Last Week in Denmark (21.04-28.04) Episode 14 Year 4
National holiday; Randers bankruptcy; Interest rates are dropping
Editor HQ
State of Denmark
“We will not forget the theft of the Great Prayer Day. We want a free day - No to more war” trade union protesters on the streets of Aalborg during a protest on Friday
As we near the end of April, a cold and rainy month – in fact the wettest month in 150 years – we look forward to the boost of Vitamin D that we hope May will bring us.
And we couldn’t end April without talking about Great Prayer Day, a day that has only become widely known after it was removed as a national holiday. On Friday, April 25, trade unions staged protests around the country to remind politicians that they are still angry about losing the free day and that they will continue to fight until it is restored as a national holiday. Six parliamentary parties (SF, DD, DF, Konservative, Enhedslisten, and Alternativet) agree with the trade unions and are going into the next elections with the promise to restore the national holiday.
Besides national holidays, another heavily discussed topic in the public debate is screens in schools. There are calls to follow Sweden’s model, where screens have been banned in schools, afterschool programs, kindergartens and nurseries. The students say they are distracted by screens and teachers talk about the daily struggle to get students to take their eyes off social media and focus on the analogue teaching.
In internal affairs, we invite you for a meetup in Esbjerg on May 25th, a gathering of beauty industry entrepreneurs in Copenhagen on May 4th, a debate in English about the future of farming in Copenhagen on May 8th, and a call to join the advocacy club AMIS Copenhagen (if you want to make life better for internationals, contact local coordinator Olesea Terna).
Thank you for reading Last Week in Denmark! And remember to listen to our podcast, #VOTEHOME (a new episode has landed).
Word of the Week
Seniorrådet = Elderly Council. The members of the council are democratically elected by those over 60 years old in the municipality. All proposals that concern the elderly must be sent to the Elderly Council for consultation before they are adopted by the City Council.
Quiz
Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
The Conservatives want to go into government with Liberal Alliance if there is a “blue” majority at the next parliamentary elections. However, they made it clear that ideas like legalization or decriminalization of drugs are out of the question.
Also, the Conservatives proposed a one-time payment for each newborn of 20,000 DKK. In this way, they want to stimulate the faltering natality in Denmark. The money should be received 8 weeks before birth. The proposal is still in the idea phase.
The United Kingdom made an agreement with Rwanda to establish an asylum reception there. Now, political forces in Denmark are asking for a similar agreement. The government said that they are working on a European-level solution for similar asylum reception centers outside of the European Union.
The environmental disaster from Nordic Waste could bankrupt Randers municipality. The mayor has already said the yearly budget will go to 370 million DKK in deficit. They are now asking the state for help. However, there is little appetite in Parliament to give more money until the role of the municipality in the disaster is clarified.
The opposition from Liberal Alliance and DD against mandatory female conscription threatens the majority agreement made in the Parliament for investments to upgrade military capabilities.
A majority in Parliament agreed to increase military support to Ukraine by 4.4 billion DKK in 2024. In total, 64.8 billion DKK have been allocated to Ukraine in the period 2023-2028.
A leaked document shows that a majority in Parliament agreed to increase the abortion limit from 12 weeks to 18 weeks. The negotiations are close to finalizing and the agreement should be made public as early as next week. The abortion limit has not changed for 50 years.
Focus
Latest opinion polls: As the European Parliament elections approach, government parties are losing ground in opinion polls. Most affected is Venstre (Liberals), who recorded the lowest support ever.
Government parties: Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) 17.6% (-9.9% since the last election); Moderaterne (Social Liberals) 6.6% (-2.7%); Venstre (Liberals) 6.5% (-6.8%)
“Red” Opposition parties: SF (Socialists) 16.1% (+7.8%); Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) 9.3% (+4.2%); Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals) 4% (+0.2%); Alternativet (Greens) 1.6% (-1.7%)
“Blue” Opposition parties: Liberal Alliance (Liberal Conservatives) 17.2% (+9.3%); DD (Nationalist Populists) 10.6% (+2.5%); Konservative (Conservatives) 5.9% (+0.4%); DF (Nationalist Conservatives) 2.7% (+0.1%)
Internal troubles in Socialdemokratiet: A party spokesman’s remarks regarding internationals using their positions within Danish society to undermine it have triggered an internal conflict. Several local and regional politicians from the party have publicly criticized the statements, showing the divide between the national and local levels.
