Last Week in Denmark (10.03-17.03) Episode 9 Year 4
Women in the Army; People’s Meeting; Ramadan
Editor HQ
State of Denmark
“Ramadan is also Danish,” musician Isam B
Early this week, Ramadan (the month of fasting) started for the Muslim community in Denmark. This means that your Muslim friends and/or colleagues abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset. In the public space, this has triggered a debate about the place of the Muslim holidays in Danish society, begging the question: after how many decades in Denmark should your culture be considered part of Denmark’s heritage.
Speaking of heritage, our space hero Andreas Mogensen has returned safely home from the International Space Station after six months. Moving forward, he will be under medical supervision at the European Space Agency HQ in Germany, as his body suffered quite a few transformations after being away from Earth for so long.
If you are on a long sick leave, you can look forward to fewer discussions with the Jobcentre. A new political agreement for those on sick leave will significantly reduce the number of mandatory calls with caseworkers and other administrative burdens.
In other news, the clock is ticking for the 1,000 DKK banknote. In a year and a few months from now, we will no longer be able to use the 1,000 DKK banknote. As a result, people have started to buy chewing gum from small stores so that they can exchange their banknotes. Now, the government wants to give small stores the option to refuse the 1,000 DKK banknote if the value of the products customers buy is less than 500 DKK.
We will end this week’s column with a reminder that spring has finally arrived! You probably noticed the warmer air, saw the spring flowers, and heard the birds singing in your garden. Please share with us your little corner of paradise via picture, video, or creative words. Send it to one of our social media teams - Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Thank you for reading Last Week in Denmark!
Word of the Week
Borgmester = Mayor. Word derived from Low German “burgemeister” which means city manager. The mayor is the chairman of the city council and the day-to-day manager of the city administration. In Denmark, you don’t vote directly for the mayor. The elected council members decide who gets to be the mayor. *Unusually, Copenhagen has several mayors and a lord mayor (overborgmester) above them.
Quiz
Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
As predicted last week, the new leader of the Konservative (Conservatives) is Mona Juul. She comes from the advertising world (23 years in the Envision Agency) and entered politics in 2019 as a member of the Danish Parliament. She is 56 years old and was born in Aarhus.
The most popular mayor in Denmark, Birgit S. Hansen from Frederikshavn, will not run again in the November 2025 local and regional elections. Last time, she got 42% of all the votes in the municipality, the highest percentage in the country. Why is she retiring? She is tired of running a financially challenged municipality and being harassed on social media.
The issues pointed out by the mayor of Frederikshavn have been echoed by other mayors around the country. It has become difficult to run a local government when you have to make cuts in public spending at every budget negotiation round. The mayor of Faaborg-Midtfyn has also decided not to run again for the same reason.
From July 2024, before you can demolish a building larger than 250 square meters, you need to have a recycling plan for the materials. Bricks, tiles, untreated wood, and high-quality concrete must be properly retrieved so they can be reused. 40% of Denmark’s waste comes from the construction industry.
Focus
79 billion DKK investment to strengthen the Danish Army: Over the next four years (2024-2028), Denmark will increase its defense and military capabilities. 48 billion DKK will be used to create a heavy brigade of up to 6,000 soldiers ready to join NATO operational forces by 2028. 19 billion DKK will be invested in ground-based air defense systems (two short-range and one long-range). The rest will be used to equip the light infantry battalion in Haderslev with Piranha V armored vehicles to be deployed in the world’s hotspots, and to acquire anti-submarine torpedoes.
4.4 billion DKK extra for military support in Ukraine
Mandatory conscription for women from 2026. This means 18-year-old girls will also be called for “Armed Forces Day” (Forsvarets Dag). So far, they could sign up voluntarily. On that day, the recruits are assessed to see if they are suitable for army training via a written test and health survey. Even if you are deemed suitable, you can still avoid army training if you get a special number at the lottery.
4,700 young people participated in army training in 2023 (25% females).
From 2025 on, there needs to be a minimum of 5,000 young people in army training every year.
The mandatory conscription duration has also been increased from four months to eleven months.
The mandatory conscription for women could still be blocked until it becomes legislation in 2025. Liberal Alliance (Libertarians) and DD (Nationalist Populists), two parties that are part of the defense investment agreement, are against the idea and the government needs to convince them to drop the opposition to move forward.
1,606 employees of the Armed Forces resigned last year. Why? Decades of financial cuts in military spending have forced barracks, equipment, and salaries into a “state of despair.”
Danish Economics HQ
0.8% inflation in February: The lower inflation in February compared to January is mainly due to price drops on sugar products, jam, chocolate, etc. It’s the lowest inflation level in the European Union.
