Last Week in Denmark (07.04-14.04) Episode 12 Year 4
EP elections; Interest rates; Cheaper public transport
Editor HQ
State of Denmark
Eight weeks until the European Parliament (EP) elections on June 9, 2024. The campaign is in full-swing; even more so for those of us who are non-Danish EU citizens, as we are exposed to campaigns from both Denmark and our home countries. Debates, various events with an EU theme, smiling people with flyers in the streets - you can truly feel the celebration of democracy.
If you want to vote for a candidate from Denmark at the EP elections, you have three weeks left to sign up on the voting list. How do you sign up? Download the application from here (available in six languages), complete it, and then send it via Borger.dk (Digital Post) to your municipality (Borgerservice). If you have previously voted for a candidate from Denmark at EP elections, you should have gotten an e-Boks email notifying you that you are automatically signed up.
Besides voting, you can get a closer look at the process by joining one of the many campaigns as a volunteer. It’s also a great way to get into Danish circles and make friends. If you want to know more about the candidates, listen to our podcast #VOTEHOME. If you want to know what has happened in the last five years at the European level, join our brunch events in Aalborg (April 20) and Aarhus (April 27). We are also considering having a similar event in Odense or Esbjerg. Vote here to help us decide where.
What else happened this week? Former mink fur breeders stand to receive a fortune as compensation for having to close their farms during the pandemic. Of course, it helped that they were part of the compensation assessment commissions themselves. The sober movement is getting bigger, as it has become culturally accepted to give up alcohol. And, a new debate has emerged in the public space: should young people who thrive later in the day start school later? Is it fair that A-type and B-type people go to school at the same time?
Thank you for reading Last Week in Denmark!
P.S. - We continue our call to action to help us find Polish-speakers in Denmark. If you know anyone, please share this link to the Polish-edition of the newsletter with them.
Word of the Week
Regionsråd = Regional Council. Denmark is divided into five regions (North Denmark, Central Denmark, South Denmark, Zealand and the Capital) which are administered by regional councils. The regional council's main task is to run the healthcare system plus region-wide infrastructure, business, tourism, etc..
Quiz
Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
Copenhagen and Aalborg will not follow the request from the Ministry of Integration to ban gender-segregated swimming. Both mayors said that we have freedom of association in Denmark, and if one association wants to offer swimming classes to a specific gender, it’s not going against the law.
The government wants to increase the yearly funding for the Royal House from 126.5 million DKK to 143.8 million DKK - an increase of over 17 million DKK. Alternativet (Green Party) is against the proposal, as it considers the money could be spent better elsewhere.
Soon, it will be possible for the State to intervene in gang-member families and take the children away from that environment. This is part of a law package aimed at ending gangs in Denmark.
Stine Bosse vs. Mette Frederiksen. The lead candidate from Moderaterne (Social Liberals) proposed a new referendum on Denmark’s opt-out in the area of freedom, security, and justice in the European Union. The idea was quickly rejected by the Prime Minister, as a 2015 referendum had already refused the opt-out.
According to the Prime Minister, “Basically, we have to want to go to work. But I want to oppose that atmosphere that it should all be fun and lighthearted, because I simply don't believe that our lives are like that. Sometimes life is also hard.”
Focus
Will the king of Danish TikTok, Alex Vanopslagh, be the next prime minister of Denmark? Although there are still two years until the next parliamentary elections (2026), right-wing forces are already preparing to challenge Mette Frederiksen. One of the main contenders is the leader of Liberal Alliance (Conservative Libertarian), Alex Vanopslagh. The party is already making internal compromises to become more palatable to the Danish electorate.
They have renounced their previous 57 billion DKK savings plan for the public system, softening their position to 20 billion DKK specifically from the administration. They want 13,000 public administration employees to be fired.
Further changes to their political program are expected, as the party embarks on a more mainstream center-right position.
One of the leaders from Venstre (Liberals) is already seeing Alex as the “blue” (right) candidate for the prime minister post.
