Last Week in Denmark (26.03 - 02.04) Episode 12 Year 3
New work environment agreement; The first 100 days; Deadline extended for British citizens
Editor HQ
Opportunity: Join an e-learning platform made by AMIS (A More Inclusive Society) where you can follow an online course about entrepreneurship, communication, teamwork, and project management. You can try the course for free and get your certificate until April 15. Go to this link, choose “National Course - Denmark: Core course for final beneficiaries” and then create a new account.
Subrent your room or your apartment for a month during the summer season for an Erasmus+ student: Are you planning to leave your room or apartment free for a whole month (from May to August)? Allow an Erasmus+ student to subrent it from you. They get to experience Denmark, you get your rent covered. If you are interested, complete this survey and we will call you :)
Invitation to an online info-meeting on Wednesday (5 April) at 16 o'clock about the 50,000 DKK digitalization vouchers. If your company had a minimum of 2 full-time employees in the last fiscal year, you qualify. Sign up here until Monday, April 3rd, at midnight, and you will get the link on Tuesday.
Danish Politics HQ
New Laws and Regulations
New work environment agreement: The majority of the political parties in the Parliament have agreed to invest 1.3 billion DKK over the next four years into a better work environment in Denmark.
673 million DKK for initiatives against social dumping (paying internationals much lower wages than normal)
452 million DKK for initiatives to strengthen the work environment in Denmark
145 million DKK for initiatives within priority areas (prevention of work accidents; working with dangerous chemicals; psychological work environment; illegal labor; etc.)
Focus on the initiatives against social dumping
Blacklisting companies that have used illegal labor from taking part in public tenders (essentially banning them from being a supplier to public entities)
Foreign companies that operate in Denmark will be under a closer supervision from the Working Environment Authority (Arbejdstilsynet)
Danish Citizenship, Integration and Immigration Laws
Deadline extended for British citizens: The government has decided to extend the application deadline for continued residence in Denmark until the end of 2023. The measure will apply to all British citizens who have applied too late and have been therefore rejected from having their application processed, or who have not managed to submit an application yet.
It only applies to British citizens who have taken residence in Denmark, pursuant to the EU rules on free movement, before the end of the transition period of the 31st of December 2020.
Law proposals and ideas
The tax deduction for trade union membership will be increased: In order to encourage more people to sign up for a trade union, the government will propose a law to increase the tax deduction for the trade union membership fee. Today, it is 6000 DKK. They want to increase it to 7000 DKK.
Also, to be able to get a tax deduction on the private wage insurance (lønforsikring), you will need to pay at least 1300 DKK for an a-kasse membership per year.
If school (folkeskole) children have more than 15% absences, then parents will lose the “child check”, according to a law from 2019. However, as it is up to each municipality to apply this law, in some municipalities you get punished, in others you don’t. Now, the minister of education wants to amend that law to force every municipality to implement it.
14,967 school children had over 15% absences during one quarter in the 2021/2022 school year. Only 624 of them lost the money (child check). The school must inform the municipality when a student has an absentee rate of over 15%.
The political arena
The first 100 days with a red-blue government
The three political parties (Socialdemokratiet, Venstre and Moderaterne) do not have any serious disagreements so far. There is still good chemistry between the leaders and a strong belief in the united political project.
The opinion polls show that the three political parties would lose their majority if we had parliamentary elections tomorrow.
The nine opposition parties (from extreme left to extreme right) have been brought closer in their stand against the government.
The government has some favorite opposition parties that they prefer to invite into broad law agreements - SF, Liberal Alliance and Radikale Venstre. They also have a strong dislike for some parties like Enhedslisten.
This is a reform government that is willing to make controversial and unpopular decisions to solve societal challenges. First they removed the Great Prayer Day free day, now they want to reform the university sector, then they will continue in the fight to reduce bureaucracy and so on. Many reforms are expected before 2025.
The center government does not bow to pressure. The trade unions and the opposition parties tried their best to stop the Great Prayer Day from being removed as a free day, without any results.
There are troubles inside Socialdemokratiet, because of the damaged relationship with the trade unions.
Focus on Moderaterne
The third-largest political party in the Danish Parliament with less than a year of existence. Part of the government with 5 ministers. Founded by the former Venstre prime-minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
Their biggest success is the fact that they managed to bring together Socialdemokratiet and Venstre at the same table and convince them to form a government together.
Their stance regarding immigration policy makes them not only a friendly party towards internationals, but also one that delivers on their promises to us. Their presence in the government has led to initiatives like lowering the minimum salary for non-European residence permits, reintroducing university places for English-speakers and in general a different attitude towards internationals.
The party wants to remove symbolic laws like “the handshake act” (having to shake the hand of the mayor to get Danish citizenship), “the jewelry act” (refugees having their jewelry confiscated by the police) and the “face veil ban” (not being able to cover your face in public). They also want to relax the rules regarding obtaining Danish citizenship.
It is good to remember that the symbolic laws and the “stricter immigration rules” were adopted during the premiership of Lars Lokke when the infamous Inger Støjberg was minister of immigration.
Danish Economy HQ
Unemployment rate increased by 0.6% in February: 2.8% of the workforce in Denmark is unemployed, which means 81,700 people don’t have a job. The number of people without a job increased by 500 in February.