4.2% increase in exports in the last three months; meanwhile, imports have fallen by 2.5%. Denmark exported goods and services worth 160.4 billion DKK in January 2024, while it imported 137.6 billion DKK, resulting in a profit of 22.8 billion DKK. Denmark’s profit relative to GDP was 10.9% in 2023, one of the highest in the European Union.
2.9% unemployment rate in February: 86,900 unemployed people (74,500 on unemployment benefits and 12,400 on social benefits - kontanthjælp). 300 more than in January.
54.6 billion DKK - the yearly cost of stress in Denmark: Due to stress, employees are working fewer hours and using more sick days, which costs society 54.6 billion DKK a year. Stressed employees work on average six hours less per month. Overall, stress at work means that the labor supply in Denmark is reduced by the equivalent of 55,600 full-time employees.
Source of stress? An increased level of anxiety and a sometimes unhealthy performance culture in the Danish labor market.
Property tax discount for 400,000 homes: If you are warming up your house with oil or gas, you will get a property tax discount. Up to 19% in the case of oil and up to 6% in the case of gas.
75,000 property valuations have been “significantly reduced”: After the scandals in the autumn with errors made by the Vurderingsstyrelsen regarding property valuations, now they are slowly fixing the issues. The preliminary property assessments that showed a land value higher than the house value have now been “quality-checked” and rectified.
A TikTok trend called “cash stuffing” is becoming popular in Denmark: On the “Go' aften Live” TV show, a SOSU assistant said she managed to save 38,000 DKK in a year thanks to the “cash stuffing” method.
“Money week” in Danish schools: Young people in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades from 700 schools learned about personal finances this week thanks to an effort made by Finans Danmark. Between 20 and 40% of young people in Denmark struggle with personal finances, and more than 70% are unsatisfied with their financial situation.
Entrepreneur’s corner
Learn how to start a business in Denmark via a free online course in English provided by Aalborg Institute for Development. When? Every Wednesday evening (17:00-20:00) from May 8 to 29. Sign up here.
Learn how to start and run a food business in Denmark via a free online incubator in English provided by Aalborg Institute for Development and the European-Ukrainian Hub. When? Once a week, from April 4 to June 8. Sign up here.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
Spring incoming! The streets of the country are starting to get green yet again, and long puffy jackets are finding their way back into the closet (at least for now). As much as snow could return out of nowhere, like it did last spring, it is safe to say the blooming has started and is here to stay. Most of you will have bumped into small yellow flowers in the streets or maybe even in your own building garden. These are winter aconites - in spite of their name, they are known to be some of the first to announce spring in Denmark.
For Danes with little ones, the arrival of spring also coincides with the return of theme parks, one of the favorite weekend family activities. In the capital, both Tivoli (1843) and Bakken (1583) are opening their doors for the season this Friday, March 22. The spots have been around for centuries, with Bakken being the oldest amusement park in the world. From now forward, expect big lines filled with young families looking for some cozy entertainment.
After all is said and done, the one common interest for Danes remains the same: to enjoy the sun. Although there is not a formal word for it, it is fair to say this constitutes the Danish forår hygge – or spring cozyness. From grabbing a coffee at an outdoor table to laying out the picnic blankets, the tradition of getting together for a snack under the rays of light brings the nation together. If you pay attention, you will see that it’s not only trees and flowers that are blooming. It is also Danes, speaking and laughing a bit louder in public, peeping outside their windows, ready for the return of the sun.
Explainer
Become a volunteer at the Folkemøde (People’s Meeting) and get the experience of a lifetime: Every year in June (this time, June 13-15), tens of thousands gather in Allinge, Bornholm, to discuss the state of Denmark with the political class during thousands of events. It’s a unique experience in Europe, where you can take a morning bath in the sea with the mayor, attend a workshop with a minister, or even have a drink with the prime minister at one of the late-night events.
Why volunteer? You get the transport from Copenhagen covered, food for the days you are volunteering, and accommodation. You can sign up here. English speakers are welcome. You should be over 18 years old (no upper age limit). Read more about the possible tasks here.
There are over 3,000 free events at Folkemødet - everything from parties, concerts, debates, exhibitions, and workshops - so you can always find something that interests you when you're not on duty.
The primary purpose of the Folkemødet is to strengthen Danish democracy by reducing distance and increasing trust between citizens and decision-makers.
76% of Folkemødet's organizers experience that they get to develop their working relationships, and almost half get to influence legislation/regulation in their field of expertise.
82% of the people who participate privately find that they gain new and useful knowledge about political issues, and more than half return home with a desire to become more politically active.
Weekly overview
75% of children aged 9 to 14 years old have seen uncensored videos with violence, murder, suicide, etc. on social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Discord and Facebook. You can read here seven pieces of advice for parents from experts.