Trump-style populist rallies have been imported to Denmark. Culprit? The infamous Inger Støjberg, leader of DD (Populist Nationalists). She has started anti-CO2 tax rallies in the farmlands, where thousands of people gather to drink beer, shout loud slogans, and take turns on the rodeo bull while listening to populist speeches.
Danish Economics HQ
Housing prices are falling: In the first quarter of 2024, apartment prices have fallen by 1.3% and holiday home prices by 2.1%, compared to the last quarter of 2023. Since March, villas and terraced housing (“rækkehuser”) have also shown decreases. At the moment, there are more sellers than buyers on the market.
Interest rates remain high after the European Central Bank decided to maintain them at 4%: While in Denmark we have an inflation rate under 1% (0.9%), the rest of Europe is still facing an average rate of 2.4%, which means that the ECB cannot lower the interest rates. The USA faces the same situation with 3.5% inflation, forcing the Federal Reserve to maintain high interest rates.
Economists predict that interest rates will be lowered in June.
The Danish krone (DKK) is directly tied to the euro and therefore has to follow guidance from the European Central Bank.
The five regional councils are preparing a reform of public transport pricing: Inspired by the region of Scania (Sweden), they want to reduce the number of tariff zones, which will lead to much cheaper prices for longer trips. The reform comes in connection with the introduction of the digital travel card (rejsekort), which should completely replace the physical cards over time.
Novo Nordisk is unhappy with the speed of development in Denmark: They have criticized that it takes the government too long to obtain approvals for factory expansions and to bring international workers to Denmark. They are especially unhappy with the case processing time for the “researcher tax scheme,” which can take up to two years. As the government tries to appease Novo Nordisk, we can expect significant changes to the rules regarding international workers in Denmark.
Entrepreneur’s corner
Beauty Business Mixer: Entrepreneurs that have started or want to start a business within beauty and are looking to meet other industry professionals are invited to join the “Beauty Business Mixer” organized by Aalborg Institute for Development in Copenhagen on May 4th. You can read more and sign up here.
Nominate a speaker for TechBBQ 2024: At TechBBQ, they are always looking for new voices, emerging talents, and changemakers. If you know someone who would be a great speaker at TechBBQ 2024, let them know by filling out this form. This is a good way to make sure we have internationals on the line-up (wink, wink).
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
Dust off your outdoor blankets - the sun is shining and it’s picnic time! Did you know that picnics are so Danish that they even played a role in the origin of smørrebrød, the country’s most famous dish? The meal consists of rye bread with toppings like egg, potatoes, salmon, and other types of fish, vegetables and sauces. Smørrebrød became a thing when, back in the day, farmers’ wives would pile up yesterday’s leftovers onto a bread “plate” and take it to the fields.
The other exciting return of the season is flea markets, an activity that typically takes place on Saturday or Sunday mornings. From clothes and shoes to furniture and decor, you can bargain the best items in town for cheap, paying in either cash or with MobilePay. Around Copenhagen, some big spots are Gentofte, Frederiksberg or Veras Market. In other cities, markets are organized in big squares or parks, like Habengut Marked in Aarhus or Edisonsvej in Odense.
To set the tone for these spring plans, cherry trees are in full bloom. The pink flowers can be seen around the country, with the best spots being Langelinie Park and Bispebjerg Cemetery in Copenhagen, Memorial Park in Aarhus, JL Heibergs Vej in Odense and Nørresundby Cemetery in Aalborg.
On Friday, April 12, Denmark also celebrated International Licorice Day. For Danes, everything is about liquorice (lakrids). The black substance derives from the root of Glycyrrhiza, a plant in the legume family. Naturally very sweet, when mixed with ammonium chloride (a type of salt) it creates a sweet-salty taste that has medicinal properties and can be found in Danish sweets, chocolates, cocktails (and almost everything else). In the late 1800s the brand Gajol popularized salmiakki, a type of licorice shaped as small, black and salted candy. Today, it is still the country’s most famous flavor, and one that is almost essential to grow fond of if you want to enjoy life in Denmark to the fullest.
