Producers pay: Sprutklub in the Danish Parliament

the Gin, schnapps and bubbles.

Danish minister Mogens Jensen (S) and a number of members of Parliament have got their very own wine - and spiritusklub, where they meet a few times per year in Our beautiful premises a stone's throw from the Palace and drink all kinds of wet goods.

The cheerful meetings is free of charge for politicians and sponsored by the trade association the Wine and Spirits Organisation in Denmark (VSOD) and the producers. In the description of the events is at VSOD's website:

– the Parliamentary Wine and Spiritussocietet aims to promote awareness of our industry as well as the knowledge and enjoyment of wine and liquor of high quality, among members of Parliament.

Here you see the invitation to the events, the Parliamentary wine and spiritusklub had last year. All paid for by the trade association. PHOTO: VSOD website

According to professor of management, Anders Drejer Aalborg University is the free spiritusmøder expression of very poor judgement from politicians.

– It is here they should simply stick to the good from a management point of view. It is the case of manufacturers, who buy exclusive access to politicians – and it works vice versa, as it is a thinly veiled apology from the elected to get free wine and spirits.

– It is an incredibly bad signal to send. As a minister he must be irreproachable and not be a member of the kind, he says.

Here is referred to the first event in the Danish Wine and Spiritussocietet on trade association

It is unknown exactly how many members the club has. Danish minister Mogens Jensen (S) has itself specified to be a member in an information document on personal interests.

Documents from the VSOD also shows that the Left-the man Mads Fuglede and SF's chairman, Jacob Mark, are respectively president and vice-president.

the President and the vice-president invites to sponsored nytårsbobler. PHOTO: VSOD website.

the Vice-president of Transparency International Denmark, external associate professor at the Department of Political science at the University of Copenhagen, denmark Jesper Olsen believes that politicians should keep this kind of in private and even pay.

– Stairs to be washed from the top, and the politicians must take the lead with a good example. They are participating in a single event in isolation are not strange. The problem occurs when – as you describe here – is the frequent and systematic and are sponsored by a trade association. Here, the politicians alarmklokker call.

– The invite after all, not the politicians, because they are a fantastic company. They invite them, because the politicians representing the legislative power, as they get exclusive access to. Wine and spiritusbranchen could just as well tell about their problems with f.ex. charges over a sparkling water at a politician's office, he says.

From the snaps to the gin:

the Parliamentary Wine and Spiritussocietet was in the following documents from the VSOD founded in 2017. and had the first event in 2018. Here are some of the themes:

20. march 2018: Gin & Bubbles

8. may 2018: Wine producers give their take on this summer's drink.

6. november 2018: the Year's hot wine punch.

30. January 2019: 's reception in the bubbles character.

4. september: Among other things, the Danish champagne.

the Next event in the club is 5. november.

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the President: We have not said evil President of the Parliamentary Wine and Spiritussocietet Mads Fuglede(V) tells of the events are free to get as many people as possible to show up. PHOTO:Ritzau Scanpix/Jens Dresling

the President of the Parliamentary Wine and Spiritussocietet Mads Fuglede (V), tells, that, as such, are not members, but they invite all the mps - and that typically gets between 20 and 30:

– It is intended as a place where mps can come together across parties and be social without, that it's about to fight each other politically.

- Why do you do so not just in private and pay themselves?

- I think It's also really good you could. You get a couple of glasses and canapés. It may not be some great printing, but to be completely honest, then I believe that it is in order to get as many to show up as possible.

- it May not be problematic to the industry association, on the way pay for to get exclusive access?

– Yes, if they did, it would be problematic, but they do not. I have not spoken two political words. We have talked about, what themes it should be and what producers we have here at home, as we like to show off.

And they can get something out of meeting us? Yes, it can the enough good, if they will say something about, what challenges they have faced, but the arrangements are not geared to it. I would never be president of something, if we were excited for one or the other cart.

- it Is not a little to naively believe VSOD pay your events for your blue eyes sake?

- I think their interest is to show Denmark has some manufacturers which can be something that is hard to spot.

- But the big foreign manufacturers, also, can you see?

– They are also present there, so it is mixed, but it is based in the small Danish.

- it Can be in will pay even at a time?

- We are not evil. It is to get it up and fly. And when we are interesting enough, I'm also pretty sure that we will take a quota.

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Professor: There are No limitations

legally, it is only the Danish minister Mogens Jensen(S), that can cause the problems, evaluates the professor of administrative law Stone Bønsing.

- In Denmark, there are no limitations on what folketingspolitikere must have of the kind of interests. There are only a bestikkelsesgrænse in relation to gifts, which are some thousand dollars or, where there is a very direct relationship with an action.

In principle, there may be a problem for Mogens Jensen, if he as the minister takes on a very specific case, which relates to exactly those companies - but it might be difficult to get dealt with the disqualification, he says.

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Mogens Jensen: Come not as a minister

the Danish minister Mogens Jensen(S) says that he does not intend to participate in events in the wine and spiritusklubben as long as he is minister. Photo: Ritzau Scanpix/Jens Dresling

Danish minister Mogens Jensen (S) is currently in China in connection with export promotion activities. He has even given up being a member of the spiritusklubben, but writes in an email:

’I have never been to an event in the Danish Wine and Spiritussocietet. It comes I also do not have to be, as long as I have food. In addition, I also do not have to participate in events in the Parliament Øllaug, as long as I have food.’

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Producers: the Exclusive forum Excerpt from the Wine & Spirits Organisation in Denmark (VSOD) general assembly in april of this year.

In the minutes from the Wine & Spirits Organisation in Denmark (VSOD) general assembly in april of this year, cbc does not hide the enthusiasm of the Parliamentary Wine and Spiritussocietet:

– It is important for the VSOD to have this exclusive forum where members can meet the members of the folketing for an informal dialogue on the business and its fantastic products.

It has by the editorial deadline it was not possible to get a comment from the VSOD's secretary, Nikolai Klausen.