A new documentary from DR called “Alene hjemme på nettet” puts a spotlight on the online content consumed by children in Denmark, and it’s not looking good. Violence, shootings, murder, porn, self-harm, and suicide videos randomly appear in their social media feeds. A psychologist says that children’s mental development is deeply impacted by these videos.
Beware of gambling disguised as games for children: Forbrugerrådet Tænk (Consumer Council) says that children risk becoming gambling addicts from an early age. Why? Loot boxes. Virtual lucky bags that can be purchased in the games with real money to get an unknown amount of fictitious money.
Every third driver throws garbage on the side of the road: Plastic bags, cans, and takeaway packaging, to give a few examples, are the types of garbage that ends on the side of the road. The employees from the Road Agency (Vejdirektoratet) collected 807 tons of waste in 2022. According to a biologist, we should also refrain from throwing fruit waste (banana peels, apple cores, etc.) into nature.
Denmark creates more waste per capita than any other country in the EU.
Amnesty International Denmark, Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke, Oxfam Denmark and the Palestinian organization Al-Haq have sued Denmark to stop arms exports to Israel: 15 Danish arms manufacturers supply parts and components for the F-35 programme, which is an arms collaboration with the USA. The United States sells the fighter jets to Israel, which in turn uses them in the war against Hamas. According to these organizations, Denmark is indirectly exporting arms to Israel. A similar lawsuit has been filed against the Netherlands and UK for the same reason.
DBU (The Danish Football Union) will invest 11 million DKK to increase the number of female football players in Denmark: There are 300,000 men and 70,000 women who play football in Denmark. DBU wants to raise the number of women who play football to be equal with the number of men. How? Children’s football clubs must also have girls teams, girls will be encouraged from kindergarten to play football, more women as referees and coaches and several other strategies.
European Union HQ
Europe This Week
All new buildings must be CO2 neutral. The European Parliament adopted a plan to help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. The directive aims for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption with a target of all new buildings being carbon neutral by 2030.
The Faroe Islands and the EU Commission have come to a new cooperation agreement on areas such as green transition, energy, climate change, digitalization and the Arctic.
The EU establishes an office in Nuuk, marking Europe's concrete presence in Greenland and in the wider Arctic region. Greenland's status as an EU Overseas Country and Territory (OCT) underlines its unique relationship with the EU. In the period 2021-2027, Greenland benefits from €225 million from the EU to support sustainable development, education and green growth sectors, including €94 million signed this week under Global Gateway, the EU investment strategy for the world.
New EU law will mess with the algorithms that protect children and young people from unpleasant content on social media.
Rights
Permanent residence for EU citizens in Denmark: If you have lived legally for a continuous period of five years, you automatically acquire the right of permanent residence. This means that you can stay in the country as long as you want.
You can lose your right to permanent residence if you live outside the country for more than two consecutive years.
Your permanent residence is not affected by temporary absences (less than six months) or longer absences due to compulsory military service.
You can get permanent residence before five years if: a) you retire and have worked in the country for the last year, or have lived here continuously for three years; b) you stop working because you are no longer able to work and have lived in the country continuously for two years; c) you stop working because you are no longer able to work due to an accident at work or occupational illness. In this case, you have the right to remain regardless of how long you have lived in the country prior to the accident or illness.
Opportunities
Free trip to Hungary*: Join a training course on the topic of resilience for those who are working with other people. Seven days in the Bükk Mountain. Read more here. Deadline! March 25.
Free trip to Romania*: Join a training course on essential local advocacy skills and diverse grassroots methods within the design thinking framework. Eight days in Busteni. Read more here. Deadline! March 25.
Free trip to Germany: Adventure Europe is a long-term training course for youth and youth care/social workers, who are interested in adventure and outdoor experiential learning approaches. Read more here. Deadline! March 28.
*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
Aarhus, March 18, 17:00-19:00: School Options in Aarhus – At this event, you will get valuable insights into the school options in Aarhus so that you can compare and make a qualified choice. Signing up is mandatory.
Online, March 19, 17:00-18:30: Danish Tax System Q&A – Get answers to your questions about the tax assessment or about taxes in general. Sign up here.
Odense, April-May, 09:00-11:00: Job Search Seminar Spring 2024 – If you are an accompanying partner to an international and you wish to learn more about job searching in Denmark, you can join these seminars. Sign up no later than three days in advance of each session.
Frederiksberg, April 4, 18:00-19:30: The future of work in the EU: Labor migration and the freedom of movement. Join us for an evening of discussion with experts and candidates for the European Parliament Elections! Read more here. Sign up here.
International media about Denmark HQ
Denmark plans to conscript women for military service for first time (The Guardian)
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The problem with weapons being sold to Israel is not that they "use them in the war against Hamas", but that they use them to commit genocide. "The war against Hamas" is a propaganda terminology and should not be repeated without note.