Last Week in Denmark (11.12 - 18.12) Episode 44 Year 2
Christmas gifts; New government; Inflation is going down
Editor HQ
We wish you Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Thank you for opening our email newsletter week after week in 2022 and we hope you will continue to do the same in 2023! On the 1st of January, we are starting our third year of activity and we are happy to see that our community is continuously growing. Despite the fact that we have reached 20,000 subscribers across 4 language editions (English, Romanian, Polish, Spanish), our opening rate has remained at 72%. This gives us the motivation to continue our voluntary efforts.
This is the last newsletter of 2022. We will come back on the 15th of January 2023. If you enjoyed our work this year, don’t hesitate to talk about this project on your Facebook, Linkedin and other social media platforms or even better, you can propose it as a CSR project at your corporation :).
As you have probably noticed already, we are focusing lately on promoting entrepreneurship among the international community. We believe that entrepreneurship gives people more freedom, more choices and it can lead to a different kind of life in Denmark. As travelers and of multiple cultures, we all have the basic skills to become an entrepreneur. We would therefore like to invite everyone who might be interested to join our dedicated Linkedin group.
Opportunity for Ukrainians with a business mindset: On the 9th of January 2023, you are invited to the Copenhagen City Hall to learn about the “You Are Ambitious” program and network with Danish business people. You can sign up here. P.S. - There will be opportunities for you to get help in starting a business in Denmark.
Join Beyond Beta’s Funding Incubator: Do you have a business idea that you have already started working on? Then we recommend you join the “Funding Incubator” - business model workshops; mentorship; business development tools; funding opportunities; pitch and presentation training; a promo video and a voucher in value of 150,000 DKK that you can use for market research, testing/validation and online marketing. Deadline! 9th January.
Join Beyond Beta’s Female Founders: If you are a woman with a business idea at a very early stage, even before getting a CVR, then we recommend you to join the “Female Founders” program - mentoring; free access to business specialists; access to the Founders pack (discounted products and services); online courses and tools; a voucher in value of 150,000 DKK that you can use for market research, testing/validation and online marketing. Deadline! 31st January.
Join Beyond Beta’s Pre-Accelerator Program: You want to start a business, but you have no idea where to start from, then the pre-accelerator program is best for you. It is an online platform that you can use at your own pace. There is no deadline! Sign up here when you want to start.
Join Beyond Beta’s Accelerator Program: You have a start-up that is ready to scale up. In this program, you get support for rapid scaling and it enables you to raise private funding with help from top industry veterans, investment experts, and seasoned founders. Deadline! 20th February.
Join Beyond Beta’s Industry-specific incubators: If you have a start-up and you would like to get industry-specific support. The following offers will be good for you to check out:
FLOW - Deadline! 21st December - Water sector start-ups
Energy - Deadline! 23th December - Energy sector start-ups
Maritime & Logistics - Deadline! 31st December
WE Build - Deadline! 1st January - Building sector start-ups
Food & Bio - Deadline! 1st January
Manufacturing - Deadline! 1st January
Digitalisation - Deadline! 13th January - Software / IT / Digital solutions start-ups
WasteTech Incubator - Deadline! 22nd January
If you want to apply for the Beyond Beta programs, but you would like to consult with someone before, feel free to reach out to our partner at info@aalborgid.com (they can help you - free of charge). Also if you joined one of the programs and are not sure on how to use the feasibility voucher, you can also reach out to the same email address.
Call for associated experts: Aalborg Institute for Development is looking for experts within the fields of e-commerce, digitalization and green transition. On the application, you can choose a more specific knowledge that you have within the three fields mentioned. If you will be selected to be an associated expert, you will be paid per task solved.
Danish Politics HQ
After the longest negotiations in Danish history, we finally have a government. A unique one, that brings together the leader of the reds (Socialdemokratiet), the leader of blues (Venstre) and the newly formed purple party (Moderaterne). This marks the end of the red-blue politics and the start of a multipolar Danish political scene. Block politics have dominated Denmark for decades and people have gotten used to them. Now, it is going to be more difficult to understand which party is right for you.
This is the first majority government in almost 30 years. This means that the parties that form the government have a majority in the Danish Parliament and can pass laws without needing to compromise with other parties. The last time we had a majority government was in 1993.
These are the most powerful six people in the government. You will see them often on TV and they will be behind many of the laws passed.
Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister, Socialdemokratiet
Nicolai Wammen, Finance Minister, Socialdemokratiet
Jakob Ellemann - Jensen, Defence Minister, Venstre
Troels Lund Poulsen, Economy Minister, Venstre
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Foreign Affairs Minister, Moderaterne
Sophie Løhde, Minister of Health and Interior, Venstre
The distribution of the other minister positions is as follows:
Peter Hummelgaard (Minister of Justice) Socialdemokratiet *the new crown prince of the social-democrats
Jakob Engel-Schmidt (Minister of Culture) Moderaterne *the second most powerful în his party after Lars Løkke
Morten Bødskov (Minister of Business) Socialdemokratiet
Dan Jørgensen (Minister of Development Aid and Climate) Socialdemokratiet
Magnus Heunicke (Minister of Environment) Socialdemokratiet
Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil (Minister of Social) Socialdemokratiet
Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen (Minister of Employment) Socialdemokratiet
Mattias Tesfaye (Minister of Education) Socialdemokratiet
Kaare Dybvad Bek (Minister of Immigration) Socialdemokratiet
Jeppe Bruus (Minister of Taxation) Socialdemokratiet
Jacob Jensen (Minister of Food, Agriculture, Fisheries) Venstre
Louise Schack Elholm (Minister of Church) Venstre
Thomas Danielsen (Minister of Transport) Venstre
Christina Egelund (Minister of Higher Education) Moderaterne *not elected to the Parliament. Former member of the Parliament for Liberal Alliance.
Marie Bjerre (Minister of Digitalization) Venstre *first ever digitalization minister
Mette Kierkgaard (Minister of Elderly) Moderaterne *first time elected in the Parliament.
Lars Aagaard (Minister of Climate and Energy) Moderaterne *not elected to the Parliament. Coming from outside politics. Former director of Dansk Energi.
What happened to Radikale Venstre? In the last phase of the government negotiations, besides the three parties that formed the government, we also had Radikale Venstre. They wanted a red-blue center government and have supportedSocialdemokratiet in working closer with Venstre. However, in the last hours, before the government was announced, they dropped out. They don’t plan to be in the opposition, nor to be a support party for the government. According to Martin Lidegaard (their leader) and Samira Nawa (their vice-leader), there have been four main reasons that have pushed them out of the negotiations:
The reform on education - they couldn’t support that 50% of Master’s degrees will be cut down to one year (instead of two) and that one will only get SU for six years instead of seven.
The actions on climate - they feel like too much is postponed for the future, and not enough is being done right now to mitigate climate change.
The lack of focus on the wellbeing of children and young people
Too few changes on the immigration policy compared to their expectations
For us, as internationals, it’s not great that they are not present in the government, as that could have led to more ambitious reforms in immigration politics.
What are the plans of the new government? (these are only intentions, not yet legislative proposals)
More money left in your pocket from your salary: The idea is to increase tax deductions (how much is not yet specified) and to increase the limit to paying top tax (15%) to 750,000 DKK/year. However, between the current top tax limit (618,370 DKK) and the new one (750,000 DKK), you will still pay a 7.5% tax. At the same time, they want to increase the top tax from 15% to 20% for incomes over 2.5 million DKK/year.
Reform higher education: The government plans to reduce up to 50% of Master’s degrees to one year and reduce the years you can receive SU to six instead of seven. Also, they want to make it easier for people that have work experience (instead of higher education) to get a Master’s degree. However, for us, the biggest news is that 500 to 1000 new places in higher education will be dedicated to international students. This is only the beginning as there will be a dialogue to assess what education programs can be opened up for the international students to match with labor shortages.
One day off less per year from 2024: To finance the investments needed in the military, the new government wants to remove one of the days off we get. So far, the proposed day for removal seems to be Store Bededag (fourth Friday after Easter).
The “Great Prayer Day” was invented by the bishop Hans Bagger in the 17th century (all shops and restaurants in the country were forced to close so that people could go to church and pray). Tradition says that you eat “warm wheat” or “wheat buns” the night before (tradition invented by the bakers).
Many confirmations take place on this day. The former bishop Kjeld Holm proposed to remove the second Pentecost day instead.
Close the jobcenters: 12,500 people work at the 94 job centers around the country. In the following years, the government wants to close them to save 3 billion DKK. This also means that the rules that the unemployed have to follow will be simplified as there will no longer be checks. Instead, the people who are unemployed will have the option to use support from A-kasse and/or private actors to find a job.
Merge “seniorpension” with Arne-pension: If the doctor says that you cannot work more than 15 hours per week and you are six years before retirement age, then you can get “seniorpension” today (up to 19,360 DKK per month). In case the merger happens, then you will be eligible for the new “seniorpension” only three years before retirement age, at a lower rate (up to 15,000 DKK per month).
Plans for mitigation of climate change: The climate crisis is our generation's greatest challenge.Out of the 58 pages of the government’s foundation document, eight are about climate policies:
Become climate neutral faster (2045 instead of 2050)
Carbon tax on agriculture
100 DKK passenger tax on flying
Urgent plan to fight drinking water pollution (pesticides used in agriculture are slowly polluting the drinking water)
Law on nature and biodiversity (30% of nature - land and sea - needs to be protected, while 10% should be restricted to humans)
The end of the income-based model for admission to gymnasium: In 2021, a majority in the Danish Parliament decided to introduce a parents income criteria into the admission model for gymnasiums. This means that today, each gymnasium has three quotas (high income, middle income, low income) and they need to be equilibrated. So if your child is middle-income, but the nearest gymnasium is already full with children from that background, then the next closest one will be considered.
