Last Week in Denmark (18.08-25.08) Episode 27 Year 4
Class society in Denmark; Emission-free cities; Lower alcohol limit when driving
Editor HQ
State of Denmark
“Denmark is a brutal class society." Anne Sofie Allarp, Berlingske editor
Denmark has built a global reputation as the land of equality and strong communities. However, beyond the rose-tinted glass lurks a deeper truth, according to one of the leading journalists in Denmark. For example, people in lower-income groups live shorter lives than people with higher incomes. People from high-income groups tend to cluster together and keep low-income people outside of their social circles. In the same country, you can live a marginalized and lonely life, often with hard physical work, or you can live an “every other weekend in Dubai” kind of life. If you look at statistics, the Gini coefficient, which measures inequality, also portrays a degradation of the equality level.
As internationals, following a debate about class society in Denmark is very interesting, as we form a class of our own across income levels and ethnic backgrounds. Of course, even within the international community, you can distinguish certain internal “discriminations” triggered by income level, type of profession, country of origin, and so on. However, an international will always be an international in the eyes of Danish society.
Let’s look at the high-income clusters, where people live in 10+ million DKK villas. There are internationals who have reached a financial level to afford a villa there, and for sure, you will find them. However, taking a closer look, you will discover that they have the same struggles as all of us to enter the social circles around them. So while a rich international might discriminate against a poor international, they are both facing the same struggles when dealing with Danish social circles, making us a distinct class.
The Danish dream says that people should live relatively similar lives regardless of their profession, income, or location. It also says that people should be able to view each other as equals, regardless of income. Are we there now? The eternal debate has only recently restarted, so we should hear more opinions on the topic in the following weeks.
Thank you for reading and sharing Last Week in Denmark!
LWID Universe
Our podcast is back! Thanks to the initiative of one of our readers, Arun, we are now testing a video podcast for Last Week in Denmark. You can already see the first episode here. Expect the next episode a couple of hours after this newsletter is published. As usual, the audio version is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and many others. The podcast cover was made by Riccardo Vide. The podcast manager is Joan Ang.
The recruitment onboarding is slower than we expected! We have an open-door policy at Last Week in Denmark, which means every volunteer is welcome. However, the process is taking a bit longer than expected, as we need to intake 72 new people. So for some of you, it might feel like an eternity until you get an answer. Don’t worry; everyone will get a welcome email in the end.
Linkedin: Check out the article written by Cecilia Mitchell about the Australian community in Denmark.
Instagram: Our reporter, Kalpita Bhosale, has been present at the FemmeLead Summer Soiree.
Opportunity: As summer winds down, we want to help you make the most of it. To celebrate, we've partnered with IKONO to offer you a 20% discount on tickets to their colourful art museum full of fun activities for you and your friends. It does not matter when you book your entry but don't wait—this special discount is only available until August 31st! P.S - Apply “LASTWEEK20” at checkout.
Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
A new Africa strategy will be presented at the end of August, and among the proposals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is a focus on attracting more African students to Denmark. Will this come with tuition-free or discounted tuition? We will find out soon.
You have the right to a personal bank account. Unfortunately, not every bank is respecting this right. A recent investigation by Finanstilsynet showed that five out of nine banks are not compliant. They have been ordered to change policy.
Companies that establish solar cell and wind turbine parks have to pay 125,000 DKK per megawatt to the “green pool,” which can benefit the neighbors of the green energy parks.
15% of the university bachelor places will be cut in 2025. The most affected universities are Roskilde (-30.6%), CBS (-21,7%), ITU (-20.7%), and Aarhus (-20.4%). This doesn’t affect the decision to open 2,500 higher education places for English-speakers every year, starting in 2025.
240 people die every year due to smoke from old wood-burning stoves. The municipalities have the power to ban wood-burning stoves from before 2008. However, only Frederiksberg and Roskilde municipalities have introduced the ban. Aarhus, Copenhagen, and Aalborg will join soon.
Updates from political parties
Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals) want to end early retirement pay (efterløn and Arne-pension) to finance a yearly investment of 15 billion DKK in early childhood development. The money would go towards a better daycare system with more trained pedagogues and free, quality meals in daycare, kindergarten, and primary school.
The independent member of Parliament, Theresa Scavenius (a former member of Alternativet - Greens) founded a new political party called “Grønne Demokrater” (The Green Democrats).
SF (Socialists) are willing to support the Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) proposal to freeze the retirement age at 70 years old from 2040 onwards if there is a reform of the pension system.
Konservative (Conservatives) want to allow parents who receive public subsidies for childcare at home to have a part-time job where they can earn a maximum of 19,056 DKK. 81 municipalities provide subsidies for keeping your child at home instead of a public institution.
