Last Week in Denmark (17.09 - 24.09) Episode 36 Year 3
Carbon capture and storage; Copenhagen Parliament; Lowest inflation rate in Europe
Editor HQ
Uniform-on-the-job day: The Ministry of Defense decided to make the 27th of September the official “bring your uniform on the job” day. This means that everyone connected to the military, including the Home Guard, will wear their military uniforms that day. As a member of the Home Guard, I am looking forward to wearing my uniform to work :)
Last Week in Denmark's Universe
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Danish Politics HQ
New Laws and Regulations
26.8 billion DKK investment in carbon capture and storage: A majority of the political parties in Parliament agreed to support a major 15-year investment in carbon capture storage technology. The goal is to capture at least 34 million metric tons of CO2.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a technology where CO2 is captured from flue gases (exhaust) and stored underground.
CCS companies can bid for tenders starting in June 2024.
Danish Citizenship, Integration and Immigration Laws
The Parliament is not ready for simultaneous interpretation: Before the summer holidays, a member of the Danish Parliament spoke Greenlandic in plenary, much to everyone’s surprise. Since then, a debate has been ongoing on whether the Parliament should offer simultaneous interpretation in the three languages of the kingdom (Danish, Greenlandic, and Faroese). The precedent already exists as the Greenlandic Parliament uses simultaneous interpretation (Greenlandic / Danish). Unfortunately, the Parliament presidency decided that it was too expensive (it requires a 200 million DKK investment).
However, as a small victory for diversity, the members of Parliament who want to speak Greenlandic or Faroese in the plenary can do so. As for the translation, they will receive extra funding so that they can hire an interpreter, or they will get double speaking time so that they can repeat the speech in Danish.
Resistance from the current Employment Minister to the idea of making it easier for internationals to come to Denmark: According to Ane Halsboe Jørgensen, the current Minister of Employment, infamous for having earlier closed the English-speaking programs at the university colleges, the government should rather focus on getting the 43,000 unemployed young people into the job market instead of making it easier for internationals to move to Denmark.
According to experts, 80% of the 43,000 unemployed young people are actually in-between studies or on a gap year, which leaves only 8600 potential workers, far from what the Danish economy needs.
Dansk Industri (the association of Danish industry) considers that young people alone are not enough to solve the current crisis and that it should be easier for international workforce to come to Denmark.
The Copenhagen Parliament is asking for public communication and public websites to also be available in English: This is just one concrete proposal from a long list of recommendations made by the “Copenhagen Parliament” (Københavnertinget). The citizens selected in the “Copenhagen Parliament” are asking for a more inclusive city, an end to discrimination, a city without cars, and more biodiversity.
“Copenhagen Parliament” is Denmark’s first established citizen council. In January 2023, 36 members were randomly selected based on criteria such as age, gender, level of education, geographical spread, etc. 33% of the members belong to a vulnerable group (physical disability, mental disorder, ethnic minority, etc.).
Members of the Copenhagen Parliament assess issues and make recommendations. It is not the members who design the final solutions and decide whether and, if applicable, how they should be implemented. They will often develop visions, recommendations, ideas, and examples. The process is equivalent to setting up a commission that makes recommendations to politicians.
Integration Basic Education (IGU) is extended until December 2027: The government and the social partners have entered into a tripartite agreement to extend IGU until December 2027.
Unemployed refugees and people that moved here via the “family reunification scheme” that are under 40 years old (and have been less than 10 years in Denmark) could attend IGU so far. From next year, they want to increase the age limit to 50 years old and less than 20 years lived in Denmark.
IGU is a two-year education that consists of 23 weeks of study and an internship with a company.
Law proposals and ideas
Extra long trucks on the roads in Denmark: The Transport Ministry will propose a law to allow extra long trucks (from 25 to 34 meters) on the roads of Denmark. If it passes, it will be piloted on the road between Aarhus and Høje-Taastrup for five years.
Why? To increase the load capacity and reduce CO2 emissions.
2500 DKK monthly salary increase for educators, nurses, social/health assistants, and prison guards: The Prime Minister announced that she supports an increase in the monthly salary for the four groups of public workers. The salary increase should benefit around 200,000 people in Denmark.
It is not up to the prime minister or the government to decide which groups of public workers should receive an increase in salary. That’s why the Prime Minister will call soon for tripartite negotiations.
A tripartite negotiation (trepartsforhandling) is a negotiation between three parties: the government, the trade unions, and the associations of employers. While the Prime Minister cannot decide alone, she can definitely lobby during the negotiations.