Record high inequality in Denmark: The largest gap between rich and poor since inequality started to be measured 35 years ago. Some researchers point out the connection between rising inequality and the number of internationals in Denmark.
100,000 DKK support for convenience stores placed in small towns: If you run a small convenience store (grocery store, bakery, butchery, etc.) in a small town, you are eligible to receive 50,000 DKK in direct assistance and 50,000 DKK for a project to reduce energy costs. 75 million DKK have been allocated by the government in this direction. You can apply here.
Financial support for houses heated by oil and gas boilers: You can apply to the “Afkoblingsordningen” to be exempt from paying the 8,000 DKK fee to disconnect from the gas system. Also, connecting to district heating will be cheaper (20,000 DKK discount) if you do it while they are rolling out the new pipes in your area.
Road tax from 2025 for trucks in Denmark
From 2025, it will apply for trucks of 12 tones and above. From 2027, it will also include smaller trucks. The tax will vary depending on the CO2 emissions level of the truck.
At first, the tax will only apply on national roads and roads within environmental zones. From 2028, it will apply on the entire public road network.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
1902 cars seized in two years: Since the law against “reckless driving” has been passed, the police have been busy collecting an impressive number of cars. Remember, that you can lose your car on the spot in Denmark if you do the following:
Drive at a speed of over 200 km/h.
Drive at a speed of over 100 km/h and more than twice the permitted speed limit.
Drunk driving with a level of alcohol in blood of over 2.00.
Negligent manslaughter or harming someone.
Intentionally causing imminent danger to someone's life or property.
Largest NATO military exercise on Danish soil since the Cold War: 500 soldiers from 11 NATO countries have gathered at Oksbøl in West Jutland for a large artillery exercise.
The terrorist threat in Denmark is serious: The Danish Center for Terrorism Analysis (CTA) assesses the terrorist threat in Denmark as “serious” on a scale from “minimal” to “very serious”. The assessment has been on a “serious” level since 2010. This means there is an acknowledged threat with the capacity, intention and planning abilities.
New extremists have appeared - “anti-authority” who believe it is necessary to use violence against politicians and the government; “hybrid” who mix different ideologies with conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories and disinformation can radicalize people online and push them to embrace violence in order to achieve their agenda.
There is a “minimal” risk from far-left extremists and a “general” risk from far-right extremists.
31% of young people between 20 and 24 years old still live with their parents: The number of young people that delay moving from home to live independently increases every year. Why? Rising prices; Difficulty in finding affordable accommodation in university cities.
When young people refrain from moving away from home due to the economy it affects their personal development. They are at a stage in their adult life when they need privacy, freedom and independence.
Healthcare
In Denmark, a woman can freeze her eggs for five years, according to the current law. However, the technology allows the eggs to be stored safely for decades. Now, some members of the Danish Parliament want to change the law so that the eggs can be frozen for a longer time.
Social freezing is when young women pay to have their eggs frozen early in life so that they are available later in case they need to go through a fertility treatment. A woman can legally receive fertility treatment until 46 years old.
There is no time limit on how long sperm can be stored and used.
Sweden, Finland and Norway do not have a time limit on how long women’s eggs can be frozen.
It costs 60,000 DKK to freeze three eggs plus an annual storage fee.
Climate
Five animals you can spot in nature during the Easter Holiday: It is currently mating season for most animals. Therefore get some binoculars and try to find these animals.
Aquatic diving birds called “grebes” in freshwater lakes.
Denmark’s most beautiful bird, the “kingfisher” along streams and lakes
Salamanders near lakes.
Tadpoles.
Vipers in the grasslands.
Culture, Religion and Royals
2022 best books for children in Denmark: The winners this year are the graphic book “Dumme lorteblomst” (illustrated by Jan Oksbøl Callesen) and the youth novel “Tænk ikke på mig” (written by Vilma Sandnes Johansson).
The graphic book is about a four-year old who is frustrated that his drawing is not good enough.
The youth novel is about the experience of a teenager and his mother dealing with incurable cancer.
2022 annual report from the Royal Family: The Royal House spent 8.4 million DKK more than they received from the state budget (88.9 million DKK) and ended the year with a substantial deficit. High inflation and increased energy prices affected them too. If you are curious to see how the Royal Family used their time and our money, check here.
Q&A with Annette S. Ortiz Miranda PhD, the only female art conservation scientist from Puerto Rico. Read on to know more about her experience working at the SMK museum in Copenhagen. Written in English by Pratik Hariharan.
Announcement Board
Aalborg, 12 April: Join a potluck Easter dinner at Studenterhuset. Organized by Intercambio.
Copenhagen, 21 April: Are you interested in art? Make sure to check out Pilipczuk Gallery in Copenhagen, which is run by a Polish-Danish couple and represents emerging female artists, primarily from Eastern Europe. The gallery hosts various exhibitions and events throughout the year - the next one will take place on 21 April at 17:00, inaugurating the “Jinx” exhibition featuring two Polish artists, Karolina Balcer and Iwona Ogrodzka, and will include a performance featuring professional dancers and a meet and greet with the artists.
Easter activities for children in Copenhagen
Easter activities for the whole family around Denmark
International media about Denmark HQ
It will soon be easier for foreign workers to move to Denmark. Here’s which jobs need filling.(Euronews)