Last Week in Denmark (28.04-05.05) Episode 15 Year 4
Deadline for voting; Cheminova; Disability reform
Editor HQ
State of Denmark
It feels like summer outside. We finally dared to touch our summer clothes and hopefully we don’t need to return to the winter ones for a couple of months. Fed by the sun, our desire to spend time outside has increased tenfold, and for once, we don’t stay at home during the weekend. Let us know how you spend these beautiful days by sending us a photo/video to publish on Instagram, Facebook or Linkedin. Who knows - maybe you will also meet a moose on the road or a shark on the cyclepath.
Otherwise, stay away from bathing in the sea. We just talked a couple of months ago about how the biodiversity in the coastal areas is either dying or already dead; now another revelation adds fuel to fire. The pesticide company Cheminova is pumping toxic waste (arsenic, mercury, etc.) into the North Sea. They are not alone, as a few other Danish companies are also dumping their toxic waste into the sea. The Ministry of Environment has been warned for a couple of years that it is illegal to allow the practice to continue.
Several parliamentary parties have called the Minister of Environment Magnus Heunicke, into consultation. They are concerned that the Ministry of Environment has been working for years to allow companies like Cheminova to continue polluting the sea. The Minister has already announced an internal investigation to see if Denmark is complying with European Union rules. In the meantime, you can see what comes out of the pipes that go out to sea from one of the polluting companies.
In internal affairs, tomorrow is the last day you can sign up to vote for a candidate from Denmark for the European Parliament elections. Luckily, you can do it online and it takes only a couple of minutes. If you want to meet the candidates from Denmark, listen to this podcast in English: #VOTEHOME.
Thank you for reading Last Week in Denmark!
Word of the Week
Iværksætterrådet = Entrepreneur’s Council. It has an advisory role on matters regarding business development, promotion of entrepreneurship, the city’s business environment and other decisions related to business. Seven local business owners are appointed as part of the council, together with three elected members of the city council.
Quiz
Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
On May 1st, we celebrated Workers Day in Denmark. How? Early in the morning, people gathered in various locations to raise the red flag with songs and speeches. Later in the day, they marched through the city until they reached a park where celebrations will take place. The biggest celebrations in Denmark are in Fælledparken in Copenhagen, where sometimes things get a bit too hot, as you can see in these pictures.
Moderaterne (Social Liberals) are not happy with their government colleagues in Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) and Venstre (Liberals) regarding the topic of the integration of internationals in Denmark. According to them, the latest remarks about internationals using their societal positions to undermine Danish values can lead to “stigmatization and suspicion.”
Two ministers from Venstre, Morten Dahlin and Marie Bjerre, said that “integration is not enough, we need assimilation.” Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, of Moderaterne, warns his colleagues “to put a break on the assimilation debate” as it can lead to a “culture of fear.”
The latest opinion poll for the European Parliament elections in Denmark shows the following results: Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) 4 mandates; SF (Socialists) 2 mandates; Venstre (Liberals) 2 mandates; Liberal Alliance (Liberal Conservatives) 2 mandates; Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals) 1 mandate; Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) 1 mandate; Konservative (Conservatives) 1 mandate; DF (Nationalist Conservatives) 1 mandate; DD (Nationalist Populists) 1 mandate. Moderaterne (Social Liberals) and Alternativet (Greens) stand to not enter the European Parliament.
Focus
Municipalities must spend less money on disability services by cutting back on bureaucracy and administration: The first-ever majority agreement on disability services contains 25 reform initiatives, including:
Fewer reassessments to promote trust-based case processing
Easier access to aids (e.g. a cane for the visually impaired; a bath chair, etc.)
Simpler and more transparent additional expenses benefit
Training requirements for staff working in disability care.
The number of yearly conscripts has been increased to 7,500 and the mandatory conscription period went from four to 11 months: That’s the headline from the new defense agreement between a majority of parliamentary parties.
Mandatory conscription has been extended to include women from 2027.
190 billion DKK will be invested in the armed forces in the next decade.
48 billion DKK to establish a combat-ready unit of 6,000 soldiers by 2028. The unit will be a heavy brigade and represent “the fist of the army.”
47 billion DKK will be invested in land-based air defense, faster build-up of anti-submarine capabilities, and advanced acquisition of maritime close-in air missiles.
Since they abolished the Hawk system twenty years ago, Denmark doesn’t have ground-based air defense. 25 billion DKK will be invested into a new air defense system.
Danish Economics HQ
The three largest cities in Denmark (Copenhagen, Aarhus and Aalborg) want to introduce a deposit on take-away packaging: The mayors from the three cities have sent a joint letter to the Ministry of Environment to introduce a national recycling system for takeaway packaging (just like Pant, the one for the bottles). In the future, you will have to pay a bit more for coffee and takeaway food to ensure that you return the packaging and recover your deposit.
Seven of the Danish companies listed on OMX Copenhagen 25 presented their first quarter results.
Novo Nordisk made 25 billion DKK in profit. Sales for Wegovy increased twofold compared to the first quarter last year, while sales for Ozempic increased by 43%.
Vestas presented a deficit of over half a billion DKK. However, they expect the following quarters to be better and to end the year with a 100 million DKK profit.
AP Møller-Mærsk made a profit of 1.4 billion DKK. The situation in the Red Sea has shown uncertainty, and Maersk, for fear of being attacked in the Bab el-Mandeb strait off Yemen, has redirected its traffic through south of Africa.
Ørsted made a profit of 2.6 billion DKK.
Novo Nordisk, AP Møller-Mærsk and Dansk Industri have stopped their collaboration with Copenhagen Pride. Why? The two companies and the employer’s association believe that the event has become overly politicized, for example, by asking partners to take a stand on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The partnership will be resumed if the “Pride organization can ensure full focus on the rights and inclusion of sexual minorities in the future.”