The political arena
Alternativet (Greens) lost one member of Parliament: The party went from six members of Parliament to five after the internal conflict last week. After the party decided to strip Theresa Scavenius of any influence as a member of the Parliament, she decided to resign and continue in the Parliament as unaffiliated.
Theresa Scavenius is an associate professor at the Aalborg University Copenhagen campus and a climate scientist. Her great-granduncle was the former prime minister of Denmark, Erik Scavenius.
DF (nationalist socialists) and SF (socialists) are asking for a tax on energy traders: The two parties want to expand the possibility of retiring earlier in Denmark. To finance the idea, they want to impose a tax on energy traders.
Today, if you can only work 15 hours or less per week, you can retire early. The parties want to expand it to 18 hours or less per week.
New direction for Venstre (Liberals): The party leader, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen announced that moving forward, Venstre will draw up a liberal project for Denmark and renounce its ties with the conservative forces of Denmark. In his vision, Venstre needs to be an optimistic and forward-looking party that wants progress.
In an interview, Jakob said that the conservatives are longing for yesterday instead of looking forward to tomorrow, and that’s not fitting with Venstre anymore.
Jakob also said that Venstre doesn’t belong to the so-called “blue parties” which today are a mix of conservative, libertarian, and nationalist forces.
Danish Economy HQ
The lowest inflation rate in the European Union: In August, Denmark had the lowest inflation rate in the European Union. While the inflation rate in the European Union was at 5.9% in August, in Denmark it settled at 2.3%. While an inflation rate of 2% is acceptable on a European level, in Denmark they are striving to go even lower.
Economic perspectives from Denmark’s National Bank:
1.3% economic growth in 2024 and 2025. For this year, it was assessed to be at 0.9%, but then Novo Nordisk’s recent success happened, so it was reassessed to be at 1.7%.
The number of unemployed people is expected to increase from 84,000 to 105,000 in 2025. There is a decline in many branches of construction and in large parts of industry.
The wage increases will prolong the period of “high core inflation”.
They recommend a tight fiscal policy for the next few years and moderation in public spending.
House prices are expected to fall by 3.2% on average this year. From next year on, they should rise again.
Yearly parking permits in Aarhus are getting more expensive: From January 2024, the price for yearly parking permits in Aarhus will increase from 500 to 2500 DKK. The City Council of Aarhus decided to increase the price by 400% in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. They want Aarhus to become CO2-neutral by 2030.
Free parking for two hours is also abolished in certain areas.
At the same time, they want to introduce free parking on Sundays.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Healthcare with Punitha Kumar
The current 12-week abortion limit should be raised, the chairman of the Danish Obstetrics and Gynecology society says. However, Lisa Lotte Torvin Andersen says the limit cannot be set in stone as society and other various groups are divided on the issue. This is the first time the society’s board of members has taking a stance on the matter stating that there are three primary reasons the limit should be raised:
The first nuchal translucency scan, which helps doctors estimate health risks such as Down Syndrome, can only be assessed in week 12.
Women are still allowed an abortion after week 12, subject to permission from the abortion council.
Women should ultimately be allowed to decide what they wish to do with their bodies.
Here are abortion limits in several neighboring countries:
Netherlands - 24 weeks
Iceland - 22 weeks
Sweden - 18 weeks
Germany - 14 weeks
Norway - 12 weeks
Guilty of handing over a smartphone or digital tablet to your kid so that you can enjoy some quiet time? Perhaps a guide on navigating appropriate screen time for children, released by Børns Vilkår, might come in handy. Divided into different age groups, key takeaways from the comprehensive guide include:
Under 2 year olds should be discouraged from any and all screen time.
Kids between 2 and 12 years old should have their meals without a screen.
Parents should provide a judgment-free environment and hold open discussions with their 13-15 year olds, if a topic is difficult to digest or an unsavory situation occurs online.
For 16-18 year olds, parents should respect their child’s privacy but always show that you are available, ready to engage in conversations and that you show interest in their online activities.
To read the full guide, click here.
Culture, Religion and Royals with Cicek Eris
Five Danish fortresses have just been added to the UN organization UNESCO's list of world heritage sites: They are Aggersborg (Limfjorden), Borgring (Køge), Fyrkat (Hobro), Nonnebakken (Odense), and Trelleborg (Slagelse).
