Last Week in Denmark (13.02 - 20.02) Episode 6 Year 2
English-speakers in the medical system! Deportation rules; Hiring centres în Germany; Better safety for youth
Editor HQ
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Travel & Learning Opportunity: Intercollege is looking for 2 participants for a project in Derby (UK) between 8-17 April (including travel days). The transport, food and accommodation is covered. Anyone over 18 years old can apply. The project is a training course on transnational culture, multiple identities and active citizenship. Deadline! 2 March.
Danish Politics HQ
The political game
Squabbles in the far-right: The leader of DF (Nationalists) Morten Messerschmidt challenged the leader of NB (Libertarian Nationalists) Pernille Vermund to a public debate on the topic of immigrants being used to solve the workforce crisis. Morten says that there are enough unemployed in Europe, while Pernille prefers a cheaper workforce from outside the EU (with the exception of Islamic countries). Funny times we live in. Instead of debating how many to deport, they are debating who can come? :)
Other news from the far-right: Do you remember Rasmus Paludan? The guy burning religious books in public ? Well, after failing to enter the Danish Parliament, he got Swedish citizenship and now he is running for elections there. Curious to see if he, as an immigrant to Sweden, will make a u-turn and be pro-immigration? Or reject his Danishness and be all about Swedishness now?
Prime-minister rebranding: Mette Frederiksen announced that she is a “green” politician first, before being a “red” one. If before she was afraid of the 70% emissions reduction target (because of the inequalities it could bring), now she fully embraces it.
In the light of the rebranding, Mette Frederiksen signed a “green” strategic partnership with South Africa. The first one with an African country. The partnership is about exchanging knowledge on green transition and investing Danish capital to make South Africa greener.
The potential prime-minister candidate, Søren Pape Poulsen (leader of Konservative) stated that the power of the trade unions has become too big. He accuses the trade unions of doing illegalities to obtain what they want. He also accused the red parties of being too close to the trade unions.
The lack of workforce in psychiatry is already affecting the welfare system. Due to long waiting times, parents choose to pay 20 to 30 thousand dkk in the private system, just for a diagnosis.
SU loans represent a good business for the state. Between 2017 and 2021, the state earned 2.8 billion dkk in interest income from student loans. There is criticism now from several parties, that the state shouldn’t make money on student loans. Remember, if you have a SU loan (you pay interest while you study and you pay a really large interest if you don’t pay it right after you finish your studies).
New laws and strategies
Opportunity for international psychiatrists: The Midtjylland Regional Government is looking to hire 49 psychiatrists from abroad to cover the holes in the system. However, as the number of patients is increasing, more might be needed very soon. Cost of the recruitment campaign? 15 million dkk. They offer a 6 months paid introduction course to Denmark and the Danish language before work.
Law proposals
An alliance between Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance), SF (Socialists), Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals), Alternativet and Free Greens wants to change the rules regarding deportation. Today, if you are a refugee with a residence granted under section 7, paragraph 3, you risk being deported if there are improvements in your home country, regardless of whether Denmark still considers it a “dangerous country” for its citizens or not. That’s how many Syrians have been deported.
Danish Economy HQ
Free webinar on the Danish workplace culture and the Danish model (in English), organized by the International House North Denmark. When? 16 March. Sign up here.
Danish Tax System Q&A (in English), organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry. When? 22 March and 7 April. Sign up here.
“Denmark’s best idea for climate” competition: TV2 is launching a new series in which they want to present green entrepreneurs and/or just people with a great idea for the climate. If you go forward in the competition, you will receive help to make that idea into reality. Sign up here until the 6th March.
Pop-up hiring centres in Germany: To battle the current worker shortage, the government proposed to set up pop-up hiring centres in Germany (following the example of Sweden, which did the same in Spain) to attract skilled workforce to Denmark.
2021 GDP Growth: Early data from Statistics Denmark show a 3,9% growth of the Danish economy in 2021. If this holds until the research is completed, this will be the highest economic growth in years.
Troubles on the stock markets: The inflation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict is affecting the European stock markets. After two years of growth, the value of the shares listed on the Danish stock market has been in decline since the beginning of 2022.
The co-government owned airline (Danish and Swedish) SAS is on the brink of bankruptcy. After a Norwegian bank declared their 4.3 billion euro debt unsustainable they lost 20% of share value in one day. During the pandemic, SAS lost 80% of the value of its shares. In 2020, they fired 5,000 people (40% of the workforce) and received billions in financial support from the Danish and Swedish governments.
The SAS pilots and cabin crew might go on strike on the 1st of April if the current negotiations fail.
The SAS baggage handlers already went on strike for a few days last week. It was an “illegal strike” and they got an ultimatum, that they either come to work or get fired. Why? 10% salary cut last year.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Danish National Church: 73,2% of the population in Denmark is a member of the Danish National Church. As a member you pay “church tax” (kirkeskat) which varies in every municipality. Last year, 8961 people resigned from their membership.
