Michael Zilmer-Johns
Permanent Representative – Denmark
2014
Ambassador Michael Zilmer-Johns, Commander of the Order of the
Dannebrog, was born 19 June 1957 and studied economics at
Copenhagen University and Christian Albrecht University in Kiel. After
graduation in 1982 he began his carrier at the Danish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs working on GATT, EEC accession negotiations with
Spain and Portugal as well as development co-operation with Latin
America, Angola and Mozambique.
From 1985-88 he served as Secretary of Embassy at the Danish EEC
representation in Brussels. Back in Copenhagen he became Secretary
of the Corporate Board and Assistant Private Secretary to Minister
for Foreign Affairs Uffe Ellemann-Jensen. Between 1992 and 1995 he
was Head of the EU and Economic Section at the Danish Embassy in
Bonn. After one year as Deputy in the Department for North Africa,
the Middle East and Latin America at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he became head of the
Policy and Planning Department of Danida in 1996.
10 days before the terror attack on 9/11 2001 he was appointed Political Director and worked
intensively during the next two years handling the ensuing crisis i.a. chairing the EU Political
Committee during the Danish EU Presidency in 2002. In 2003 he became foreign and security
advisor to Prime Minister Rasmussen with the Iraq war and the EU Constitutional Treaty among key
challenges. In 2005 he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as State Secretary for Foreign and
European Affairs. His responsibilities covered the EU, OSCE, Denmark’s strategic partnerships with
the US, Russia and China, other bilateral relations as well as security, including NATO and Danish
participation in military operations. He was the Danish Sherpa during the negotiation of the Lisbon
Treaty, chaired the Danish EU-Committee that co-ordinates Danish positions on all EU-affairs and
often represented the Danish Government at EU ministerial meetings.
In 2013 he was seconded to the European External Action Service as advisor on security and
defence.
Since1 October 2014 he has served as Danish Ambassador to NATO.
Ambassador Zilmer-Johns is married to Danish PSC-ambassador Lisbet Zilmer-Johns and has 4
children.
Publications: Internationale forhold (International Relations), Erhversøkonomisk Forlag 1986