Last Week in Denmark (11.06 - 18.06) Episode 23 Year 3

Streaming tax; Good news about flights; Inflation almost back to normal

Editor HQ

Great response to the initiative “9 local international clubs”: Since we announced it last week, 178 people have signed up for the project. The form will stay open until July 1, so you can still encourage your friends around Denmark to sign up. The “founding committees” will be formed after August 1. 

• The locations for the pilot project are: Aalborg, Aarhus, Esbjerg, Billund, Vejle, Odense, Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Lyngby-Taarbaek and Gentofte. 

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Danish Politics HQ 

New Laws and Regulations

Streaming tax: Streaming companies will have to pay 2% of the yearly turnover made in Denmark. Also, if the streaming company spends less than 5% of its turnover on making content in Danish, then the streaming tax increases to 5%. Besides the streaming tax, the new media agreement also includes

• The end of “Radio24Syv” from March 2024. 

• The public will have access to DR’s archive of TV and radio broadcasts via Det Kongelige Bibliotek. 

• More money for local and regional media. 

• 30 million DKK extra support for magazines. 

• Establishment of a Center for Social Media, Tech and Democracy.

• Establishment of a Center for Investigative Journalism.

Danish Citizenship, Integration and Immigration Laws

The Danish Parliament is considering adopting Greenlandic and Faroese as working languages: A translation system that will interpret the debates in Parliament in real time will cost 200 million DKK per year. Also, all the documents will have to be available in the three languages. The Greenlandic Parliament already has a dual-language system (Danish and Greenlandic). 

• The constitution does not indicate the language that can be spoken in the Danish Parliament. Neither do the Parliament’s rules of procedure. The decision to allow other languages to be spoken lies with the President of the Parliament, together with the rest of the Presidium. 

The rule regarding hoisting other nations flags in Denmark might change: A Danish man from Kolding who hoisted the USA flag got reported to the police. Now, he is facing the Supreme Court which must decide if what he did was wrong or not. If he is acquitted, then we will all be free to hoist any nation’s flag in Denmark. 

• A decision from 1915 forbids people in Denmark from hoisting the flags of other countries. Exceptions from the law are the Danish, Greenlandic, Faroese, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish, European Union, and United Nations flags. 

• To hoist another country's flag, you need a permit from the police. Temporarily, the flag of Ukraine is exempt, so you can hoist it without a permit. 

• The man from Kolding might have a chance to win his case as there is no law on “how to fly” the flag, only decrees and regulations. 

Law proposals and ideas

13 proposals to control the tech giants: A committee of experts established last year by the government on how to limit the impact of tech companies on children presented its conclusions. The government will propose a package of laws inspired by the 13 proposals. 

• Introduce effective digital age verification methods - children under 16 years old should not be able to access porn, violence-promoting websites and social media. 

• If you are under 16 years old, you should get parental consent before you allow your data to be processed. This means limited access to most of the internet. 

• You can read here about all the proposals. 

How to actually enforce digital age verification? Luckily, in Denmark, we have MitID, our digital identity. Although it would be strange that next time you want to go on a porn website, you will actually have to use your MitID. 

• PornHub announced that they would just shut down their website in Denmark if such a law is passed. 

The political arena

Good news for people flying this summer: Naviair (a state-owned company that provides air traffic service) and DATCA (air traffic controllers union) reached a temporary agreement. The months of delays and canceled flights are over, at least for now. 

• The conflict has been about higher salaries for air traffic controllers and the fact that they need to do extra shifts because there are not enough of them employed. The average salary of an air traffic controller is 1.2 million DKK per year. 

Folkemødet (People’s Meeting) in Bornholm: Once a year in June, the entire political class in Denmark together with tens of thousands of citizens gather in Allinge, Bornholm, for the festival of democracy. It’s your chance to drink a beer with a minister, have a quick chat with the prime minister, and party with your member of Parliament. I have been to this festival five times in the past decade, and I can wholeheartedly say that it’s worth the trip. 

• Rasmus Paludan (the far-right leader known for burning public religious books) has been banned from joining the festival of democracy by the Bornholm Police. 

The prime minister opened the debate on legalizing active euthanasia: Mette Frederiksen declared at an event on the People’s Meeting in Bornholm, that we should discuss if Denmark is prepared to legalize active euthanasia. She expects the debate to be long and that it will be discussed at every family table around the country. 

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Danish Economy HQ

Inflation is down to 2.9%: Compared to May 2022, the prices are 2.9% higher. The inflation rate in April was 5.3%, so we have a very positive development. A “normal inflation rate” for Denmark is 2%. What does it mean for you? 

• You get more for your money. Your salary has more value. 

• Cheaper electricity, 22% cheaper compared to May 2022, to be more precise. 

0.25% increase in interest rates: The Danish National Bank has announced another raise in interest rates. It has reached 3.1% now. This comes as a reaction to the increase made by the European Central Bank. Why? To continue the fight against inflation. 

• This is the highest interest rate since 2008. Only a year ago, the interest rate was negative at -0.6%. Another interest rate hike is expected in July. 

Taking the train this week has been a nightmare: Find out how to receive compensation if your train has been canceled or has arrived very late at the destination. 