Increased fertility in 2021: The average age for first-time mothers increased to 29.8 years. 4,2% more children were born in 2021 than in 2020 (63,473 children were born last year).
Culture
“Børgen” is back: The Danish hit tv-series is back for a fourth season. You can see it already on DR or you can wait until the release on Netflix later this spring. This serial is a great window into Danish politics.
Berlinale Awards 2022: The Golden Bear for the best movie goes to the Spanish-Italian drama Alcarràs about a peach farmer family and their struggle with progress. You can see the other winners here.
Local news
Warning from Copenhagen Police: Beware of criminals calling you pretending to be from the police or the bank asking for your pin code or payment card. There have been a lot of cases lately, in which they call first and then show up dressed as police to pick up the card.
The tragedy in Aalborg started a series of discussions on how to improve the safety of young people during nighttime. In Odense and Svendborg, they are talking about installing more video cameras, expanding the Night Ravens and creating a place where young people can get warm and have phones charged at night. In Aalborg, they are discussing putting up fences on the harbour side, a “get help” location on Jomfruu Ane Gade, more night buses and involving the hotels that are open 24 hours to provide support.
Delay for the opening of the super hospital in Aalborg: The construction timeline has been extended by 6 months, from mid-2023 to the start of 2024. This also means 80 million dkk more in construction costs. This is not the first delay.
European Union HQ
Opportunity for social entrepreneurs: Win awards between 10000 and 75000 euro from the European Investment Bank within the Social Innovation Tournament. The purpose is to recognize and support initiatives that contribute in the areas of education, healthcare, environment, inclusion, etc. Deadline - the 24th of February.
Opportunity for students (16-18 years old): Take your gymnasium class to the European Parliament în Strasbourg (France) and play MEP (Member of the European Parliament) for a day. Transport is covered by the European Parliament. Get your school to apply here.
Opportunity for children (12-17 years old): Is your child standing up and fighting for children’s rights? Then nominate him/her for the International Children’s Peace Prize awarded by KidsRights. The winner will receive a study grant; a platform to grow and 100.000 euros for his/her project.
Travel grant for young people (16-20 years old): Get a 700 euro grant for a 4-week trip alone in a German-speaking country to research anything you want (from why do Germans drink beer to how Oktoberfest appeared, etc). The journey is about discovering yourself while searching for something. Apply here before the 1st of March. NB! If you have already started university, you don’t qualify.
Work exchange platform: There are hostels, inns, NGOs, communities and ecological projects that you can help with and in exchange receive a free stay, food and other benefits. You can find them on the platform Worldpackers. The minus is the annual membership fee of 59 dollars.
Historical ruling from the European Court of Justice: The European Commission is legally allowed to cut access to EU money to member states that don’t respect the rule of law. Poland and Hungary legally challenged this condition for EU funding access and lost.
World’s story of the week
Follow up on the Ukraine Crisis
According to NATO, Russia is looking for a “casus belli” at the moment. That is an act or event that provokes or is used to justify war. An example can be staging a “false flag operation” like a fake attack against Russian citizens in Eastern Ukraine.
On 17th February, the Ukrainian government accused the Russian separatists of bombing a kindergarten. The Luhansk separatists said that it was a response to an earlier Ukrainian attack on their territory.
Also on 17th February, the British–Polish–Ukrainian trilateral pact was launched. The London-Warsaw-Kiev axis aims to work together for European security. Ukraine has three other military alliances: Lublin Triangle (with Poland and Lithuania), Association Trio (with Georgia and Moldova) and Quadriga (with Turkey).
On Friday, the leaders of Luhansk and Donetsk separatist republics from Eastern Ukraine called for mass evacuation of the civilians.
Support for Ukraine from around the world
The European Parliament voted to send 1.2 billion euros to Ukraine.
Albanian Armed Forces and Kosovo Security Forces offered to send troops with the condition that the USA does the same.
Australia offered cybersecurity support.
Canada will provide weapons and a 500 million euro loan.
The Belarussian freedom fighters sabotaged the efforts of the Russian army to enter Belarus. Also, they stated that they will fight for Ukraine in the war, hoping to free Belarus in the process.
5,000 Russian intellectuals and the former general Ivashov have urged the Russian government to not go to war with Ukraine, the former general going as far as asking for Putin’s resignation.
Other reactions
Brazil had trade talks with Russia on the 16th of February.
China supports Russia’s demand that Ukraine never joins NATO.
India is on the fence because on one hand, USA and EU are strategic partners, on the other hand, 60% of the Indian military equipment is supplied by Russia.
Israel refused to help Ukraine with their Iron Dome defence system because they don’t want to damage relations with Russia.
The hacker group Anonymous is asking for the creation of a neutral zone between NATO and Russia (Ukraine, Finland, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova).