Last Week in Denmark (23.04 - 30.04) Episode 16 Year 3
Finance Law 2023; 37 hours of mandatory work; Ministry of Culture
Editor HQ
For two years and four months, I have curated and written this newsletter alone, with a few exceptions. Whenever someone else got the opportunity to curate a certain section of the newsletter, you saw their name in the title. Going forward, I have decided to share the weekly burden and welcome more volunteer curators to the team. Already, you can see in this edition Punitha Kumar (healthcare curator), Britta Schirmer (climate curator), and Cicek Eris (culture and events curator).
Our media initiative has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, and we have received funding to test run an online newspaper for and about the international community in Denmark. In that direction, we will be able to commission articles that will uncover not only untold stories from within the community but also highly valuable guides to life in Denmark. If the test run goes well, we will be able to obtain more significant funding in the second round of applications and officially establish “Last Week in Denmark” as the first multilingual newspaper in the country.
Danish Politics HQ
New Laws and Regulations
Finance Law 2023: Once a year (normally in December), a law is passed that shows how our taxes will be spent. This year it came late because of the very long government negotiations. What makes the law interesting is that it reveals how the money allocated for new initiatives is spent.
Headliners: 26 weeks of extra maternity leave for parents of twins; a higher limit on the Aktiesparekonto (stock savings account) gradually increased to 135,000 DKK by 2026; a higher personal allowance for young people under 18 years old (increase to 48,000 DKK that can be earned before they pay taxes).
Focus on mental health: 40 million DKK will be spent to hire more people within psychiatry; 20.8 million DKK for training and support programs for relatives of people with mental disorders; 10 million DKK to strengthen the “Student Counseling Service” so that it can provide psychological counseling and promote well-being initiatives; 5 million DKK for HeadSpace to open more centers around the country.
Focus on the elderly and vulnerable: 12 million DKK to establish a knowledge center that will research how the elderly can stay on the job market longer; 3 million DKK to support the program “Housing First” meant for homeless people; 7.6 million DKK for support for men from violent families; 2 million DKK for the youth crisis center Joanna Huset.
73.4 million DKK for 36 local initiatives across Denmark
300,000 DKK for Think Tank Europa (Tænketanken EUROPA) for analysis and conferences about Europe.
4 million DKK for the association “Bevar Ukraine” to support their work in helping and coordinating Ukrainian refugees.
3 million DKK for the cooperation between the Red Cross and DRC (Danish Refugee Help) to support the integration of refugees in Danish society.
1.5 million DKK for the five symphony orchestras around the country; 2 million DKK to establish Folk and Roots music center in Tønder; 1 million DKK for Nordkraft Big Band; 1 million DKK for Kulturmødet Mors (Cultural People’s Meeting).
5 million DKK for nature parks; 3 million DKK for the Klimatorium.
2 million DKK for the Danish national chef team's participation in Bocuse d’Or; 400,000 DKK for a project called “Danish Speeches”; 2 million DKK to bring entrepreneurship as a school subject; 4 million DKK to establish a task force that will focus on supporting gifted kids; 2 million DKK to have a study line for “green cooking”.
1 million DKK for the association “Danes Worldwide”; 5 million DKK for “DSUK” an association that helps Danish people abroad.
500,000 DKK for the Qnet project that helps women exposed to violence in the family; 1 million DKK for the association “Hjælp Voldsofre” that helps women exposed to rape; 2 million DKK for the “Checkpoint” project against AIDS; 2 million DKK for the project “Red Van” that helps sex workers.
Danish Citizenship, Integration and Immigration Laws
37 hours weekly work obligation for non-Danish people on social benefits (kontanthjælp and SHO-ydelser): Around 27,000 people that are deemed “people with an integration need” will be obliged to work 37 hours per week for the benefit of the society. If they refuse, they will lose their public benefits. This law is what prime minister Mette Frederiksen hopes to pass in the following period.
The “jobs in the benefit of the society” will be in elderly care centers, healthcare institutions; cleaning the environment and other tasks that would otherwise not be done by an employed person.
You can avoid the jobs mentioned earlier by going to Danish language classes, using time to search for jobs, going to courses to upskill or by getting an internship.
The proposal is not new. Mette Frederiksen tried two years ago to pass this law without success. This time she has a majority in the Parliament so the chances to pass are much higher.
The trade unions are not happy with Mette’s proposal as people that work should receive a proper salary, not social benefits. The unions propose instead 37 hours of training per week.
The political arena
The government: Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) 21.1%; Venstre (Liberals) 9% and Moderaterne (Social Liberals) 6.6% (the government continues to decline in the opinion polls) .