• You can get reimbursed 25% of the value of the ticket if the train was late by 30 minutes; 50% if it was late by 1 hour; 75% if it was late by 1 hour and 30 minutes; and 100% if it was more than 2 hours late. Apply here. You have two months from the moment it happened. 

• If you are delayed by one hour or more, you have the right to buy food and/or drink worth a maximum of 50 DKK. You can apply to get the money reimbursed (same place where you can get reimbursed for the ticket). 

• The reason for delayed and canceled trains is the “illegal strike” made by the DSB employees that maintain the train wagons. 

• The conflict between the train mechanics and DSB is about salary increase. DSB decided to increase the salaries by 2.7%, while the train mechanics would like an increase of 3.5-4%. 

• For every hour that they refuse to work, they get a fine of 86 DKK. 

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Daily Life in Denmark HQ

The worst drought in 28 years: 22 days without rain (which ended on Thursday, when it trickled a bit of rain in some parts of the country). The record is 32 days without rain (from 1992 in Copenhagen). 

15 municipalities have introduced a “burning ban” and more are being prepared if the severe drought continues: You can check the map of the municipalities here to see where there is a “full” or “partial” ban. What does it mean? 

• No charcoal grilling; you can use a gas grill, but only at home and away from dry vegetation.

• You are not allowed to have “open fire” outside - that applies to candles, torches, garden flares, patio heaters, outdoor ovens, etc. 

• You cannot smoke in public, especially in parks, forests, and other places with vegetation. 

• You cannot use weed burners. 

• If you don’t comply, you can get fines ranging from 5000 DKK up to… well, depending on the damage you have done with the open fire. 

33 Michelin restaurants in Denmark: four more than last year. 6 new Michelin restaurants (Domæne, Herning; Tri, Agger; Villa Vest, Lønstrup; Grand Royal, Vejle; Aro, Odense; Koan, Copenhagen). Geranium and Noma from Copenhagen remain the top Michelin restaurants with 3 stars each. See the entire list here. 

Healthcare with Punitha Kumar

Focus on strength training for a healthy lifestyle, the Danish Health Authority has said in its recent health guidelines on physical activity. The previous guidelines, released in 2010, were almost exclusively focused on circuit training. But now authorities have said strength training is essential as it helps to strengthen muscles, develop stronger bones and helps one to better cope with daily physical challenges. Key takeaways from the guidelines are:

• Exercise and strengthen large muscle groups such as your legs, stomach, back and arms.

• Children and young adults should train at least 3x weekly. 

• Adults between 18 and 64 years old should train at least 2x weekly.

• Adults above 65 years old should also perform some form of strength training.

Popular weight loss drug Wegovy will be used to treat severely obese children at Aalborg University Hospital, the hospital has announced. Wegovy is approved for children above 12 years old and it will be used to supplement existing treatments for children with severe obesity and comorbidities. Although the hospital agrees to the usage, being the second regional hospital to administer the drug after the Capital Region, Randers Regional Hospital isn’t too keen and is particularly concerned about the children’s growth. A department head from Randers Regional Hospital went on to say that the drug’s long-term side effects have not been documented well and there could be other health risks involved. 

• Wegovy is available in pens and injected into the skin once a week. It is only available with a prescription. 

• The active substance in the Novo Nordisk drug, semaglutide, works the same way as hormones in a body would, among other things, increase the feeling of satiety.

• Studies have shown that Wegovy can help obese people shed 17% of their weight after about a year.

• Frequent side effects of the drug are headache, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain.

Internationals in Danish media with Jessica Malvido

Rural municipalities are kept alive by internationals: For example, the municipality of Varde. Out of 49,995 people living there, 5,117 are internationals. Only last year, 576 internationals made Varde their new home. The main ethnic groups are Romanians, Ukrainians, Polish, Germans and Dutch. Internationals are revitalizing the local community and helping local businesses survive. 

• Varde has been experiencing a depopulation trend for the past decade. Only last year 246 Danish people moved away. 

• Varde’s municipal director says the following “In my eyes, it is absolutely crucial for Varde that they come here. Agriculture lacks hands. They settle and pay taxes. Our companies need labor. Some companies would close without the internationals.” 

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Announcement Board

This section is curated by Cicek Eris. If you have events you want us to include here please send an e-mail to denmarkhappenings@gmail.com. You can check out her newsletter about cultural events in Denmark here. 

Esbjerg, 20th June, 19:00-20:00: If you are a freelancer/startup/entrepreneur/self-employed with an international background or are considering becoming one, this informal networking, and sharing meet-up is for you!

Copenhagen, 23rd June, 18.30: Science City Lyngby is organizing a monthly social event where participants can join a guided walk to explore hidden gems and meet new people in their community. The final episode of City Walks Part One includes a picnic in Charlottenlund. Additionally, the event coincides with Sankt Hans. Participants are encouraged to go to Bellevue Beach at 9 PM to enjoy the Danish midsummer party.

Aarhus, 28th June, 16:00-18:00: Finding it hard to write interesting posts for LinkedIn or making time for it? Join Social Media Cafe for a collective social media session! You will brainstorm, post ideas, and connect with each other! This is an informal meetup for expats who are interested in being more active on social media and sharing their experiences. 

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International media about Denmark HQ

Danish Cities: The Best City Breaks In Denmark (Forbes) 

Domino's Pizza to shut 27 stores in Denmark (Reuters)