Last Week in Denmark (25.02-03.03) Episode 7 Year 4
Animal rights; Medical fraud; Women’s day
Editor HQ
State of Denmark
“A woman from Bornholm got sentenced to 30 days suspended prison for leaving her guinea pigs to die without food while she was on an extended Christmas holiday.”
Animal rights are not a joke in Denmark. The Animal Welfare Act says that animals are living, sentient beings that have to be protected against pain, suffering, and anxiety. Anyone who keeps animals must ensure they are treated with care, including that they are housed, fed, watered, and cared for, taking into account their physiological, behavioral, and health needs. Anyone who, through overexertion, neglect, or otherwise, treats animals irresponsibly is punished with a fine or imprisonment for up to one year.
In other news on the small screen, we have watched with horror what happens when you turn a medical clinic into a scaling business. The scandal at Alles Lægehus is far from over, after it was unearthed that they illegally claimed subsidies for treatments they never did. If you have been/are a patient at one of their 38 clinics around Denmark, you should check sundhed.dk under “Mine Konsultationer”, and see if what is reported there corresponds with reality.
After the breakaway republic of Transnistria called for a Russian intervention in the area, the tentacles of the war seem to be expanding outside the Ukrainian front. While our neighbors in Sweden are intensively preparing for a potential invasion, a prominent Venstre (Liberal) politician says Denmark is severely unprepared for war. The European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen, said, “The threat of war may not be imminent, but it is not an impossibility, so we should prepare.”
On internal updates, we are recording the first episode of the #VOTEHOME podcast next week, where we have guest Jan Kristoffersen, the lead candidate from Alternativet (Greens) for European Parliament. If you want to record a question for him, please send the audio file to amis.aalborg@gmail.com (max 30 seconds).
Happy International Women’s Day this Friday, March 8!
Word of the Week
Forsvar= Defense. It has four main meanings: a.) a country’s armed forces; b.) the part of the sports team that stops attacks; c.) response to a military/violent attack; d.) trial procedure in favor of the accused). Related words - hjemmeværn (home guard); hær (army); søværn (navy); flyvevåben (air force).
Quiz
Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
After being in the “scandal” spotlight a bit too many times lately, the Parliament decided to increase the supervision powers on the intelligence agencies, aka secret services. The responsibilities and funding of the supervision authority, TET (Tilsynet med Eftertertingstjenesterne), will be expanded.
After gender-neutral toilets in Aalborg, now we have a proposal for gender-neutral changing rooms in Frederiksberg. Unlike the proposal from Aalborg, which aims to create a single common space, the discussion in Frederiksberg is about a third option, in addition to women’s and men’s changing rooms.
The EU Commission has proposed to change the wolf’s protected status. Several parties in Denmark support the idea of being allowed to hunt wolves and want Denmark to vote “Yes” to the proposal. We have 30 adult wolves and 20 puppies in Denmark.
The Venstre (Liberal) member of the Parliament, Jan E. Jørgensen, called upon the workers from the Danish shoe company Ecco to boycott until the company exits the Russian market. According to him, working for this company is like working for the Germans during the occupation of Denmark. The leader of Venstre does not support Jan’s statements.
Focus
New collective agreement for nurses: 6,200 DKK monthly salary increase for a full-time nurse who works at least 40 irregular shifts per year (at odd times) or a 4,400 DKK monthly salary increase for a full-time nurse without odd shifts.
Særydelsesbetalingen (the extra payment for evening, night and weekend shifts) will be increased by 5% from April 2024.
A duty bonus (vagttilæg) has been introduced for nurses who have a minimum of 300 hours of evening, night and weekend shifts: 6,667 DKK per year from 2024 and 12,252 DKK per year from 2026.
Almost half of the nurses in Denmark work part-time. A third of the nurses don’t want to take evening, night and weekend shifts. The government hopes that by 2026, at least 85% of the nurses will be encouraged to take odd shifts and work full-time.
62% of the voters took an election test before the parliamentary elections 2022: An election test, usually designed by DR and/or TV2, is a questionnaire where you say where you stand on different issues. The tool calculates which candidates have given the most similar answers to yours. 110,000 voters changed their vote based on the test results.
According to a political expert, the election tests have a bigger impact on the election results than posters or debates.
You can see here previous election tests from DR, Altinget and TV2.
Danish Economics HQ
Record profits for the banks in 2023: Six of the largest banks in Denmark had a total profit of 38.8 billion DKK last year. The Business Minister asks the banks to share their profit with customers by raising interest rates for deposits or lowering bank fees. The Minister is also encouraging customers to put pressure on their banks by shopping around for better deals.
8.95 million DKK in compensation for historical finds in 2023: The National Museum (Nationalmuseet) received 20,000 objects last year from people going around Denmark with metal detectors. It usually takes two years for an object to be curated and a compensation value established. You can see here the six most valuable objects in 2023.