National leaders of the party, like Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Minister for Integration Kaare Dybvad Bek, and political spokesperson Rasmus Stoklund, support the remarks made by Frederik Vad.
The new debate on integration, which stigmatizes internationals who managed to obtain good positions in Danish society, will definitely affect the party's support in the local and regional elections next year, where many internationals usually vote social democrat. This concerns local party leaders, so the internal struggle is far from over. It will definitely be an interesting national congress this year.
Danish Economics HQ
87.1 billion DKK surplus in Denmark’s 2023 budget: This means that the state has collected more money than it has spent. Among the EU member states, Denmark had the largest surplus in connection with GDP (Gross Domestic Product) size. In fact, only three other EU member states had a surplus last year (Cyprus, Ireland, and Portugal).
The countries with the worst deficit in the EU (who spent more than they collected) are Italy, Hungary, Romania, and France.
Denmark’s public debt (money borrowed by the state from other countries or private entities over the years) is 816 billion DKK, marking one of the lowest debt-to-GDP levels in the EU. Only Estonia, Bulgaria, and Luxembourg have less national debt. The countries with the worst debt situation are Greece, Italy, France, and Spain.
The number of employed people in Denmark only goes up: After we crossed the historical line of having three million employed people in September 2023, the growth has increased by another 14,000 as of February 2024. It’s an incredible feat considering the state of the global economy. As pointed out by an economist from Sydbank, “the biggest driving force behind the increase is the international workforce.”
Time for interest rates to drop: The European Central Bank announced that they will reduce interest rates in June, provided the economy continues in the same way. This should have a ripple effect on all European banks, and it should be reflected in your autumn loan payment. Danske Bank has already decided to reduce interest rates for one of their loan products (efterfinansiering) from a range of 6.1 to 11.1% to 4.49 to 7.49%.
Special interest rates for young people: To attract young people to start a bank account with them, some banks are offering special high interest rates for deposits, like Hvidbjerg Bank in Thy, where you can get 8%. You can see what other banks offer here.
Danish industry has fought against a CO2 tax for years, saying that it will move production abroad: Two years after the tax was introduced, rather than moving abroad, the large production companies embraced the green transition and have already reduced their CO2 emissions by 17%. Now, the agriculture sector is resistant to a CO2 tax, claiming that it will end farming in Denmark. Maybe if they look at what happened within industry, they will warm up to the idea? We shall see once the green tripartite negotiations end.
The Chinese webshop Temu has become the third most popular webshop in Denmark: The absolute king is still Zalando, followed closely by Matas. Considering they only launched 6 months ago, it is impressive how fast Temu has become one of the most popular webshops in Denmark. And equally scary is how people forgo the warning from the Danish Consumer Ombudsman about the really low quality of Temu products.
Entrepreneur’s corner
Call for a social entrepreneurship company in Copenhagen: We want to organize a company visit for a group of local international entrepreneurs, and we are looking for leads. Write to lastweekdk@gmail.com if you have an idea for us.
Call for a restaurant/cafe/wine bar in Copenhagen: We want to organize a company visit for a group of local international entrepreneurs, and we are looking for leads. Write to lastweekdk@gmail.com if you have an idea for us.
Call for a make-up artist interested in sharing their professional journey with Ukrainian entrepreneurs. Write to info@aalborgid.com if interested.
Call for a photographer for the EU Cafe event in Esbjerg (May 25th) for a paid gig (1000 DKK). Write to amis.aalborg@gmail.com if interested.
