Last Week in Denmark (23.06-30.06) Episode 23 Year 4
Climate tax on agriculture; The end of job centers; Ban on national flags
Editor HQ
Thank you, yes, thank you! Every time you have talked about “Last Week in Denmark” at the dinner table with your family, during lunch at work with colleagues, while celebrating birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions with your friends, at a bar with a random stranger. Every time you have talked about us, you added your own brick to this construction that we hope will be the support base for the international community in the future.
Yes, we have a crazy dream. We want to reach every international or international-minded person living in Denmark. Yes, we are far away from reaching 600,000 people. Yet, almost 27,000 people are subscribed, while almost 60,000 are reading our newsletters. Numbers built on hard work, volunteering, and sheer willpower alone. Numbers made possible by you who have spoken about us and you who have volunteered to be part of our team. Be proud of being part of the Last Week in Denmark journey! You have made the international community in Denmark stronger, more informed, and more involved.
Time has come for the summer break! We need a few weeks to recover and will be back online on August 4! As usual, we use the break to reflect, rethink, and change/improve the media project. To grow, we need to keep tinkering until we find that perfect formula that will allow us to reach every international or international-minded person in Denmark. Do you have feedback or ideas for us? Please complete this form and/or join us for online meetings (Format and content of the newsletter - Sunday, July 7, 20:00; Social Media Presence - Monday, July 8, 20:00; Future of Last Week in Denmark - Tuesday, July 9, 20:00).
In July, you will receive an invitation newsletter to join the team at the end of August. For those of you who already know that you want to join our volunteer team, you can complete this form to show your interest. Be mindful that you will only get an answer in mid-August.
Thank you once more! And please keep telling your friends that, in addition to the English newsletter, we provide original content on social media (Instagram, Linkedin, Facebook) and in other languages (Romanian, Polish, Spanish, Italian and Turkish).
PAID Partnership
Before we go away for the summer, here's a special offer for our readers from Lingua Danica to start your Danish learning journey. You get a special discount of 1500 DKK if you sign up for the Danish language beginner 1&2 bundle offered by Lingua Danica. You can explore the offer and the course details by visiting this link.
Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
The Ministry of Justice proposed to re-introduce a ban on raising other countries' flags (with the exception of Nordics and German) on flagpoles. If the law passes, it will be in effect in January 2025.
All parliamentary parties agreed to introduce 12 new measures against antisemitism. The police get new powers to temporarily increase the penalty for hate crimes on a national level (in the case of an international event that can lead to an increase in hate crimes) or in a specific area of Denmark.
The government, together with Red Barnet (Save the Children), Børns Vilkår and Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd (Danish Youth Council) created an alliance against social media giants. Among the objectives, they want an European-wide ban on profiling (targeted content towards children) and to regulate algorithms to limit harmful content.
The Minister of Business is looking for a way to ban influencer advertisements for unhealthy food. However, there is significant resistance to the idea from the Association for Influencers and Bloggers, and food organizations.
DF (Nationalist Conservative) withdraws from the agreement made in 2019 that Denmark must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030. Why? They assert that climate policy has become “too crazy” after the climate tax on agriculture.
DD (Nationalist Populists) warns that the climate tax on agriculture will cost 2,100 jobs in agriculture. However, the farmer interest associations say that if farmers upgrade their farms to be more green, they can avoid tax and most job losses. Plus, the afforestation effort could lead to thousands of new jobs.
There is an identity crisis within Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) since the across-the-middle center government was formed with Venstre (Liberals) and Moderaterne (Social Liberals). The traditional Social Democrat voters cannot see themselves in a party that now supports lower taxes and welfare spending cuts, and have moved by the thousands to SF (Socialists).
Focus
Climate tax on Danish agriculture: The green tripartite negotiations between the government, Landbrug & Fødevarer (farmers interest association) and Danmarks Naturfredningsforening (Nature’s interest association) have ended with the following compromise - a climate tax of 120 DKK per CO2 ton from 2030, which will further increase to 300 DKK from 2035.