2.9% unemployment rate in January 2024: 86,200 people are outside the job market, a decrease of 400 since December 2023. According to the Employment Ministry, the focus now is to reduce the number of young people who are neither in a job nor an education, which amounts to 43,000 people. 43% of them have a psychiatric diagnosis, like anxiety, ADHD or schizophrenia.
Women from non-Western backgrounds make up just 0.7% of the directors in private companies with over 50 employees: The think tank, EQUALIS, launched a report about upper management diversity in the Danish labor market. They find that diversity is lacking among director-level positions, both in the private and public sector. “Non-Western background” means non-European origin (people from Africa, Asia, Central and South America).
8% of people in Denmark cannot afford to heat their homes: The figure has almost tripled since 2021, when it was 3.4%. We live in times of high contrasts: breaking employment records, and experiencing the highest salary increases in a decade, while grappling with the recovery of our private economies from the recent double whammy of inflation and energy crises.. The worst affected region is North Denmark, where almost 10% cannot afford to heat their homes. 4.9% are behind on their payments for electricity, heating, water or gas.
4% salary increase for academics working for municipalities: A new collective agreement has been made with the 39,000 academics working in municipalities (administration staff, librarians, therapists, psychologists, engineers, dentists, etc.). There will be a further 2.5% salary increase in 2025, plus extra maternity leave, and an increase in pension contribution of 2.2%.
Entrepreneur’s corner
There are still available places for the “How to start a business in Denmark” course (in English) in Billund. Sign up here.
There are also places for the incubator dedicated to beauty entrepreneurs. The course is addressed to the Ukrainian minority in Denmark. Sign up here. If beauty is not your thing, you can join an incubator for food entrepreneurs here.
Update! Thank you to all the beauty entrepreneurs that have written to us. Apologies for the delay in reply. We will write to you this week. Also, we are looking for a beauty salon in Copenhagen that would like a feature article for free. Write to lastweekdk@gmail.com
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
This week is purple week, and we are celebrating International Women’s Day on Friday. According to the 2023 Women, Peace and Security Index, Denmark takes the first place for female quality of life: women are safer, more equal and have better access to justice here than anywhere else in the world. The nation sits at the forefront of gender politics, being one of only 13 countries where all women have a bank account, and one of only 14 where there is a fully gender equitable legal code.
Danish society’s relationship to gender rights has come a long way. It was already in 1814 that the law for universal primary education made it mandatory for girls to be educated. By 1915, women were granted the right to vote and to run for office in Parliament, appointing the first female minister ever, Minister of Education Nina Bang, in 1924. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, cohabitation and childbearing outside of marriage became socially acceptable, and abortions were legalized - all practices that were still deeply condemned in many parts of Europe.
Three everyday factors remind us this positive trend continues: low sexual harassment in public, the unconventional and unpatriarchal norms of the dating scene, and the length and distribution of parental leave. With one of the highest fertility rates in Europe, Danish women set the example for work-life balance around the globe. Longer paternity leave, equal custody for divorced parents, and sexual freedom for all genders create a sense of shared responsibility in raising the future generations, making Denmark a place where women don’t need to sacrifice their career or motherhood at the expense of the other. If you are feeling playful this week, count the number of men you see pushing strollers and make a toast for gender equality.
Explainer
Founded in 1875, Animal Protection Denmark (Dyrenes Beskyttelse) is the oldest) and largest animal welfare organization in Denmark. Their work includes rescuing and caring for animals at the local level across Denmark. The organization runs 10 animal shelters and 30 wildlife care stations across Denmark and is based on a large network of volunteers. What types of volunteer jobs do they have?
Animal Rescuer - You drive a car from the organization to locations where there are animals in distress. Training is provided.
Animal Shelter Volunteer - This is all about spending time with the animals.
Wildlife Care Station Volunteer - You need space in your courtyard to be able to set up a wildlife care station.
Foster family for animals - Helping tiny kittens and puppies survive :)
Local association coordinator - If you have more time and a lot of love for animals, you can be in charge of animal rescuers.
If you don’t have time to volunteer, but want to support the cause, you can become a member here.
If you want to adopt a rescue animal, you can check the available pets looking for a home here. However, before you adopt, read this.
Weekly overview
The future of grocery shopping in rural areas: mobile and unmanned store. The first pilot test will be in Vester Hæsinge, Fyn, from April 2024. How does it work? To enter, you scan your ID card, and then you take what you need (including picking up post or packages). You scan the products, pay and then the door opens again.
The grocery stores are provided by Unlimit Retail and Cantona. For a village to get one, they need to pay a 100,000 DKK deposit and ensure a 2.5 million DKK minimum yearly turnover.
The solution will be good for villages that are too small to provide enough revenue for a typical grocery store with staff.