One-month internship at Last Week in Denmark for a Spanish-speaker to support our Spanish-language edition from May 13th. Activities range from audience development, promotion, and article translation or writing, if you fancy that. Write to lastweekdk@gmail.com if interested.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
Although it is not a public holiday in Denmark, May 1 marks Arbejdernes Kampdag (Labour Day). In some municipalities, like Copenhagen, it is a mandatory day off for schools. Denmark stands out worldwide for being a good place for labor: in 2023, Copenhagen took third place in the Working Abroad Index, offering expats one of the best ecosystems for work in the world. 85% of people polled declared being happy with their working hours, a reflection of the 37-hour Danish work week, which is very often cut even shorter. Those with local jobs can attest to the great work-life balance of the country, which rarely celebrates extra hours and offers parents the possibility of putting their children as their main priority. How many times have your Danish colleagues left the office at 3pm to pick up their child from daycare? Despite limited working hours (with only 2% of employees working very long hours compared to the OECD average of 11%), Danes are the second-most productive workers in Europe, after Ireland.
On Friday this week, we will also observe World Press Freedom Day, bringing visibility to the importance of transparent journalism and freedom of speech. This is another area in which the country excels, with the Danish press ranking third in the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), only topped by Ireland (#2) and Norway (#1). It is also one of only eight countries globally that fall into the highest category in the ranking, “Good.” To evaluate nations, the WPFI evaluates seven aspects of journalistic work: pluralism (representation of opinions), media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, infrastructure, and abuses.
Denmark’s oldest surviving newspaper piece written in Danish goes back to 1657, and it is an edition of a publication from Ny Affjser. Nowadays, the oldest Danish newspaper that is still in circulation is Berlingske Tidende, founded in 1749. In the broadcast landscape, DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) stands as the oldest and largest electronic media enterprise, celebrating its 100th anniversary next year.
Explainer, by Martino Torrone
Denmark is the world’s sixth highest consumer of natural resources. Denmark boasts some of the world’s most ambitious climate goals, largely based on its advanced system for mostly-renewable electricity generation and well-established waste management measures. Despite that, its 5.9 million inhabitants use more of the planet’s resources than most, and should focus on smarter resource use and waste reduction. This was reported in the first Circularity Gap Report for Denmark, published in 2023 by Circle Economy Foundation.
In 2024, Denmark's Earth Overshoot Day fell on March 16th. Earth Overshoot Day is the date when humanity's demand for ecological resources exceeds what Earth can regenerate. Only 5 other countries in the world consume more than Denmark.
Denmark has only a 4% circular economy, leaving a circularity gap of 96%. This means that Danish circularity is about half of the world average (7.2%). The reason? Danes can simply afford it: they collectively consume 142.2 million tons of virgin materials each year, with a per capita material consumption three times higher than the estimated “sustainable gap.”
Danish material consumption is mostly dominated by non-metallic construction materials and biomass used to feed livestock and the population. Fossil fuels only account for 12% of the material footprint.
Denmark’s carbon footprint, on the other hand, is less extreme: 11.1 tons per capita - just above the EU average of 9.5 tons per capita. 54% of the country's emissions are from imported materials. In fact, due to the scarcity of local natural resources, about 72% of the total extraction needed to meet demand takes place abroad.
The report concludes with five proposed strategies across different areas to bring Danish circularity up to 7.6% - almost doubling the current metric. This improvement would bring a 39% reduction in the material footprint and a 42% cut to the carbon footprint.
Weekly overview
Check out the winners from Denmark’s largest natural science talent competition, “Unge Forskere” (Young Researchers). One of the winners is the 17-year old international student, Ridhima Pal (Copenhagen International School). She wants to change the way we measure obesity. Her research shows that BMI, as a measure of obesity, is inaccurate and harmful.
The winners in the other categories are also very impressive. Theodor works to make weather prediction more accurate, while Sille, Sabine, and Niels developed a food supplement to alleviate asthma symptoms. (all under 18 years old).
According to a new study, high levels of vitamin D in the blood reduce the risk of developing tumors. Researchers from the UK and USA discovered that mice with a high vitamin D diet have greater cancer resistance. Researchers from Aalborg University compared the data from the experiments with health data of 1.5 million people in Denmark and discovered that it also applies to humans.