These archaeological sites comprise a system of monumental ring-shaped Viking-Age fortresses sharing a uniform geometric design. Constructed between about 970 and 980 CE, the fortresses were positioned strategically near important land and sea routes, and each made use of the natural topography of their surrounding landscape for defensive purposes.
The Danish Language Board has made a comprehensive update to the Spelling Dictionary: The latest revision was 12 years ago, and the current revision places a significant emphasis on promoting gender equality and gender neutrality in the Danish language. Editors reviewed all words ending in “-man”, “-woman”, and “-person”, with the aim of creating gender-neutral counterparts where necessary. Additionally, the examples within the dictionary were scrutinized to eliminate any gender stereotypes (phrases like “the girls fooled around” and “he is accused of manslaughter”).
The new edition is set to be available in print and digitally by the end of 2024.
The bishop of Viborg, Henrik Stubkjær, has been elected as the president of the Lutheran World Federation which represents 77 million people. He is the first Dane to hold this position.
Science and Technology
Second victory in a row for Denmark in the yearly EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS): Martin Stengaard Sørensen (19 years old, DTU student) has won first place in the European competition for young researchers (14-20 years old). He is working on using fuel with fewer toxic chemicals to cool small rocket engines.
European Union HQ
This category covers interesting happenings from other EU member states, EU candidate countries and EFTA countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland)
Extraordinary drought aid for farmers in Denmark: The European Commission decided to allocate 47 million DKK for farmers in Denmark affected by drought this summer. The money will be paid out at the end of January 2024.
Norway’s next treasure hunt: seabed mining: Norway wants to start mining the seabed for rare earth minerals. In their research trips, they found valuable stones that contain iron, manganese and cobalt. There is significant pressure on the Norwegian Parliament to not approve the seabed mining from international organizations and other countries. Why? We don’t know the effect of mining the seabed on the ecosystem.
If it gets approved, Norway will be the first country in the world to mine the seabed.
Russia withdraws from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council: The Barents region consists of the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Northwestern Russia. The area covers 1.75 million square kilometers, approximately 75% of which lies in Russia.
Road to European Parliament elections 2024
The spidskandidat (the candidate ranked nr.1 on the list) for Radikale Venstre has been decided. Sigrid Friis Frederiksen, the former leader of the youth party, will lead the party in the European Parliament campaign.
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.
Online, 26th Sep, 14:00-15:45: Are you new to job search in Denmark? Or could you use some practical help and guidance on how to successfully search for a job? International House North Denmark would like to invite you to a free of charge seminar where you will be introduced to the basics of job search in Denmark and get an insight into writing a CV and cover letter according to Danish requirements. And in the seminar that will be held afterwards, you will be introduced to LinkedIn as a platform for job search and network in North Denmark.
Esbjerg, 26th Sep, 09:00-14:00: Dive into the dynamics related to intercultural living in this workshop, and understand culture shock including common reactions and coping tools.
Esbjerg, 28th Sep, 16:30-18:00: Learn more about the culture, and code of conducts for banking, purchase of a home and common insurances in Denmark.
Aarhus, 30th Sep, 10:00: Join Aarhus City Welcome 2023 and get guidance on networking, job search, language training, citizen service, sports, leisure, and much more. Here you will also find opportunities to meet more than 40 organizations.
Stock Games 2023 with Andreea Bianca Pascalau Buza
Novo Nordisk and OMX C25
OMX C25 (often referred to as “the C25 index”) is an index of the 25 largest Danish companies publicly traded. Novo Nordisk is one of the companies on the list.
So far this has not been a great year for the C25 index, some experts saying that the result would be negative if it weren’t for Novo Nordisk’s increase in August. However, experts now predict that the company’s share will lose value (at least short-term) as the US is expected to implement regulations on pharmaceutical companies and price reductions on medicine.
Bio-tech winning in Aktiespil
Since 2019, every winner of Børsen Aktiespil won after investing in bio-tech. On Monday’s Millionærklubben podcast episode, they talked about how analysts and portfolio managers often focus on C25 companies, while small companies fly under their radar. This got me thinking about how maybe finding “the next Novo Nordisk”' might just help win the game :)
Monthly savings
Or rather, monthly investments. Unlike in Aktiespil, when investing “in real life”, you pay “kurtage" (brokerage fee) every time you buy or sell. If you invest through Nordnet’s Månedsopsparing you have the chance to invest for free, and I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to do that here. You can also find me on Instagram @moneylikealocal.dk where I write about investments, home ownership, loans and more.