of the European Union (EU). This decision is part of a broader strategy to reduce the number of employees in the state by a total of 1,000 positions.

A fact sheet released by the Ministry of Finance (Finansministeriet) alongside the government’s budget proposal reveals that this reduction will affect almost all ministries, although the Prime Minister’s Office will receive a temporary exemption. According to a footnote in the fact sheet, the freed-up positions will specifically be redirected to manage the EU presidency that Denmark will assume in the second half of 2025. The Prime Minister’s Office characterizes this upcoming task as “extraordinarily large” and states that the efforts will span throughout 2024 and 2025.

Despite this reallocation, the Prime Minister’s Office will not escape budget cuts, as adjustments will lead to a decrease in staff resources in areas such as secretariat support, policy functions, and communication. Several employees have already left their positions or are expected to do so by the end of the year.

According to Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen, the government has focused on administrative, supervisory, and control-related tasks in selecting which 1,000 positions to cut. Wammen emphasizes that this reform should not be seen as a criticism of public sector employees, but rather as a reallocation of resources to improve efficiency in central administration.

The budget cuts will particularly impact the Ministry of Defense (Forsvarsministeriet), the Ministry of Taxation (Skatteministeriet), and the Ministry of Food (Fødevareministeriet), which must each contribute 150, 128, and 120 positions, respectively. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Interior (Økonomiministeriet) will experience a much lighter reduction, with only two positions being cut.

Since 2017, the number of administrative employees and managers in the state has increased by over 16,000, according to a report from the Ministry of Finance published in April 2023.