Last Week in Denmark (09.04 - 16.04) Episode 14 Year 3
New collective agreements approved; Border control; Unemployment benefits
Editor HQ
Happy Easter to our readers who celebrate today!
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Danish Politics HQ
New Laws and Regulations
From next year, people over 60 will be able to opt out of resuscitation attempts in the case of a cardiac arrest: You can already opt out today if you are sick and have made a “treatment will”. Why would anyone opt out? One reason is that after a cardiac arrest, there is a chance you will be revived as a “vegetable” - some people don’t want to go through that. How? You will be able to opt out on sundhed.dk - you can also change your mind later.
The association “Hjerteforeningen” is asking for an information campaign about the risks of cardiac arrest so that people don’t rush into opting-out due to an unfounded fear of being revived as a “vegetable”.
Danish Citizenship, Integration and Immigration Laws
Border control changes: From the 12th of May 2023, border control with Sweden will be abolished. Border control with Germany will continue for a temporary period of 6 months, but it will be reorganized. Fewer cars will be checked, and the authorities promise a much faster entry into Denmark.
Young women with non-EU backgrounds marry and have children later, primarily due to a rule introduced in 2002. Labeled as the “24-year rule”, it prevents family reunification if the spouse is under 24 years old. They both need to be over 24 to be able to apply for the family reunification resident permit.
Before the rule was introduced, 8% of the young women (18 to 32 years old) with a non-EU background were married. After the rule was introduced, the percentage dropped to 3%.
Law proposals and ideas
Green flashing light for volunteer rescuers: The ministry of transport proposed that volunteer rescuers should be able to signal to other drivers in traffic that they are in a hurry to save someone’s life. How? A green flashing light (to distinguish it from the yellow and blue flashing lights).
It will start first as a trial scheme and you might be getting the green flashing light from the “Hjerteløber” association.
A national ban on PFAS has been rejected by a majority in the Danish Parliament: The proposal, made by Enhedslisten and supported by SF, Alternativet, Radikale Venstre, Konservative, Nye Borgerlige and DF, didn’t have a majority as the government, along with the Liberal Alliance and Danmarksdemokraterne voted against it.
The government voted against because PFAS are “cross-border” and there should be a decision at a European level. Until that happens, they are open towards limiting the use of PFAS by banning it in some areas.
PFAS is a collective term for 12,000 per and polyfluorinated chemicals.
Citizen proposal to adjust the pensions so that they reflect wage increases: At the moment, pensions and other public benefits are adjusted to reflect the current level of salaries in Denmark after two years. A citizen proposal signed by 61,000 people asks for pensions to be adjusted in the same year as the increase in wage levels.
The government is against the idea, so chances for it to pass in the Parliament are slim.
The unemployment benefits period should be reduced to one year: Liberal Alliance proposed that the unemployment benefits period be reduced from two years to one. Why? They say that one year is plenty of time for an unemployed person to find another job.
We don’t know yet the chances of this law to pass in the parliament.
Unemployment in Denmark is currently very low, so the state is not burdened by large expenses for unemployment benefits.
The political arena
Employees should be able to also take time off for their elderly’s first sick day: At the moment, you can take a free day on your child's first sick day. DF proposed expanding that measure to also include grandparents.
Today, you are entitled to five free days per year you can take in connection with taking care of a sick child, parents or spouse. However, you are not guaranteed to be paid for those days (compared with the child’s first sick day for which you are paid).
Danish Economy HQ
The prices are starting to go back to “normal”: The inflation rate in March was 6.7%, a decrease of almost 1% compared to February. The large supermarket chains have announced that the prices for food will be lowered in the following months.
Lower prices for electricity, petrol and diesel is bringing the inflation down.
The highest inflation rate was in October 2022 (10.1%). A normal level of inflation in Denmark is 2%.
79% of workers voted “YES” to the new collective agreement: After long negotiations, a conflict between employers and workers has been avoided. The large majority of the workers are happy with the salary increase for 2024 and 2025.
More than 500 collective agreements (covering different areas) will come into force as a result of this vote. The collective agreements will be valid for two years.
100% of the employers voted “YES” to the new collective agreement.
If you didn’t check the impact of the new collective agreement on your salary, use this calculator here.
House prices are on the rise again: In March, they increased by 1.2% on average. This is the first price increase since June 2022. However, Denmark’s national bank is predicting that the prices will continue to fall after the spring.
Interest rates for house loans went from 0.5% in 2021 to 5% this year. As long as they remain high, there is no real prospect for house prices to rise to their 2021 level.
The municipality of Odense wants to invest in weapon companies: The city council decided to expand the investment portfolio by acquiring shares of companies that produce weapons for NATO and Ukraine.
Beware of fake banknotes: If you are still using cash for some reason, then make sure you don’t carry fake banknotes in your pocket. There have been 444 reports about counterfeit banknotes in the first three months of 2023. Most of the people who managed to buy with fake cash are now on the wanted list (there are cameras inside supermarkets).
If you are caught with fake cash you get 12 years in prison.
