Throughout September, active discussions resumed in Ukraine regarding women’s rights and the place of the MeToo movement in public life. Ukraine, which is the birthplace of such well-known feminist movements in Europe as “Femen“ and “Feminist Lodge,“ is sensitive to violations of women’s rights. The country has a large number of activists who fight against sexism and violence, work on improving the psycho-emotional state of women, and support internally displaced persons, especially in the context of war.
The reason for the escalation of discussions, oddly enough, was events in European politics that did not concern Ukraine directly—namely, the appointment of a Danish politician to the Supervisory Board of the major Ukrainian company Ukrenergo.
The selection of candidates for the Supervisory Board was carried out by the recruiting firm Korn Ferry, whose work was funded by the EBRD. According to available data, the recruiting company reviewed 30 candidates, from which five people were shortlisted for submission to the Nominations Committee:
– Jeppe Kofod
– Klaus-Dieter Borchardt
– Alberto Potocnik
– Luigi de Francisci
– Marina Petrov
Among the requirements for candidates: integrity and an impeccable business reputation. However, not all information about Jeppe Kofod was presented.
Meanwhile, Danish and European media and social networks have for many years debated the events involving Kofod in 2008.
“Three years after the #MeToo movement, Denmark is finally ready to talk about sexual harassment. The revived debate — sparked by a popular television host sharing her experiences of harassment in the media industry — has also drawn in a top government figure. In 2008, Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, then a 34-year-old member of the Danish parliament and the Social Democrats’ spokesperson for foreign affairs, apologised after it emerged he had sex with a 15-year-old youth member of his party.
Although he committed no crime, as the age of consent is 15 in Denmark, Kofod resigned from his post. The case did not hurt his career, however; he went on to become a member of the European Parliament before being appointed foreign minister last year.
Yet 12 years later, Kofod is facing renewed criticism as Denmark finds itself in the throes of a growing debate over harassment by men in positions of power — three years after Danes broadly dismissed the #MeToo movement”, – reported Politico.
This case was widely covered in Europe. For example, the German publication ‘Saarbrücken Zeitung‘ reported:
“Although the age of sexual maturity in Denmark is 15, the party leadership quickly dealt with this: Kofod was forced to resign from all party posts and go on sick leave. ‘It is simply unacceptable that parents send their children to our courses and do not feel safe,‘ said the leader of the parliamentary faction Carsten Hansen.
Danish social networks, meanwhile, were full of horrifying details of the incident. We quote one of the sources: ‘Do you dream of losing your virginity to a drunken middle-aged Social Democrat in a spartan student dorm room? …Such was the terrible reality for a 15-year-old teenage girl after a night encounter with Denmark’s newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod. In March 2008, at the Esbjerg College, 200 boys and girls gathered for a “course on social democracy.“ One of the instructors was the experienced politician Jeppe Kofod, who had already been a member of the Danish parliament for 10 years at the time. Between three and four in the afternoon, Jeppe Kofod invited a very young teenage girl to his room…
Those present suspected something was wrong, and six young people, furious, searched for Jeppe Kofod and found him in his room. The youth, enraged, threatened Jeppe Kofod with a beating…. It all ended with Jeppe Kofod being expelled from Esbjerg College early in the morning. It turned out that he had not thought about contraception and had not used a condom. Therefore, a pill had to be obtained, which the young girl was to take on Saturday. ‘She feels unwell and doesn’t want to talk about it with anyone. She is completely broken,‘ a friend of the girl told the magazine ‘Se & Hør’.
In the summer of 2022, this case once again became the subject of condemnation in connection with calls for Jeppe Kofod to leave big politics. At that time, he apologised but stated that he did not intend to resign as Minister of Foreign Affairs and that he ‘still believes he can make a difference’.
This story continues to be discussed and debated in the Danish media, for example, in a podcast aired in February 2024 with Peter Astrup and Lars Christensen.
In 2025, Kofod’s actions again became the subject of discussion in connection with another Danish politician — Danish parliament member Mike Fonseca — who engaged in sexual relations with a 15-year-old. The politician was expelled from the *Moderate Party*, which has a code of conduct stipulating that those in relationships must be over 18. Fonseca tried to go on sick leave and, following Kofod’s example, attempted to justify himself. However, the case literally exploded in Danish society, sparking debate about whether parents wanted such a fate for their daughters.
A book was even written comparing these two egregious cases in Danish politics.
Thus, neither Korn Ferry nor the Committee for the Appointment of Independent Members of the Supervisory Board, which included representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Energy, and the Cabinet of Ministers’ State Secretary, deemed it necessary to properly conduct due diligence on the integrity and business reputation of the candidates.
Currently, the women’s rights organisation‘ International Center for the Protection of Women’s Rights and the Fight Against Violence‘ has drawn attention to this issue and sent an appeal to the Prime Minister of Ukraine regarding this fact in Kofod’s biography.
A corresponding appeal was also sent to the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Verkhovna Rada on issues of pricing and tariff policy in the energy sector.
Should Ukraine and Ukrenergo be entangled in such international sexual scandals and forced to justify to women’s rights organisations certain facts from the biographies of Supervisory Board members? It is not hard to predict the reaction of Ukrainian society, known for its traditional family values, which will clearly not forgive such stories. It is unlikely this will help Ukraine’s image as it pursues integration into Europe, fulfilling all EU requirements in the area of women’s rights. Getting drawn into such international scandals could negatively affect the country’s image and its entire European integration process.