Explainer
The secret alchemy behind the Last Week in Denmark newsletter (a note from our editor-in-chief): This week, I will use this space to talk about the people behind the English edition of the newsletter. Until recently, Punitha Kumar wrote the “weekly overview” section from Daily Life in Denmark HQ, for which I have been very grateful as it lessened the burden on me. Unfortunately, she is moving to another country and cannot continue in the volunteering position.
At the moment, the content of the English edition is written by me (Narcis George Matache) with the exception of “Insights into the Danish way of life” (Catalina Anapios), “Europe This Week” (Monika Elend) and the “Announcement Board” (Cicek Eris). The content is then proofread by Carly Spring and Sarah Pedersen. If you feel like you could take over any of the segments in this newsletter, please write to lastweekdk@gmail.com. We are doing a public service, so there would be meaning in spending a couple of hours every week on this project. P.S. This is an AI-free space.
For example, if you enjoy economics/finances, you could take over the Danish Economy segment, or if you like looking for opportunities, you can take over that segment, and so on. If you like reading about everyday life in Denmark, then the “weekly overview” section in Daily Life could be for you.
Weekly overview
Treating alcoholism has become an expensive affair for the municipalities, according to Aarhus municipality. They say that the yearly cost for private providers of alcohol treatment has increased four times (in Aarhus) since 2020. The Health Act gives people with alcohol problems four rights: free alcohol treatment,the option to contact anonymously, guarantee that the treatment will start no later than 14 days after the application and the possibility to choose the alcohol clinic you want.
Thousands of people are on the waiting list to use the new travel card app (rejsekort). Every day, the number of spots on the app increases so that more people will be able to leave their physical travel cards at home. You can download the app here.
Although Denmark has a relatively low birth rate, there are families that greatly exceed the median. One of those families is the Christensen family, which has 13 children. You can see snippets from their life here.
Every sixth home in Denmark is at high risk of being flooded. You can see the map here of the municipalities that have the highest incidence of homes in high-risk flooding areas.
Online banking fraud is rampant in Denmark. Are you able to notice when hackers try to steal your information? Check out the examples presented in this article and see if you are up-to-date with their latest attempts.
Restaurants have started to boycott Coca-Cola as part of a boycott movement against Israel. Coca-Cola’s biggest competitor, Pepsi, didn’t stand to gain new customers as the restaurants are also boycotting them. Why? Pepsi owns the Israeli company Sodastream.
There are 95 state-recognized museums in Denmark. You can see the entire list here.
Statens Serum Institute will contact people who have had a biological sample taken (like blood) to inform them about the residual material stored in Denmark’s National Biobank. You will have the option to ask for the material to be destroyed or leave it there for research purposes.
European Union HQ
Europe This Week
Boosting energy security in the Baltic Sea. Energy ministers from eight Baltic Sea countries, including Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, have endorsed the Vilnius Declaration, committing to the development of offshore wind energy and gradually phasing out fossil fuels, notably from Russia. The declaration emphasizes regional cooperation, infrastructure connectivity, and resilience against cyber and physical threats to critical energy infrastructure. In parallel, the Polish-Danish collaboration Energa Green Development, a subsidiary of Orlen, ordered 17 wind turbines from Vestas for a wind farm in Szybowice, Opole Voivodeship. This partnership builds upon previous initiatives, including the ongoing development of Poland's largest wind farm near Łeba, set to commence operations in 2026.
Pro-EU candidate concedes the Slovak presidential election. Ivan Korcok, who supports closer ties with the EU, gracefully accepts his defeat to Peter Pellegrini in Slovakia's presidential race. Pellegrini's win means a change in leadership, possibly leaning more towards Prime Minister Robert Fico's pro-Russia stance. This could affect how Slovakia interacts with the EU and handles issues like the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Debating conscription: a global conversation. Since Denmark's recent defense plans, discussions about conscription have taken the debate stage. Estonia's Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, thinks it's important for defense, especially because of concerns about Vladimir Putin. Estonia, Latvia, and Norway are also considering conscription. Germany is thinking about it too, and they're looking to Sweden for ideas. But not everyone agrees on whether conscription is needed or how it should work.