We are the first country in the world to introduce a climate tax on agriculture.
To compare, the industry will pay a climate tax of 750 DKK per CO2 ton from 2030.
It is expected that the climate tax will deliver a reduction of 1.8 million tons of CO2 in 2030.
Together with the climate tax, it was agreed to invest 40 billion DKK to establish 390,000 hectares of forest and other nature by 2045. This means the forest area will increase by 40%, while 15% of agricultural land will be decommissioned.
Landowners will receive 75,000 DKK in subsidies for each hectare of land converted to forest, with a bonus of 15,000 DKK per hectare for virgin forest (untouched by human intervention).
The average land price has risen from 148,000 DKK per hectare (2018) to over 200,000 DKK per hectare (2024). It will thus be a difficult challenge to convince farmers to renounce 390,000 hectares of land.
The agreement is expected to become law in the autumn. Usually, when a tripartite agreement is found, there is no further negotiation in Parliament. However, in a break with tradition, SF (Socialists), Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals), Konservative (Conservatives) and Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) are planning to push for an even higher climate tax.
Job centers may be closed: An expert committee established by the government to identify ways to save three billion DKK annually on employment efforts in the municipalities has released a 200-page report. It proposes 6 main recommendations to reform employment support services.
Fewer rules for the unemployed and people on sick leave.
More individual-based support for the unemployed.
Removal of 90% of the current sanctions.
Closure of job centers.
Bigger role for a-kasse institutions and private suppliers.
The unemployed will be able to choose a private company that will help them with their job search efforts.
Danish Economics HQ
A new trend on the labor market - the right to take free days for as long as needed to look after your sick children. Today, you have the right to take the first child sick day freely, while in some companies, you get the second day as well. Is that enough? Are children getting better in just 48 hours? For Norlys, an energy company in North Denmark, it’s not enough. They decided to give unlimited days to take care of your sick children. Now, the farmer’s association Spiras has jumped on the bandwagon, and several public institutions are discussing whether to join in.
It’s vacation time, and many of us will travel down south. If you have an electric car, pay attention to the charging stations. If you don’t charge in the right places, you might end up paying an excessive amount for energy. Use the app “Better Routeplanner” to plan your charging. Also, pay attention to what stickers you might need to drive in certain parts of Europe. Read more here.
Welcome to the future - an AI-powered scanner that can detect counterfeit products, weapons, fireworks and drugs. The distribution company DAO has acquired an AI-powered scanner to ensure compliance with the packages they deliver. The scanner helps them identify illegal goods. Other distribution companies and even the customs authorities are interested in the scanner. Will this lead to the mass unemployment of drug-sniffing dogs? A representative of their union said they are planning protests against the scanner.
New rules for handling Eternit (fiber cement) roof tiles that contain asbestos from January 2025. If you own one of the 100,000 houses that still have asbestos roofs, you need to be aware that if you want to change it, you will need to get an authorized company to handle it starting next year. Asbestos is a documented cause of various forms of cancer.
Hard times at COOP - they are selling 35 stores to Salling and closing another 19. Check the map here to see if your local COOP is closing.
Legal requirement for companies regarding time registration for full-time employees as of July 1. Have you chosen your time registration system? All companies in Denmark with full-time employees must implement a system to track time spent by employees doing work.
Entrepreneur’s corner
At your request, one of the most popular courses at Iværksætterdanmark, is coming back. You can sign up for the online course “Doing Business in Denmark” here. The course is provided by the Aalborg Institute for Development.
Do you have a CVR number and have sold at least one item/service? Are you facing any challenges in your business operations? Do you need support, either via consultancy or competence development? If yes, sign up and the Aalborg Institute for Development can help you obtain the support you need free of charge.
Nominate an individual that deserves recognition for their contribution to the Nordic tech ecosystem. It would be amazing to have internationals from Denmark listed in the Nordic 100. You can make that happen by completing this form. It can be entrepreneurs, investors, or community builders (wink, wink).
