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Danish Citizenship; The economy is booming; New fireworks rules
Last Week in Denmark (01.12-08.12) Episode 42 Year 4
Editor HQ
State of Europe
Follow up on the situation in Romania. The Constitutional Court has annulled the results of the first round of the presidential elections after evidence emerged that one of the two candidates who qualified for the second round was supported by foreign actors. The current president is continuing in his function until new elections are organized in spring 2025. Everyone involved in the campaign of the foreign-supported candidate will be audited by security forces, and multiple arrests are expected soon. This is the first time a hybrid attack on democracy organized via TikTok is being stopped in its tracks.
For the last two editions, we have used this space to talk about Romania instead of Denmark. We apologize if some of you have been annoyed by it. We have considered the situation unfolding in Romania to be of great importance for Denmark, as Romania is a NATO ally and one of the pillars of the Eastern Front defense. Instability in Romania would lead to instability in Denmark. In the next edition, we will come back to happenings in Denmark’s territory.
Referral Campaign
It’s the fourth week of the referral campaign sponsored by Bloomtree Tech, and we are slowly getting closer to the 2,000 subscriber goal! In fact, we are at 1,685 new subscribers. If you missed the details about the competition last week, you can read about it here.
Top 5 this week (12/07/2024): Ellie Owens (231), Alina Racila (89), Milena Giunti (79), Keith Machado (72), Rupert Jacobsen (63).
There are only five days left in the competition (deadline December 13), which means we are slowly reaching a conclusion. Will there be a last-minute wild card to disrupt the top five established for two weeks now? We will find out in the next edition of the newsletter, which is also the last edition for 2024.
Thank you for reading and sharing Last Week in Denmark!
P.S. - The color of 2025 is “Mocha Mousse”.
P.P.S. - Can you pass a 4th grade math test? Try here.
LWID Universe
Podcast host: Do you like to comment on everyday happenings? Want to share your witty remarks with the international community in Denmark? Join our podcast team for “Last Week in Denmark: Unfolded” as a volunteer co-host. Send a mail to lastweekdk@gmail.com.
New language edition: Before we end the 2024 season, we have a wish - to put together a volunteer team to create a Ukrainian version of the newsletter. The Ukrainian community has grown to be in the top three nationalities in Denmark. What do we need? A team leader, translators from English to Ukrainian, proofreaders, promoters, and original content curators. Hopefully we can launch the first episode in January 2025. Apply here.
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Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
From next year, you might not be able to drive in the winter with summer tires. A law proposed by the Transport Ministry will be debated in January. If it passes (which most likely will happen), it will be introduced in July 2025. The planned fines are around 1,000 DKK per tire if you drive with summer tires on snow.
Fireworks are only allowed on December 31 and January 1. Good news for pet owners, as the time around holidays usually means anti-anxiety medication for pets.
No bidders to build the new wind farms in the North Sea. Denmark wants to build three new, very large wind farms in the North Sea. Unfortunately, no company has applied to deliver the work. Why? There is no state support, and the cost of building has increased severely in the past years.
Ministry of Environment vs. the municipalities. By March 1, 2025, the municipalities must protect 2,671 areas around drinking water wells by enforcing a ban on spraying pesticides. Unfortunately, multiple municipalities do not plan to respect the deadline. Why? Within a short time, they need to establish voluntary agreements with farmers to provide compensation, which is more difficult than expected. The Ministry of Environment will initiate a lawsuit against the municipalities that do not respect the deadline.
Focus
The first citizenship interviews have been held by Parliament’s Citizenship Committee. The results? Two of the three applicants interviewed should be denied citizenship despite fulfilling all other conditions. At least according to the president of the committee from DF (Nationalist Conservative). What was discussed in the meetings? Fundamental values.
More than 2,000 people are expecting to receive Danish citizenship when the bi-yearly citizenship law is voted on December 19. However, DF plans to submit an amendment to remove the two interviewed candidates from the list, as well as anyone who has ever received a fine. Chances for the amendment to pass are slim.
