Party: Venstre
Candidate for: Local council, Billund Municipality
Martin’s journey
“I’m an international. I just have the wrong passport!” Martin Ebmark tells me as we sit down. He’s joking – he was born in Odense and his passport is most definitely Danish – but he makes a serious point about identity and what exactly an international is. Martin has lived in sixteen countries, spending a third of his life abroad. One of his daughters was born outside Denmark, while the other has lived almost half of her life abroad. The family were living in Malta, where Martin was a senior leader in the hotel and travel industry, when his wife was diagnosed with stage lV cancer in 2019. They relocated “more or less overnight” to the small city of Billund in Jutland so she could be close to the specialist care she needed.
Martin’s experiences of relocating unexpectedly chime with those of internationals, despite his Danish passport and fluency in the language. Living in a relatively rural municipality, without local contacts or professional networks to call on and a CV dominated by experience abroad, he found himself having to start again. Municipality structures and supports were not designed to deal with his situation, he remembers. Overwhelmingly, he felt no one knew what to do with him and his family. They fell between the cracks, neither internationals nor locally born Danes in a country where many make their friends for life at kindergarten.
“I have seen how strong and valuable international communities can be when you intentionally build bridges across cultures.”
Yet Martin came to love Billund, which he and his wife chose specifically because of its international environment and school. He truly sees the city, which has 16% international residents and recently featured in the national media as the first Danish municipality to have an international civic list running in the elections and the first to establish an International Council, as a shared community. “It’s one place we should all be shaping together,” he says.
Entering politics
Politics was never Martin’s plan, he says, but the experience of settling in Billund, a rapidly evolving community, changed his mind. “I have seen how strong and valuable international communities can be when you intentionally build bridges across cultures,” he tells me. He lives in an international area of the city, his children attend international school and the majority of his friends are internationals. He now manages theAirport Hotel Billund, where his team is overwhelmingly international. “Billund is a unique municipality with more than 60 nationalities and world-leading companies,” he says. “But many international residents still do not feel included in the local community or in political decision-making. That was something I wanted to change.”
“We have to do more than simply welcome internationals. We have to give them real opportunities to participate, be heard, and engage in the community.”
Martin believes Billund has the potential to become “Denmark’s most international municipality” and it’s clear how well he knows his home city. However, he says if Billund is to realise its potential, it will require “more than simply welcoming internationals. We have to give them real opportunities to participate, be heard, and engage in the community.” He may well be the only Danish-born candidate whose campaign has internationals at its heart, I tell him, and he laughs.
Martin is standing for Venstre as he believes the established political parties provide the best pathways to change, and Venstre’s policies most closely align with his own values. He did have some discussions with Billund International, the civic list of internationals running for the municipality, he tells me, but found he had the wrong passport! He acknowledges that being born in Denmark and speaking the language fluently opens doors to him that may be harder for those born outside the country to walk through, but he still identifies as overwhelmingly international in his daily life, experiences and values. Above all, by running in the election he wants to break down the barriers that still exist between Billund’s locally born residents and the internationals who have made their lives here.
“Billund should be a place where people from all over the world feel at home.”
Martin’s campaign
Martin’s campaign has three key priorities. Firstly, he wants a “stronger and more inclusive” local community. “Billund should be a place where people from all over the world feel at home,” he says. “I want to strengthen integration – not through more bureaucracy – but by building community through activities, volunteering, associations, and initiatives together with international residents.
Secondly, Martin wants better information and services for international residents. He relates closely to the challenges internationals here face because he’s faced them too, he says: “It should be easier to settle in Billund and navigate everyday life. I want to improve access to information about schooling, leisure, language, job opportunities, and local community life.” Accordingly, his campaign posters display a range of international flags and are published in several languages including Polish and Romanian. Aware that many internationals are effectively locked out of participation because they do not speak Danish well, he has also published information on how to vote in a range of languages. If elected, Martin wants to introduce a digital International Job & Skills Hub to match international talent with local businesses. Through participation in careers events for the international community, he’s acutely aware of the challenges. So many accompanying spouses could be making a significant contribution in the labour market, he says, but they need the right support to help them be truly seen by employers. In his own business, he seeks to offer those opportunities wherever possible. He wants to see other local employers doing the same.
“It should be easier to settle in Billund and navigate everyday life.”
Finally, Martin wants to see Billund grow in a way that benefits all residents. The city is home to world-class companies, he points out, most famously the LEGO group, but growth should be “felt more broadly across the community”. Martin wants to strengthen local schools, leisure and cultural facilities, so both Danish and international families choose to stay and engage in Billund long-term. He wants his daughters and their friends to feel they have a range of options for their future, so talent is not lost to Copenhagen and Aarhus. He wants to see the large companies based locally, including The LEGO Group, Lalandia, the Merlin group and more, take responsibility for the city’s development. Over the longer term, his ambition is to attract more companies of their size to the city.
“International residents are not guests. They are a natural and important part of Billund’s identity, community, and future.”
Final thoughts
Outside of work and politics, Martin enjoys travelling, staying active and spending time with his family. He describes himself as “energetic, people-focused and motivational” as a leader, someone who seeks to involve others so they feel a sense of shared ownership and pride. – and I strongly believe that involvement creates ownership and results.
Martin says he hopes this election campaign can “help shift the narrative in Billund”. “International residents are not guests,” he emphasises. “They are a natural and important part of Billund’s identity, community, and future.” If more internationals feel “seen, heard and represented” through this campaign, “that is already a meaningful win,” he tells me.