Unlimited right for parents to take leave for children’s sick days: Today, an employee has the right to take the child’s first sick day off, if it is covered by the collective agreement. Usually, that is not enough, as few children get better in 24 hours and parents have to find alternative care. Especially for internationals, who don’t have relatives or grandparents to rely on, it is even more difficult. Some companies have understood the plight of parents and decided to introduce “an unlimited number of days parents can take while their children are sick.”
There is political pressure to adopt laws similar to those in Norway (where you can get up to 10 days per year for children under 12) or in Sweden (where you can get up to 60 days per year for children under 12, at 80% of your pay).
Background checks for university researcher applicants: Universities in Denmark are introducing background checks, made by the Police Intelligence Service, for researcher position applicants. Why? To minimize the risk of espionage. A pilot test at Aarhus University has shown that between 5-10% of the applicants were potential spies. Intelligence services say that there is a real threat of espionage in research labs around Denmark.
A new district to be built in Copenhagen: The capital is expanding with 40,000 new homes. The new district will be called Østhavnen and it will consist of residential areas on Refshaleøen, Kløverparken on Amager and the future Lynetteholm. The final decision on the expansion will be taken next week in the City Council.
Wood-burning stoves pollute the indoor climate: According to the Council for Good Indoor Climate, wood-burning stoves, regardless if new or old, can raise the pollution level in your house to higher than the most polluted roads in Denmark.
Internationals in Denmark
Farmers in Denmark are looking for agriculture trainees in Africa and Asia: After nearly a decade of Ukrainians dominating agricultural traineeships, the war has led to their displacement by young people from Vietnam, Uganda, Tanzania, India, and Kenya. There are 1,689 agriculture trainees in Denmark. A traineeship is usually up to one year and it is paid.
European Union HQ
Europe This Week
Sweden will join NATO. After Hungary finally approved the decision, Sweden successfully overcame the last obstacle and secured its position as the military alliance's 32nd member.
Boosting EU’s security. The European Union is laying the groundwork for a substantial boost to its defense industry, with a proposed €100 billion fund backed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen emphasized the need for a significant increase in weapons production over the next five years, to enhance the Union's defense capabilities.
Punishment for environmental criminals. The new EU directive brings a tougher penalty for environmental crimes, with up to 10 years in prison. While the directive has no legal weight in Denmark (due to the legal opt-out), it inspired Danish politicians to desire the implementation of similar rules in Denmark.
Rights
You can travel with your pet within the EU and from non-EU countries to the EU, including Norway and Northern Ireland. Pets can accompany their owners under the condition that they have been microchipped or tattooed for identification, vaccinated against rabies, received treatment for tapeworm if necessary, and possess either a valid European pet passport for intra-EU travel or an EU animal health certificate for travel from non-EU countries.
European pet passports are issued for dogs, cats and ferrets only. If you are traveling to another EU country with any other pets, such as birds, ornamental aquatic animals, reptiles, rodents or rabbits, check the national rules of the country you are planning to visit for information on the entry conditions.
Opportunities
Young European of the Year Award: Do you know a young European aged 18-26 who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to a peaceful, diverse and inclusive Europe? If yes, nominate them to win a 5,000 EUR prize from the Schwarzkopf Foundation. Deadline: April 7.
Announcement Board
Copenhagen, March 7, 17:00-19:00: Rentals & Cooperative Housing – Interested in renting a home or buying cooperative housing in Denmark? Sign up and get guidance about the Danish housing market.
Esbjerg, March 7, 17:00-19:00: Danish Pastry at the Living Room – Learn more about Danish pastries and try them. Limited spots, so don’t forget to sign up.
Esbjerg, March 9, 14:00: Newcomers Walk – Get an overview of the inner city and the cultural venues, and learn the history of Esbjerg. Sign up ahead.
Herning, March 12, 17:00: Networking event for internationals in Herning - A new opportunity to meet other internationals and get to know the area better. Sign up here.
International media about Denmark HQ
Nord Stream: Denmark closes investigation into pipeline blast (BBC)
Play outside and sing together: what living in Denmark taught me about raising ‘Viking’ children (Guardian)
Last Week in Denmark’s Universe
Read long-form articles on our website: How to learn Danish; Danish Business Culture; How to invest in Denmark; Guides for non-Europeans - I and II; How to negotiate your salary; Giving birth in Denmark - I and II; Pension in Denmark - I and II; Translator in Denmark and many other untold stories from the community.
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Check out our cool merchandise (top quality): Moving forward; Searching for home; Vasil; Irina; Kifaax; Monika
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News from the volunteer team: The English-version of the newsletter is written by Catalina Anapios (Insights into Danish way of life); Punitha Kumar (Daily Life / Weekly Overview); Monika Elend (Europe This Week) and Narcis George Matache (the rest of the newsletter). The editing/proofreading is done by Carly Spring and Sarah Pedersen.