You can only obtain Danish citizenship by law, which means the Parliament needs to grant it. To obtain it, you need to pass the citizenship test, the Danish language test, to have lived in Denmark for nine years (with exceptions), to have been full-time employed in the past three years and a half, to not have public debt, to not have committed criminal offences, and to shake the hand of the mayor. There are usually two “citizenship laws” per year that contain specific names of the people that are proposed to receive citizenship.
Danish Economics HQ
Weekly economics overview
19 banknotes will become invalid on May 31, 2025. There are still 6.2 billion DKK worth of the soon-to-be-invalid banknotes in circulation. What will become invalid? The 1,000 DKK banknote and all banknotes printed before 2009.
The state will buy 59.4% shares of Copenhagen and Roskilde airports. The cost? 32 billion DKK. With the 59.4% stake, the state ownership will increase to 98%, effectively giving them full control over the airports.
The “iværksætterskat” (entrepreneur tax) has been abolished with a seven-year retroactive effect. What is the tax about? Shareholders in stock-listed companies that owned less than 10% of publicly traded shares had to pay 22% tax on the annual increase in value of these shares, regardless of whether the shares were sold. This policy particularly affected startup companies after going public, as stock prices can fluctuate significantly, leading to substantial tax bills even without actual profits from share sales.
Beware of the “teflon fever.” For over 30 years, employees at the Accoat factory in Kvistgård, Denmark, have suffered from "Teflon fever," a condition caused by inhaling toxic fumes from heated Teflon containing PFAS chemicals, with symptoms like chills, fever, and chest tightness. Despite a 1996 report recommending safety measures such as installing oven alarms to prevent exposure, these have not been implemented, leading to continued cases among workers.
Focus
The Danish economy is doing really well. We will end the year with 3% growth, and similar growth is expected for next year. Consumers have regained purchasing power, and we are entering a stable period of real wage growth. The housing market is also growing and has increased an average of 3.8%. Note: Real wage growth means that salaries havegrown more than inflation; i.e.n, you can afford more.
A special mention to the pharma industry driving the economy and to the 400,000 international workers in Denmark from all the economic sectors.
Other interesting mentions from the government economic report.
Inflation is expected to stay under 2% for the next two years. At the same time, spending is still conservative as people recover from the recent inflation shock.
Housing prices are expected to continue to grow in the next two years. 3.3% in 2025 and 3% in 2026. Good news for homeowners, not so great for first-time buyers.
Employment in 2025 will likely cool off, which means that the same level of employment will be maintained, maybe with a weak increase of 5,000 people employed. There is no expected increase in unemployment.
Unfortunately, the global economy does not share the same positive outlook, and that might impact Denmark in the next two years. First, the economy of our neighbors (Sweden and Germany) is not doing very well. Second, there is political instability on the global stage, which can lead to unexpected impacts on the economy.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
Last week we talked Christmas trees; this week we promised to talk decorations. One holiday season in Denmark is enough to make you familiar with the checkered hearts that hang from trees and doors and are even sold as glass ornaments. These are the famous Julehjerter (Christmas hearts), a Danish tradition that is easy to make by hand and is a good activity to do with children.
Another Danish favourite is the homemade advent station, a wreath called adventskrans, which is adorned with candles, greenery, and red ribbons. The four candles that stand in it mark the four Sundays leading up to Christmas.
For those who don’t have a bad relationship with house dolls, nisser are small gnome-like figures that are adored in Danish folklore. During the Christmas season, families place them around the house to add a touch of mischief and fun to the holiday spirit. If you are invited home by any Danes in your life, make sure to look for them on shelves, windows, or under the tree.
To bring a little of the winter season in, Danes also love to pick up some natural elements and make them part of the indoor ambiance. This is both sustainable and also affordable: you can fill in empty corners that need a bit of Christmas magic with pinecones, evergreen branches, or dried orange slices.