Real banknotes have a watermark, a hologram, a copper print and they are printed on cotton paper which makes a crisp sound when it flaps in the air.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Denmark’s best ice cream: “Guf og Kugler” from Nibe (near Aalborg), has also won the prize for the best “ishus” (ice cream house) in Denmark. This is the second year in a row they have won this prize. On the second place, we have “Chokoladekurven” from Thisted.
Four municipalities in Denmark are offering couples therapy: Gentofte, Mariagerfjord, Syddjurs and Ikast-Brande are the locations where parents can go to couples therapy at the municipality's expense.
Talking about couple’s therapy, if you are looking for a psychotherapist and family counselor that speaks English, Romanian or Italian, we can recommend Elena Tiulenev. She offers psychological help in Copenhagen and online (individual therapy - 950 DKK/hour for addictions, anxiety, depression, life crises, stress; couple’s therapy - 1150 DKK/90 min for improving the relationship and communication; family counseling - 1150 DKK/90 min for improving the general relationship between parents and children). She has a special price for students and unemployed people.
You can book a 15 minute free call with Elena to evaluate if and how she can help you.
You can read more about her services here.
If you cannot afford a therapist (and you don’t live in one of the four municipalities mentioned earlier), consider talking to your health insurance company. They might cover it, if you are convincing enough :)
Healthcare
Where can you find PFAS? There are many products that contain per- or polyfluorinated chemicals. For example, rainwear (it keeps the water from permeating), furniture (repels grease and dirt) and Teflon frying pans.
In 2020, PFAS were banned in several types of food packaging (like pizza packaging).
Traffic noise from motorways causes health problems: According to an expert, traffic noise can cause stress, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. 785,000 homes are exposed to noise from the roads that exceeds 58 decibels.
The limit for harmful noise in Denmark is 58 decibels.
140,000 homes are heavily affected by noise pollution (more than 68 decibels - four times the volume compared to the limit of 58 decibels - the volume doubles for each 3 decibels).
You can see the noise pollution level for your house here
12 mayors from the largest municipalities in Denmark want to reduce the speed on motorways that are near people’s homes.
Education
The fifth school for children with high IQ has been opened in Denmark: This time in Aarhus. If you have children with an IQ over 130, you can register them at Atheneskolen (Søborg), Leonardoskolen (Aarhus, Køge) and Skolen Bifrost (Roskilde).
The government established an expert group to develop methods that will help schools identify high IQ children.
Culture, Religion and Royals with Cicek Eris
The Danish Architecture Center’s first permanent exhibition on Danish architecture is now open to visitors. The exhibition unfolds the history of Danish architecture from the Viking Age to the present day and gives you the opportunity to dive into a 1,200-year history.
Danish supermarket Bilka started selling decorations for the Muslim holiday Eid. Customers have expressed their delight, hailing the move as a step towards inclusiveness in society.
Some other stores are also offering goods for Eid. Meyers Bageri has brought back its “Ramadan roulade” for the third year in a row.
Announcement Board
This section is curated by Cicek Eris. If you have events you want us to include here, please send us a mail at cicekeris@gmail.com. You can check out her newsletter about events in Denmark here.
Aalborg, 20th April, 10:00 - 15:00: IT-Day at CREATE Aalborg University. IT-students and graduates who are interested in working in the IT-sector will be able to meet 50+ IT-companies in Denmark.
Copenhagen, 15-23th April: Join the film festival Global Health Film Days organized by the University of Copenhagen, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Cinemateket. The movies and documentaries that will be screened cover different global health topics, such as gender, climate change, cybersecurity, aging, autism, wars and conflicts, etc. Each screening will be followed by different events, such as keynotes from experts on the topics, interactive booths, and panel discussions.
Copenhagen, 26th April, 11:30 - 18:00: Are you concerned or curious about your employability and want to boost your career? Or you want to boost your network, meet, and spend time with different business leaders. Check out the Youth to Business Forum event, taking place at CBS in Copenhagen tackling the importance of investing in young people and offering the next generation a stronger potential in employability. You can interact with business leaders such as Electrolux, Toastmasters, IBM, Mindpool and KPMG through keynotes, workshops, and the networking space at the end of the event.
Copenhagen, 26th April, 17:00 - 20:00: Would you like to make new friends, gain work experience, and practice your Danish skills while at the same time having a great time? International House Copenhagen provides you with the opportunity to get involved in your local community.
Odense, 27th April, 18:00 - 20:30: Public or private school: which one is a right fit for your child? Join the “Schooling in Odense” event and learn more about your choices.
International media about Denmark HQ
Denmark latest EU country to plan Energy Charter Treaty exit
Denmark to transfer 100 Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine
Thanks for the great publication. :)
"The prices are starting to go back to “normal”". This is a very misleading sentence in my opinion. A YoY% inflation of ~6% does not mean that prices have gone back to normal by any means. What it means is that they are 6% higher compared to last year's prices. So nothing has gone back to normal, until you see actual deflation (i.e. negative inflation) as opposed to what we see today which is called disinflation (i.e. a reduction in positive inflation)