Entrepreneur’s corner
Prepare for the SMV Digital 50,000 DKK voucher in August 2024. If you are a small or medium sized company (with minimum 2 full-time employees), you can get a European Union voucher for consultancy in digitalization of your administration and bookkeeping, cybersecurity, system integrations, e-commerce, online marketplaces, etc. For more information, contact info@aalborgid.com
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
Raise your flags: today we celebrate Danmarks Befrielse (Liberation Day of Denmark), after the country regained its freedom from Germany in 1945. In light of last week’s World Press Freedom Day, let’s take a look at Danish journalism during occupation. Although the media was highly censored, uncensored newspapers found their way through. Illegal press arose between Danes, with the Royal Library as one of the secret recipients. To stay unnoticed, issues were addressed to the “Historian” and kept in the archive. One night in 1944, the librarian was woken by the Gestapo, who had intercepted the illegal mail. He was forced to hand over the collection, but the lack of electric light in the library allowed him to get away with giving up only 10 packages lying close to the door. When questioned about other packages in the room, he stated the boxes contained tax lists. He continued to hide the material, this time behind the shelves.
During the five years of occupation, Danes were forced to darken their windows, and street lights were shielded from above. The blackout was intended to make it hard for airplanes to navigate over Denmark. At 8:35 on May 4, 1945, the BBC broadcast announced that German soldiers had withdrawn, which was followed by a collective burning of the curtains. To this day, it is tradition to light candles on the windowsills on the evening of May 4. While most of Denmark celebrated liberation on May 5, the island of Bornholm only reached liberation in 1946, when Soviet soldiers retreated.
The Copenhagen Marathon, an annual event held since 1980, is also taking place on Sunday, May 5. The race hosts 10,000+ participants and has a top prize of €8,000, with an additional €4,000 for new records. Check this year’s course map to learn where to watch it and be aware of traffic alterations.
On Thursday, May 9, we will be observing Ascension Day, a national holiday, and celebrating Europe Day.
Explainer
Moving forward, we will give you (the reader) the opportunity to co-create with us. If you have something worthy of communicating to fellow internationals in maximum 300 words, we can include your one-time contribution here. Send your contributions to lastweekdk@gmail.com
Weekly overview
The rules for abortion in Denmark have changed. First, the deadline of when you can get an abortion has been moved from the 12th week to the 18th week of pregnancy. Second, 15- to 17-year-olds can now have an abortion without consent from their parents or the Abortion Board. Lastly, the five regional abortion boards have been united into one national board.
Salmonella outbreak - the potential culprit? Minced meat. Since mid-March, 40 patients have been registered ill with the same type of salmonella. Now the DTU Food Institute, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) are jointly investigating the outbreak.
Should smoking be banned in outside public places? 63% of the people in Denmark want a ban on smoking in outside places where many people gather, like stadiums and pedestrian streets.
High UV index in Denmark in the coming days. The ozone layer is approximately 10 percent thinner than normal at the moment, and this results in a high UV index. In the coming days, the UV index in Denmark will be between 4.2 and 4.4. As soon as the index creeps up above 3, the Danish Cancer Society recommends that you protect yourself from the sun.
European Union HQ
Europe This Week
The Finnish airline Finnair has suspended its flights to the city of Tartu in Estonia. It comes after the airspace over eastern Estonia was subject to attacks targeting the GPS transmitters and receivers that the planes use to navigate.
Media freedom is in jeopardy in several EU countries, including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Hungary, with journalists facing threats and attacks. Liberties, a Berlin-based NGO, highlights political influence and violence against journalists, linking declining media freedom to the weakening rule of law. Legal intimidation and physical violence are widespread, leading to self-censorship among journalists. Despite challenges, the EU approved the Anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) directive to protect press freedom, countering strategic lawsuits.
EU politicians aim to curb tech giants' influence on children and youth, concerned about addictive behaviors on social media. Proposed measures include stricter legislation to limit screen time and regulate algorithms. Pressure mounts on the EU Commission to address tech giants' power, with calls for action on a European level.
Rights
There is no automatic EU-wide recognition of academic diplomas. You may therefore need to go through a national procedure to get your academic degree or diploma recognized in another EU country if you seek admission to a further course of study there. If you already know that you will eventually want to pursue further studies in a different country, check before you start whether your diploma will be recognized there.
Opportunities
Free trip to Poznan (Poland): Join a training course on environmental activism. June 22-29. Deadline! May 14. Sign up here.
Free trip to Mézangers (France): Join a training course on communication. October 29 - November 3. Deadline! May 15. Sign up here.
Free trip to Bucharest (Romania): Join the European Digital Youth Summit #EDYS24. July 16-21. Deadline! May 15. 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
Gentofte Rådhus, 11 May, 11:00-16:30: ASG Diplomatic Bazaar Copenhagen, charitable event where 26 countries will have booths selling national products. There will be a tombola, artistic performances and international food. entrance fee is 50 DKK.
Odense, May 15, 17:00: Newcomer Night where you’ll hear talks about common issues when settling in a new city like banking, housing, and childcare. Plus, there will be a guest speaker from Odense Renovation who will present how climate considerations impact our everyday lives.
Odense, May 21, 17:30-20:00: British journalist and bestselling author Helen Russell (The Year of Living Danishly) will talk about raising kids in Denmark, and about why people in the Nordics are the way they are.
International media about Denmark HQ
Denmark to ban clothing and shoes containing toxic 'forever chemicals' (ABC)
Color, castles and eco communities: your travel guide to Denmark’s vibrant cities, towns and islands (Guardian)
Denmark to restrict Ozempic, other GLP-1 drugs, to treat type 2 diabetes (Reuters)
Last Week in Denmark’s Universe
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