Honorary Danish Consulate Opens
An honorary Danish consulate has opened in Studio City to replace the Los Angeles consulate office that was closed by Denmark’s government in May as a cost-cutting measure.
The new office, located at 12444 Ventura Blvd., will be operated by volunteer Stig Stenhoj and one paid staff member. It will renew passports for Danish citizens and aid stranded Danish tourists who have lost their passports or money or simply need help.
The newly elected Danish government decided earlier this year to close consulates in Dusseldorf, Germany, and Los Angeles. The L.A. office had about 12 employees, said Troels Jakobsen, former deputy consul general.
Jakobsen will head up a new Los Angeles-based Trade Commission of Denmark that will assist Danish companies wanting to do business in the U.S.
Danish citizen Jens Welling said he is concerned that the local Danish community has lost an important voice with the closing of the larger, full-service Los Angeles consulate.
“There’s no doubt the whole community disagrees about the solution,” said Welling, a board member of the Danish American Chamber of Commerce and owner of a marketing company in Whittier.
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