Boosting breakfast: new rules for healthier choices. Parliament recently approved updated rules for breakfast foods like honey, fruit juice, jam, and marmalade. These changes aim to help consumers make healthier choices by providing clearer labels on sugar content and minimum fruit content. The new rules will also require clear country of origin labeling and the development of a traceability system.
New reception centers for refugees, a critical element of the EU’s reformed migration and asylum policy. Newly constructed reception centers on Greek islands, funded by the EU, aim to manage refugee screenings. However, NGOs criticize conditions, likening them to prisons. Overcrowding, lack of medical care, and restricted rights raise concerns. Adopted this week, the new Migration and Asylum Pact allows Member States to choose between taking responsibility for asylum applicants, making financial contributions, or providing operational support.
Rights
If you need medical treatment while you're in another EU country, presenting your European Health Insurance card (EHIC) can simplify payment and reimbursement procedures.
With your EHIC you can get healthcare - and claim reimbursement for the costs you incur - on the same terms as nationals of the country you are in. If the treatment you need is free for local residents, you won't have to pay. If you have to pay for your treatment, you can either ask for reimbursement from the national institution while still in the country and get reimbursement directly there, or ask for reimbursement from your health insurer when you get home.
Opportunities
Free trip to Balestrand (Norway): Join a training course on critical thinking June 3-12. Deadline! April 24. Sign up here.
Free trip to Baku (Azerbaijan): Join a study visit on social entrepreneurship May 28 and June 2. Deadline! April 30. Sign up here.
Free trip to Ghent (Belgium): Join a seminar on the power of hip hop as a pedagogical tool June 3-7. Deadline! May 6. Sign up here.
*To join the training courses, you need to be a member of an association. If you are not, you can always join AMIS.
Announcement Board
Esbjerg, April 21 (14:00-16:00): Coffee with an International – Invite a local for coffee, tea or your traditional drink and spend a Sunday afternoon getting to know locals. Don’t forget to register.
Aalborg, April 22 (17:00-19:00): Join the free event “How to Make Your Next Project Perfect” where an expert from Copenhagen Business School will talk about risk management strategies and how to equip yourself with the skills to ensure your projects succeed. Sign up here. Event with food! :)
Online, April 22 (18:00-19:00): Join the free event “How Can Home Design Improve Our Health and Well-Being?” where Dr. Carmen García Sánchez will talk about nature-connected architecture and will give some tips on how to improve our health and well-being through the experience of our own homes. Sign up here.
Online, April 24 (19:00-20:00): Join the free event “Mental health in times of change” where a mental health professor from Copenhagen University will talk about recent innovations for mental health prevention and promotion. Sign up here.
Copenhagen, April 25 (9:00-11:00): Join the free event “Breakfast briefing: Ukraine’s idea of the EU” where, together with Danish and Ukrainian experts, we will delve into the perceptions of the EU and European identity among political actors in Brussels and Kyiv. Breakfast will be served! Sign up here.
Online, April 25 (17:30-18:30): Join the free event “Is entrepreneurship an inclusive career pathway?” where an expert from Copenhagen Business School will talk about gender differences in entrepreneurship and open up a discussion on how entrepreneurship may be inclusive (or not) for other groups in the labor market. Sign up here.
Copenhagen, May 8 (18:00-20:00): Join the free event “The Future of Farming in Europe” where EU Parliament candidates will debate in English (one of the few chances to attend a debate in English). Sign up here.
International media about Denmark HQ
Denmark shuts down cannabis street in Christiania hippie enclave (Reuters)
Denmark holds “funeral” for a polluted fjord (France24)
Last Week in Denmark’s Universe
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