Career
Bendt Bendtsen was the Conservative Party"s social policy spokesman from 1994 to 1995, its labour market spokesman from 1995 to 1998, and its legal policy spokesman from 1998 to 1999. He became the political leader of the Conservative Party on 5 August 1999 and became the party"s Chairman in November 2000. He was the leader of the Conservative People"s Party from 1999 to 2008.
He was the Minister of Trade and Industry from 2001 to 2008 under Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Following the November 2001 parliamentary election, Bendt Bendtsen became Minister for Economic and Business Affairs and Minister for Nordic Cooperation on 27 November 2001 in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen I. He left the post of Minister for Nordic Cooperation on 18 June 2002, but remained Minister for Economic and Business Affairs. He retained the latter post in the Cabinet of Anders Fogh Rasmussen II (2005) and III (2007).
On 9 September 2008, he tendered his resignation as leader of the party, which then elected Lene Espersen as leader, also resigning from his post as minister. Bendt Bendtsen was elected to the European Parliament in the 2009 elections.
In the Parliament he is part of the European People"s Party which is the biggest political grouping the parliament.
In May 2012, he founded together with the Austrian Member of the European Parliament Paul Rübig and the Bulgarian Member of the European Parliament Nadezdha Neynsky a new organization called Small and Medium Size Enterprises Europe, the pro-business organization within the European People"s Party, which aims at improving the situation of small and medium-sized enterprises all across Europe. Currently, he holds the position of First Vice-President.