Medicinrådet (Medical Council) recommends the drug Enhertu for patients with the HER2-low type of breast cancer. The Medical Council estimates that Enhertu can extend patients' lives, although it is very uncertain for how long. At the same time, there are more severe side effects with treatment with Enhertu than with the current treatment. The recommendation of Enhertu for HER2-low comes after the pharmaceutical company lowered the price at the request of the Medical Council.
Sundhedsstyrelsen (Danish Health Authority) recommends 7-9 hours of sleep daily for adults between 18 and 65 years old. According to the authority, “sleep is essential for us to thrive and feel good. We know that three out of ten adults sleep less than seven hours a day.” Studies show that we sleep on average 7 hours and 12 minutes daily, which means a lot of people sleep less than 7 hours per day.
Young people aged 14-17 are recommended to sleep 8-10 hours a day.
Haveselskabet (Gardener’s Council) heralds the end of the boxwood plant in Denmark. One of the most common garden plants, boxwood (the green plant you trim in any shape you want) is facing extinction in Denmark. According to the association, “in recent years, a new pest - the boxwood moth - has also come to Denmark, which unfortunately is becoming more and more widespread and leaves the plants stripped and without leaves. You can be lucky to have boxwood that has not yet been attacked. If your plants are not affected, you can easily keep them and hope for the best.”
European Union HQ
Europe This Week
Eco-design regulation is on the way! The EU's ecodesign legislation aims to enhance product durability and repairability, fostering sustainable consumption. This shift can reduce waste and empower consumers. Though promising, implementation may take years, with challenges like online platform accountability and consumer rights needing attention.
More on environmental sustainability. The EU Parliament's new packaging regulation mandates deposits on cans across the EU by 2029, aiming to reduce plastic waste. This move aims to curb cross-border shopping for deposit-free cans, benefiting both environmental conservation and fair competition. Additionally, from 2030, plastic wrapping on fruits and vegetables will be limited.
EU-wide disability and parking cards. The EU Parliament has adopted the EU Disability Card and European Parking Card to ensure equal access for people with disabilities to preferential conditions like reduced fees and priority access.
Rights
Starting school in another EU country: As EU citizens, your children are entitled to attend school in any EU country under the same conditions as nationals of that country. They have the right to be placed in a class with their own age group, at the equivalent level to their class in your country of origin - regardless of their language level.
As an EU citizen, if you move to another EU country for work, your children are entitled to free introductory tuition in your new home country to help them integrate and adapt to the school system there. Part of this initial training includes support to learn the language of your new home country.
Opportunities
Free trip to Trento (Italy): Join a training course on methods and tools of innovative storytelling. June 5-11. Deadline! May 5th. Sign up here.
Free trip to Dublin (Ireland): Join a training course on how to integrate sustainability into youth work practice. June 10-12. Deadline! May 6th. Sign up here.
Free trip to Ponoviče (Slovenia): Join a training course on adventure education while experiencing adventure education. The training itself will be a series of little and not-so-little adventures in nature. June 11-21. Deadline! May 10th. Sign up here.
*To join the training courses, you need to be a member of an association. If you are not, you can always join AMIS.
Announcement Board
Esbjerg, April 29, 10:00: Social morning meetup over coffee, tea or your favorite drink. All are welcome.
Online, April 30, 14:00-15:45: Job search seminar for international job seekers in North Denmark. Are you new to job searching 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 searching in Denmark.
Copenhagen, May 4, 15:00 - 17:00: Beauty Business Mixer - Networking event for entrepreneurs and professionals in the beauty industry.
Frederiksberg, May 8, 18:00 - 20:00: Debate: The Future of Farming in Europe. The next European Parliament will have to tackle the Common Agricultural Plan and envision new ways of empowering sustainable farming. But what will our candidates do and how do they plan to shape the debate if they are elected? Event in English.
Esbjerg, May 25, 11:00 - 14:00: Free brunch and networking event at the International House Esbjerg.
International media about Denmark HQ
I study wellbeing in Denmark, one of the world’s happiest countries: Here are 3 phrases we say every day (CNBC)
Denmark launches its biggest offshore wind tender (Reuters)
Last Week in Denmark’s Universe
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