Weekly overview
A new cultural trend is coming from Sweden. The "Soft Girl" trend, sweeping through Sweden and beyond, is giving 2024 a pastel-tinted glow as young women embrace a quieter, less career-driven lifestyle. Under hashtags like #hemmaflickvän (stay-at-home girlfriend) and #hemmafru (housewife), influencers like Vilma Larsson are documenting lives filled with gym sessions, coffee dates, and home-cooked meals - all supported by their partners’ salaries. This movement, heralded by some as a retreat from the high-pressure “girl boss” era, has sparked fierce debate. While advocates argue it offers relief from modern stresses, critics, including Swedish feminists, see it as a backward slide into traditional gender roles.
Free fertility treatments for the second child face delays until 2026. Denmark’s public fertility clinics are gearing up to offer free in vitro fertilization (IVF) for second children, but logistical hurdles mean the full rollout won’t happen until 2026. Clinics are expanding facilities, hiring specialized staff, and adjusting opening hours, yet waiting times are expected to increase in the short term. To manage demand, public clinics will outsource 1,000 treatments to private facilities and increase operations on weekends and holidays.
A shorter “ghetto list” sparks debate: success or symbolism? Denmark’s infamous "ghetto list" has shrunk to eight areas, with four residential zones removed This shift can be attributed to improved employment rates and decades of targeted social initiatives. While the Minister of Social Affairs hails the list as proof of success, critics like academic Troels Schultz Larsen argue the progress stems from broader economic conditions and long-term reforms in housing and education, not the list itself. Schultz Larsen notes that forced relocations or the label alone don't address deeper social issues like integration or network building.
Allotment Gardens: from “poor gardens” to million-kroner real estate. Once a tool to keep workers busy and sober, Denmark's allotment gardens have evolved into coveted properties with million-kroner price tags, especially in cities like Copenhagen, where some enjoy year-round living status. Originally established in the 19th century to provide self-sufficiency for struggling families, these small plots have transformed into dream homes for urbanites seeking simpler lifestyles. Demand skyrocketed during the pandemic, drawing younger generations to long waiting lists.
Danish students struggle with math: can everyday relevance solve the equation? A new international TIMSS study reveals Danish 4th graders lag behind their Nordic peers in math and science, with lower motivation and confidence levels. Only 23% of students in Denmark feel confident in math, and just 33% see its relevance - a stark contrast to neighboring countries. Experts point to a “fear of math” narrative and text-heavy teaching as culprits, calling for a shift toward practical, everyday applications to make the subject more engaging.
International Community in Denmark HQ
Ali Lewis published the 7th episode of the column “Found in Translation.” The title this week is “Jeg lærer dansk (I’m learning Danish).”
Excerpt: “I say this phrase a lot and always like an apology. Not that I’m actually sorry I’m learning Danish. Well, sometimes I am, when it’s 9am and raining and I have a three-hour class ahead of me, during which I will definitely feel stupid a number of times.”
Ahmet Akkoc wrote an article based on a story received from one of our readers. The title is “How the Danish Government Tried to Revoke My Residence Permit for Working Too Much.”
Excerpt: “I was shocked to see a threatening email from the Immigration Agency (SIRI), telling me they were considering cancelling my student’s resident permit for working 233 hours in a single month. The problem is I worked only 84 hours!”
A new writer, Leonidas, has debuted on our platform with the article “How the US election can affect businesses operating in Denmark.”
Excerpt: “As the inauguration day of January 20th, 2025, approaches, only one thing is certain. The impact of this election will extend beyond US borders. As was predicted back in the election of 2016, a decline in Danish exports and thus a potential cost of 10,000+ jobs is on the horizon, according to Nordea Bank’s research.”
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Saddened to see the “Soft Girl” grift making its way to Europe. In North America, it’s called “trad wife” for supposedly showcasing the role of a “traditional wife”. It’s also been shown very few of these “influencers” actually follow the lifestyle they say they do. They are often financed by family money, and in fact, make thousands by providing the supposed content they create.