A parliamentary member of Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) suggested that Denmark should ignore judgments from the European Court of Human Rights in order to pursue its own immigration policy. The idea was quickly shot down by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
Focus
Emission-free cities in Denmark: In October 2023, four of Denmark’s largest cities introduced environmental zones (Miljøzonerne), where diesel cars without particulate filters couldn’t drive. Almost one year later, the effects are visible. The particulate emissions in those areas were reduced by 36%. The two largest cities, Aarhus and Copenhagen, now want to go even further and introduce emission-free zones where only electric cars can enter.
A broad majority in Parliament plans to approve the right for municipalities to create emission-free zones this autumn.
The government wants to allow 17-year-olds to drive a car alone: The proposal is part of the rural transport reform, and it aims to increase mobility in rural areas. However, there will be limitations. The 17-year-olds will only be allowed to drive between 5:00-20:00, and there will be zero tolerance for alcohol.
The government also wants to lower the alcohol limit from 0.5 to 0.2. for the first three years of driving for everyone, regardless of age. A similar rule already exists in Germany, Norway, and Sweden.
As part of the rural reform package, the government also wants to allow municipalities to create 2,500 new summer house plots in coastal areas, organize glamping spaces, and make changes to the “Planning Act” so that you can transform an old barn into a bed and breakfast if you want.
A transport allowance for students will be introduced in 2026 in 25 rural municipalities.
Danish Economics HQ
Weekly economics overview
Only 27% of people between 25 and 29 years old own a house. 44 years ago, 58% of this cohort owned a house. According to a housing expert, the explanation can be two-fold: fewer young people want to own a house and usually start a family later, and in the big cities, the price has become too prohibitive for young people to afford living there. A housing reform is planned for this autumn. It is exciting to see what the government will do about it.
The Norwegian competition authority's investigation into three grocery store chains resulted in a fine of 3.1 billion DKK. The chains are accused of price cooperation (effectively copying each other's pricing). The Danish competition authority is looking closely at the case, as the grocery store chains include Norgesgruppen (Kiwi, Meny), Rema1000 and Coop. An investigation on the Danish side will follow.
Pandora, once a small jeweler’s shop in Copenhagen founded in 1980, has become a jewelry giant with thousands of stores around the world. A third of the revenue made by the company comes from the US, where they sit at 2% of the jewelry market. Who helped them on the US market? Pamela Anderson. The company is expected to declare a record-breaking turnover of over 30 billion DKK.
Megadrones will be produced at the airport in Odense. A US company opened a factory at Odense Airport, where they want to produce 200 megadrones per year. Thunderstrike will be the first megadrone producer in Denmark and the third drone producer. Why Odense? It has the largest test facility for drones in Europe, a cluster of robotics start-ups, and a focus from the local university on drone development. The government wants to make Odense a NATO center of excellence for drones.
The government will reward municipalities that establish renewable energy parks. 200 million DKK have been prepared for the municipalities that will allocate the highest percentage of land for renewable energy parks. There are no conditions attached to the reward money, meaning that municipalities can use it as they wish. It’s not known yet how many municipalities will be able to get the reward.
Focus
The low fertility rate in Denmark and the rest of Europe means that the number of Europeans will reduce by half in the next six decades. The population in Denmark is expected to decline to 3 million by 2080. As the new “normal” for European families is one child or two, the fertility rate has reached a historical low. There is no European country where the fertility rate is over two to maintain the population level. The low fertility rate combined with a long life expectancy means that only a few decades from now, Europe will be the land of the elderly.
This scenario only applies if immigration is not taken into consideration. The number of internationals in Denmark is constantly growing, keeping the working population within reasonable numbers to support an increasingly older society.
The world population is expected to peak at almost 10 billion people and then decline from there. The only parts of the world with an expected population increase are Africa and India.
The number of bad debtors has significantly declined in the past decade. 170,166 people in Denmark are registered on the bad debtors register (RKI), which tracks those who don’t pay dues on time. Only five years ago, the number was way above 200,000. There are massive differences between the municipalities, as some have 1-2% of the population on the RKI register, while others, like Lolland, passed 8%. Nationwide, the average bad debt is around 49,500 DKK per person.
Entrepreneurship Corner
Join the “Business Economics for Entrepreneurs” free course for international entrepreneurs in Viborg. When? October 23 - November 13. Sign up here. The course is provided by Aalborg Institute for Development, Business Viborg, and Iværksætterdanmark.
Join the 3-hour masterclass for food entrepreneurs brought to you by the Aalborg Institute for Development and We Are Entrepreneurs. When? October 5, 10:00-13:00. Sign up here.
Aalborg Institute for Development is looking for an expert in export documentation and compliance, as well as export market subsidiaries. If you have expertise in one or both of these areas and would like to lead online webinars on the subject, send a message to info@aalborgid.com P.S.: They are also interested in people with knowledge of the Norwegian and Swedish markets.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
With an infinite amount of sports during the month of August, this last week will not disappoint: the Olympics are over, but now the Paralympics begin, the international competition for athletes with disabilities. Paralympics are a chance to show the world that sports are for everyone, even those who start at a disadvantage.