…and many other initiatives which you can read about in this post that we made on social media. If you want to take a deeper dive into the 58 pages, check out the official document here.
What does the opposition say about the new government's political intentions?
Konservative - They are happy for the tax reductions. They are unhappy that Venstre was able to obtain only so much in terms of tax cuts. Also, they are against having one less day off per year.
SF - They are happy for the more ambitious climate targets. They are unhappy that the carbon tax on agriculture will not be high enough and that there are tax cuts in the middle of an inflation crisis.
Liberal Alliance - They are happy for the reforms in the public sector. They are unhappy with the new tax on the rich.
Radikale Venstre - They are happy that there will be investments to further reforest Denmark. They are unhappy with the plans to reduce 50% of Master’s degrees to one year.
Enhedslisten - They are happy with the investments in psychiatry. They are unhappy with several things (the one less day off; the changes on the top tax; the reform on kontanthjælp; the unambitious climate targets).
Danmarks Demokraterne - They are happy with the fact that jobcenters will be closed and that there will be higher deductions on salaries. They are unhappy that Mette Frederiksen is not going to be judged in the mink-case; the changes to the Rwanda asylum center; the changes on the immigration policy and the introduction of a carbon tax on agriculture.
DF - They are happy that the elderly will receive more money. They are unhappy with the changes on the immigration policy and the Rwanda project.
Alternativet - They are happy with the more ambitious climate targets, however they believe that is not enough.
Nye Borgerlige - They cannot see one single thing they can support in the policy of the new government.
Danish Economy HQ
As this edition is longer than usual, addressing the new government and the policies they wish to implement in the future, we will only have a quick round of economic updates.
The biggest company merger in Danish history is about to happen between Novozymes and Chr.Hansen.
Inflation is going down. 8.9% in November compared to 10.1% in October.
Aabenraa municipality will give back the money taken from kontanthjælp receivers that went shopping to Germany without permission.
Danske Bank pleads guilty to fraud and is being fined with 2 billion dollars.
Transport companies have asked permission from the government to raise prices by 10% in 2023.
Historical times at AP Møller-Mærsk as they have, for the first time in history, an international CEO.
In several municipalities, you can borrow an electricity meter from the local library. You can use it to see how much electricity is being used by each of your electrical devices.
The Danish Safety Agency recommends that you return or dispose of your Epiq Electric Kettle.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Sport with Jelimir Vlastic
Holger Rune ATP Award. The 19-year-old Danish player has been named Newcomer of the Year of the 2022 ATP Awards after a very successful season. Rune won three ATP titles and managed to reach the top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.
European Union HQ
Bosnia and Herzegovina has received the status of EU candidate country. The other countries that have this status are: Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.
“How to keep expat spirits high over Christmas”, by Eve McBlayney
Christmas is only days away and our thoughts turn to decorations, parties, and planning for the day itself. As exciting as it is, Christmas can be a tough time for expats spending the holidays away from family and friends in another country. Although it can still be enjoyable, it heightens the emotions of loneliness and feelings of missing out.
This year, many expats cannot travel home for the holidays due to airlines increasing their fares. When COVID-19 halted global travel, it was felt deeply by expats and their families when neither could get to the other. It got me thinking about what activity could tie people together over Christmas regardless of where they were in the world.
As a former caterer and hospitality professional, I created a cookbook with the aim of bringing people together while they shopped, prepared, cooked, and celebrated over social media and video chat. I published Christmas Eve’s Cookbook and dedicated it to the expat community. It contains favourite recipes, like ‘Brioche Dippers and Gooey Camembert’, and it was a great success.
This Christmas, try not to focus on what is missing. Consider what is available to you and embrace it all. For example:
Take advantage of local activities. It can be an opportunity to experience a different kind of Christmas. Attend events where you can be among people and enjoy the atmosphere.
Continue your own traditions. Take that Christmas or Boxing Day walk, light candles and have your own decorations.
Speak with family and friends over video call or social media. You don’t have to spend Christmas alone.
Spend time with other expats. Send a message over social media that you are attending an event or taking a walk on a particular day and invite people to join you.
Have new experiences, like going somewhere you have never been to before or cooking something random.
Buy yourself a gift. Open it over video chat with family and friends or simply enjoy your own time of relaxation.
Volunteer at a centre that opens its doors for homeless people or animals over the Christmas period. It can be a very rewarding and humbling experience.
Remember that your mental health and wellbeing are important. When we feel down, it is easy to eat or drink more than usual to get through the day. To be mindful of this, set yourself some limits. Try making a plan for Christmas Day so that it is full of activity. Include times to talk to family and friends, when to cook and eat, when to open gifts, and when to take part in activities.
If you can accept that Christmas this year is what it is, you might find that it goes better than you expect. Support each other, create new memories and remember there is a silver lining to not being able to travel… It is an opportunity to save money for the next time you can go home to your family and friends.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Please verify the info on SU. I believe it may be going from 6 to 5 years, not from 7 to 6. Merry Christmas!
Thanks for your work throughout the year to keep us expats up-to-date with the news from Denmark.