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
Festival lovers, are you ready? The Roskilde Festival has started. Located in Zealand’s city of Roskilde, this non-profit event is the largest music festival in Northern Europe and one of the largest on the continent. Its history dates to 1971, when two Woodstock-inspired high school students partnered with a promoter to bring rock music to the province. That year, the tickets were sold for 30 DKK (or 244 DKK today, adjusted for inflation). During the first editions, the festival had 1 stage and between 10,000 - 30,000 participants. In the 90s, it peaked.
The festival is held every year in late June and early July at Roskilde Dyrskueplads. Nowadays, it lasts 8 days and has +130,000 participants, of which 30,000 are volunteers who get free access and a place in the Volunteer Camping. For those who pay, a ticket costs 2,400 DKK for full access to 8 days of camping and concerts. A one-day ticket costs 1,200 DKK and is valid from 8:00 to 8:00 the following day.
Funnily enough, during this week, Roskilde Festival ranks as Denmark’s fourth largest city in population — and it really is a city. The festival has its own newspaper, radio station, skate area, and even a nude race. There is also Dream City, a small town inside the premises where passionate campers are given 100 days to build. Each year, you might find things such as a town hall, a post office, a church, a salon, a library, art installations, and even a pirate ship.
With headliners such as Foo Fighters, Tyla, Skrillex, or Doja Cat, this year’s theme is Utopia. Aside from attending concerts, Roskilde Festival is an opportunity for everyone — but especially the youth — to live a parallel life. During the first four days of the festival, there aren’t any shows but just joyful partying, eating, and suntanning (or playing in the rain). With holiday vibes, games, swimming in the lake, and a copious amount of beer, campers are not necessarily the cleanest, but definitely the happiest.
Weekly overview
See the map where the new forests in Denmark will be planted. In the next decade, the scenery of Denmark will change from fields of grains to green forests. In fact, you will be able to drive from Skjern to Ribe through one large, continuous forest area.
Courses for the relatives of people with mental disabilities: The organization “Bedre Psykiatri” offers free courses for the relatives of people with mental disabilities. They have planned 50 courses in 2024, 100 courses in 2025 and 150 courses in 2026. There is no sign of English courses yet, but if you need them in English, don’t hesitate to ask the organization about them.
110 new languages have been added to Google Translate, including Faroese and Kalaallisut – the official language of Greenland.
European Union HQ
Europe This Week
The leaders of the European Union member states have spoken - Ursula Von der Leyen will continue as President of the European Commission for another five year term, while Kaja Kallas will become the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Antonio Costa will become the new president of the European Council.
While Antonio’s confirmation is certain, Ursula (EPP) and Kaja (Renew) still need the European Parliament majority approval. 361 out of 720 MEPs will need to vote for them in the fall. The center coalition between EPP (conservatives), S&D (social democrats) and Renew (liberals) has almost 400 MEPs, so technically it should work out. However, 10% of the MEPs are expected to rebel and not vote the party line, which makes the outcome very uncertain.
Moving forward, the question is, who will Ursula Von der Leyen work with to achieve a majority - the Greens or the far-right ECR? Based on this decision, we will know what to expect from the European Union for the next five years - more focus on climate change or on immigration.
The new secretary general of NATO is the prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. It will not be an easy ride for the new leader of NATO- The conflict with Russia is only getting worse, Donald Trump might win the US elections again and pull the country out of the military alliance, and several members are refusing to spend money on strengthening their military (including Italy, Spain, and Canada).
Macron warns about potential civil war in France. If the far-right and far-left win the snap parliamentary elections today (June 30), the country could descend into civil war, according to the French president, Macron. According to opinion polls, the far-right stands to get 34%, the far-left 28%, and the centrist alliance only 20%.
International media about Denmark HQ
A world-first emissions tax is going after gassy cattle (Washington Post)