In Denmark, disabilities are covered by two main laws. The first is the Danish Act on Social Services, which ensures that people receive the support they need to live as independently as possible. This includes provisions for personal assistance, respite care, and special housing. The other is the Equal Treatment Act, which focuses on prohibiting discrimination in employment, education, and access to goods and services.
The country has regulations for urban design aimed at facilitating the lives of people with disabilities as much as possible, such as elevators on public transport stations, low curbs, and sound alarms in light stops for the blind. The challenges for citizens with disabilities, however, require constant improvement. As we imagine a sustainable, physically-active future for Denmark, it is important that those with different needs are put at the center of planning, making sure progress can be equally enjoyed by everyone.
Weekly overview
Forbrugerrådet Tænk (Consumer Council) recommends banning TEMU in Denmark. 30 out of 38 TEMU products failed to comply with health and safety standards. The highest risk? Children's toys, electrical products, cosmetics, and cleaning products. TEMU is the second most popular webshop in Denmark after Zalando.
Beware of the online investment platform Igenius. This is the newest pyramid scheme on TikTok. A group of women are selling access to the Igenius platform, promising a “get rich quick” scheme. Spillemyndighedens (Gambling Authority) is looking to see if there is enough evidence to report the company to the police.
The Ministry of Food is collecting old family recipes to preserve Denmark’s food culture. When the collection is complete, a group of food experts will curate it. The collection will be used, for example, to create teaching materials in schools.
55% of people in Denmark eat vegetables every day. This is too few, according to the Cancer Society. The official dietary advice is to eat 600 grams of vegetables per day. The more greens you eat in a day, the better it is for your health.
No screens on Tuesdays from 18:00-20:00. Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality launched an initiative with Headspace to encourage families to let go of screens for two hours at least one day a week. Instead, they recommend having a deep conversation with your family to get a better understanding of their well-being.
The first official summer cruise on the royal ship went to Bornholm, Ærø, Assens, and Vejle. King Frederik and Queen Mary decided to continue the medieval tradition of “sommertogtet”, where they visit different places with the royal ship and invite the community’s leaders for dinner on the ship. The tradition started as a way for the king to court support from the nobility.
Odense Municipality got the green light to establish a special school for violent students. The Minister of Education, Mathias Tesfaye, supports the proposal from Odense and will create the legislative framework to make it possible. Once established, violent students from all around Odense will be transferred there.
International Community in Denmark HQ
Fehmarnbelt Tunnel: A New Era of Connectivity
written by María Cristina Londoño
The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, currently under construction, is set to become the world’s longest immersed tunnel. Spanning 18 kilometers, this engineering marvel will link the Danish island of Lolland with the German island of Fehmarn, significantly reducing travel time between the two countries. Construction began on the Danish side in 2020 and on the German side in 2021, with the tunnel expected to be completed by mid-2029.
This ambitious project aims to enhance connectivity and foster economic growth in the region. Once operational, the tunnel will cut travel time from 45 minutes by ferry to just 10 minutes by car and seven minutes by train. The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will feature a four-lane motorway and a double-track railway, providing a seamless link for both road and rail traffic. This will not only benefit commuters but also boost trade and tourism between Denmark and Germany.
The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel represents a significant step towards a more integrated Europe. The project is expected to create numerous jobs during its construction and operation phases. Moreover, it will strengthen Denmark’s position as a key transit hub in Northern Europe, enhancing its connectivity with the rest of the continent. As the tunnel progresses towards completion, it promises to bring new opportunities and a brighter future for the region.
Announcement Board
Online, August 27, 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 invites you to a free seminar introducing the basics of job search in Denmark.
Esbjerg, August 28, 17:00: Meet Catriona Turner, the author of “Nest: A Memoir of Home on the Move” for a talk about the book and her encounters with Danish culture from her time living in Denmark. She lived several places around the world and her book is about development, culture shock, impacts of life on the move and cultural encounters.
Odense, August 29, 19:00-21:00: For the fourth installment of International LinkedIn Meetup Odense, you are invited to a talk on how to navigate cultural barriers as an expat. On this evening you will meet Andrea Bo, a Danish designer who lived and worked in China and now channels her expertise into mentoring aspiring solo entrepreneurs.
Join AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-run organization, and explore life-changing opportunities in leadership development, international internships, and impactful volunteer work. Their programs empower young people to make a difference globally, whether by teaching abroad, supporting sustainable development projects, or working with NGOs. They’re now recruiting passionate individuals ready to create positive change. Start your journey with AIESEC today - apply now!
International media about Denmark HQ
Southern European tourists flock to Denmark to escape the heat (Euronews)
Denmark's North Sea energy island delayed again by high costs (Reuters)
Denmark and Sweden vow to hunt down gang leaders who hire minors to kill from abroad (AP News)