*The Moderates lost almost a third of their voters since the elections. Scandal after scandal involving their newly elected members of the Parliament have eroded trust in the party.
The K-LA-R opposition alliance: Konservative (Conservatives) 6%; Liberal Alliance (Libertarians) 12.6% and Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals) 4.2%
The “red” opposition: SF (Socialists) 15.3%; Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) 6.4%; Alternativet (Greens) 3.1%.
The far-right parties: DD (Populists) 8.6%; DF (National Socialists) 4.1%; Nye Borgerlige (National Libertarians) 2.4%.
The “senior pension” (the possibility to retire 6 years earlier) will no longer be abolished by the government, due to a lack of support. Discussions will be started with trade unions and employer’s associations to seek alternatives.
The leader of trade unions in Denmark, Lizette Risgaard, retires temporarily from her position after stories emerged of how she treats male employees. It seems that she has given unwanted sexual attention to some of the male employees.
Until the investigation is over, the new leader of trade unions is the current vice-president, Morten Skov Christiansen.
Some trade unions are already asking for Lizette to resign as they have lost trust in her. HK (226,000 members), Teknisk Landsforbund (30,000 members) and Kost og Ernæringsforbundet (8,500 members). The others are waiting for the results of the investigation.
Should a 16 year old right-wing extremist be convicted to prison? A Danish boy part of the right-wing extremist online network Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) is currently on trial (we will know the outcome on 11th May) for promoting the terrorist group FKD and trying to recruit his classmates. He created a terror handbook, shared bomb manuals and wrote in his diary about the “white race fight against the Jews”. Read more here.
Danish Economy HQ
The richest 1% own 24.8% of the total wealth in Denmark: Almost a quarter of the entire wealth in Denmark is owned by just 1% of the population in Denmark. Considering this picture, Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd is concerned about the government proposals to reduce inheritance tax from 15% to 10%, which is a big gift for the wealthiest people in Denmark and it will lead to further increase in inequality.
If you are a shareholder of Andel Energi, you will get 2000 DKK: The consumer-owned company decided to give to the shareholders part of the 4 billion DKK profit made last year. More exactly 850 million DKK which corresponds to roughly 2000 DKK for each of the 400,000 shareholders of Andel Energi.
The energy companies made total profits of over 20 billion DKK in 2022: Just to compare, the total profit went from 5 billion DKK in 2021 to over 20 billion DKK in 2022.
High energy prices have made Danish companies less competitive on the global market: Dansk Industri is calling the government to compensate the companies that had to spend even 5 times more money on their electricity bills (f.ex. an iron foundry from Aars went from 15 million DKK on electricity to over 80 million DKK). Other countries, like Germany and Sweden already gave compensation to companies, while companies from Asia and USA were not affected by the increased electricity prices.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
The final draft of the first Greenlandic Constitution: After working on the document for six years, the committee presented the final draft of the first Greenlandic Constitution to the Greenlandic government. Today, Greenland falls under the Danish constitution, and it will remain there until they declare independence.
Healthcare with Punitha Kumar
Dedicated hotline available from May 1 for cancer patients at Aarhus University Hospital. This direct phone line will allow patients who have been waiting for months to schedule their bowel cancer surgeries to receive proper advice, guidance, and support on matters such as compensation. So far, only 40 out of over 300 patients have been contacted after news broke out in March regarding the long waiting times. The hospital management has since acknowledged that the waiting times may have cost lives. Danish law states that cancer patients have a right to be operated on within two weeks after a decision to operate has been made.
356,000 people in Denmark have diabetes, according to the latest data from the Danish Diabetes Association.
In 2015, there were 265,000 people with the disease.
This year, 322,000 people have type 2 diabetes and 34,000 have type 1.
In 2030, projections show at least 420,000 Danes, or 7% of the population, will have type-2 diabetes.
If you want to learn more about this life-threatening disease, access resources and other support materials, click here.
Education
Ph.D Cup 2023: An X-factor show for scientists called “Ph.D Cup 2023” will present the five top young scientists of the year competing for the title.
Cecilie Knudsen, 30 years old, snake bite researcher; developed a test that can identify the type of snake responsible for a patient’s bite (so that doctors can give the right treatment faster).
Rene Tronsgaard, 33 years old, exoplanets researcher: he is looking for new planets in far-away solar systems.
Malene Overby, 30 years old, Alzheimer researcher; she is trying to better understand the role of proteins in the development of Alzheimer’s.
Rune Petring Hasselager, 37 years old, anesthesia researcher; he is looking at how the anesthesia methods could impact the result of the medical interventions.
Toril Jensen, 33 years old, children's memory researcher; she is looking at how you can trigger memories from childhood.
Last year, the title was won by 31 year old, Amani Meaidi, for her research into the use of medication for excessive menstruation.
Climate with Britta Schirmer
35.5 million DKK will go to climate and environmental activities by the end of 2024: This is part of the new Finance Law Agreement between the Danish government and opposition.
15.5 million will go to the Danish Council on Climate Change (Klimaråd). Initially, the government had planned to cut the council's budget from 24.8 to 9.5 million DKK.
10 million will go to projects researching how best to deal with PFAS chemicals.
2 million will be used to protect maritime life while expanding on offshore energy production.
Read more on the Naturfredningsforeningens website.
Odense's public spending is the most climate friendly of all municipalities in Denmark: For the first time ever, the SKI (The State and Municipalities Procurement Service) has measured the carbon footprint of Denmark's municipalities’ public procurement. It is difficult to reduce CO2 if it is unclear where it is caused. The analysis will help municipalities determine their biggest impact factors and develop strategies to achieve their emission reduction targets. Click here to see your municipality and read more (in Danish).
Culture, Religion and Royals with Cicek Eris
Denmark ranks last in Scandinavia when it comes to school legislation promoting equality, according to a report from KVINFO. The report found that the Common Objectives, which describe what students in Denmark must learn in each subject and grade level, do not mention the word “equality ” at all. While the word “gender” is mentioned, it is primarily in connection with sexual education. The report also notes that Danish teacher training only addresses gender and equality to an extremely limited extent.
Netflix is bringing the beloved Danish crime series “Department Q” by Jussi Adler-Olsen to life as a TV show. The eight-episode series will be directed by Scott Frank and filmed in Edinburgh, deviating from the original novels’ Copenhagen setting.
The show centers around Department Q, a police department led by deputy police commissioner Carl Mørck. As they solve closed cases, they also navigate their personal problems.
Sports
Llorenç Gómez has been officially unveiled as the new manager of the beach soccer national team of Denmark.
European Union HQ
The fishing agreement between Faroe Islands and Russia must come to an end, says the minister of foreign affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen. A documentary made in cooperation by the four Nordic national televisions called “Shadow War” (which can be seen on DR) has disclosed how Russian fishing vessels carrying spying equipment docked more than 200 times in the last seven years in Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands have had a special fishing agreement with Russia since 1977: cod from the Barents Sea for blue whiting from the Faroese waters.
Faroe Islands are economically dependent on the special fishing agreement. If the agreement is canceled, then the European Union must send economic help.
Russia has for the past couple of years been mapping the offshore wind farms, gas pipelines, power lines, and internet cables in the waters around Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. Why? probably to sabotage them if needed.
The world's humanitarian superpower, Sweden, is changing course regarding immigration: The prime minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, visited Denmark last week and said that “Sweden is 10-15 years behind Denmark in terms of immigration policy” and that they would like to follow the same path.
Sweden has decided to extend border control with Denmark (even if Denmark has decided to abolish it as of May 12).
Sweden wants to learn from Denmark mainly in two areas: fighting organized crime and repatriating rejected asylum seekers. While there is no news that gangs represent a big problem in Sweden, it seems that only 50% of the rejected asylum seekers are actually sent home, which creates a whole “shadow society” of people that technically don’t exist on paper.
Announcement Board
This section is curated by Cicek Eris. If you have events you want us to include here please send a mail - denmarkhappenings@gmail.com.You can check out her newsletter about events in Denmark here.
Aarhus, 4th May, 17.00-19.00: Do you want to join a club in Aarhus but do not know precisely what you’re looking for? Or perhaps you’re having trouble deciding between soccer or skydiving? Or maybe you’re not quite sure what’s out there? Then look no further! Join the International Community for a “Meet your club” event and get to know clubs and associations in the area.
Copenhagen, 7th May, 12.00-16.00: Looking for an engaging and thought-provoking experience? Look no further than Union’s recurring event, where you can have an open conversation with a “human book” on a topic that interests you. Librarians will guide you through the selection of human books, ensuring that you find the perfect match for your interests.
International media about Denmark HQ
Denmark and Ukraine Expand Energy Cooperation (Offshore Engineer Magazine).
I wish you luck! Your newspaper has been an amazing window to what has been happening in Denmark.
Just subscribed. Keep up the awesome work. I will be tuning in every week! Thanks! :D