The end of social media in Denmark?; Medical cannabis; We must drink less alcohol
Last Week in Denmark (24.11-01.12) Episode 41 Year 4
Editor HQ
State of Europe
Did you enjoy the first Advent calendar gift? A little dopamine rush in the morning, just enough to get you in the holiday mood. For some of us, the holiday mood is a bit delayed. Why, you might wonder? Well, if you are from Moldova, you just dodged a bullet by electing a pro-European president. However, if you are from Georgia, that bullet hit straight, and now you are probably on the streets trying to get your country back from the foreign operatives. And, Romania.
Well, Romania. Today, Romanians are supposed to celebrate their coming together (the union of Moldavians, Wallachians, and Transylvanians). Yet the celebrations are overshadowed by society being split apart at the seams. Families turned against each other, old friendships ended in minutes, people returned to religious fundamentalism. Why? A well-crafted Russian hybrid attack via TikTok. A mystic leader that speaks well and is able to reflect people's fears and anger that has appeared from nowhere. He has an aura that makes some people think that he is the second coming of Jesus. That, together with the power of algorithms to continuously feed exactly what you want to hear, had damaging effects on democracy. The result? We will know after December 9.
However, everyone is worried. From Washington to Brussels, from Copenhagen to Paris, all the state leaders are looking at the events unfolding in Romania. A Russian takeover of an EU and NATO member would be damaging to both and would weaken the Eastern Front. If this succeeds, no democracy will be safe from the power of TikTok.
Referral Campaign
It’s the third week of the referral campaign sponsored by Bloomtree Tech, and we are slowly getting closer to the 2,000 subscriber goal! In fact, we are at 1,454 new subscribers. If you missed the details about the competition last week, you can read about it here.
Top 5 this week (11/29/2024): Ellie Owens (231); Milena Giunti (79); Alina Racila (77); Rupert Jacobsen (63); Keith Machado (59).
There is one more week left in the competition (deadline December 13), which means it is still anyone’s game. A quick tip to the players - remember that we have seven language editions besides English (you can find the links at the end of the newsletter), where you can also gather points if you have people who might want to read those editions.
Thank you for reading and sharing Last Week in Denmark!
P.S. - The weapons collection by the police is over. Watch this video to see what people were keeping in their houses. Also, if you want to start the week with a smile, read this story about the AI grandma who is terrorizing the phone scammers.
LWID Universe
Podcast host: Do you like to comment on everyday happenings? Want to share your witty remarks with the international community in Denmark? Join our podcast team for “Last Week in Denmark: Unfolded” as a volunteer co-host. Send a mail to lastweekdk@gmail.com
New language edition: Before we end the 2024 season, we have a wish - to put together a volunteer team to create a Ukrainian version of the newsletter. The Ukrainian community has grown to be in the top three nationalities in Denmark. What do we need? A team leader, translators from English to Ukrainian, proofreaders, promoters, and original content curators. Hopefully we can launch the first episode in January 2025. Apply here.
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Danish Politics HQ
Weekly political overview
The special law for Ukrainian refugees has been extended until March 2026. Authorities will automatically extend the resident permits granted under the special law. This law allows Ukrainian refugees to stay in Denmark and have more-or-less equal rights with European citizens.
From April 2025, you will be able to get an X-ray or ultrasound done at your local chiropractor. The Regional Councils and the Association of Chiropractors entered into a new agreement that allows general practitioners to refer citizens to the local chiropractor for X-rays and ultrasounds. Also, people with disorders in the musculoskeletal system will be referred to a chiropractor without having to pay for it. Read the agreement here.
Medical cannabis is here to stay. The pilot scheme that allowed patients to request medical cannabis to relieve pain and nausea, which started in 2018, will be made permanent until at least 2026. The scheme is for patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, cancer, and chronic pain.
Progress in the Parliament. Simultaneous interpretation in Greenlandic and Danish has now been introduced during question time with the Prime Minister. This achievement can be credited to the member of Parliament, Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam, who held multiple speeches in Greenlandic in Parliament and lobbied for the introduction of Greenlandic interpretation.
Denmark’s proposal for European Union Commissioner has been approved. The former social-democrat minister Dan Jørgensen is the new Energy and Housing Commissioner. He has three major tasks ahead: to achieve independence from Russian gas, to boost the green transition, and to ensure competitiveness on the energy market. Within the first 100 days, he has to present a proposal on how to make the industry in Europe more climate-friendly.
Mette Frederiksen supports the arrest warrant for the Prime Minister of Israel. The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. Why? There are allegations that Israel has committed war crimes in the Palestinian territory. They have deliberately prevented civilians in Gaza from accessing food, water, medicine, and other necessities.
Proposals from political parties
A large majority in Parliament (which includes the government parties) wants to reopen international adoptions from next year. Liberal Alliance (Libertarian Conservatives) says it is too early.
Snapshots from the political stage
The Ministry of Culture is annoyed by issues with the login requirement on the national television (DR TV) and wants them solved as soon as possible.
Focus
The Medical Association presented several measures against the culture of drinking alcohol in Denmark. The message is clear: “We must drink less alcohol.”
The minimum age for the sale of all types of alcohol should be raised to 18 years old.
There should be a minimum price on alcohol in order to raise its price.
Stronger alcohols in grocery stores should be hidden just like the nicotine products.
Ban the sales of alcohol between 22:00 and 8:00 in shops.
Ban the sales of alcohol in gas stations.
Ban the marketing of alcohol products.
Ban alcohol at school parties.
Promote the idea of alcohol-free communities.
Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) is open to the ideas, but they first need to internally debate them. However, they already support two of the proposals: raising the minimum age limit and introducing a minimum price on alcohol. Venstre (Liberals), on the other hand, cannot see the proposals from the Medical Association becoming reality soon.
50,000 people have signed for a citizenship initiative that wants a ban on social media for people under 18 years old. Once they reach 50,000 signatures, the citizen initiatives must be debated in Parliament. The new Minister of Digitalization, Caroline Stage, is ready to fight with the social media giants to protect young people. However, the social media ban for those under 18 is impossible at a national level; there needs to be a European decision on it.
Most political parties find the 18-year-old limit too high and prefer the ban apply only to those under 15 years old.
50% of children have a social media profile before the age of 10, and by 13 the percentage rises to 94.
The problem will be how to enforce a social media ban unless you ban sites across Denmark.
Words from the editor: If you can, keep your children and young’uns far away from social media as long as possible. Don’t stay on social media in their presence, as that will affect their behavior as well. Read more here.
Since 2018, Danish citizens could propose citizen initiatives (unfortunately, if you don’t have citizenship, you cannot initiate or sign) for Parliament to debate and vote on. 1,850 citizen initiatives have been proposed, from which 53 have gathered the 50,000 signatures needed. Of the 53, only seven initiatives have become law. One proposal that became law was the introduction of a six-month paid leave of absence if you lose a child.
Danish Economics HQ
Weekly economics overview
The fight between the Consumer Ombudsman and the energy companies continues. This time, the focus is on Andel Energi. They forgot to inform customers about changes to the electricity contracts. This means customers are not bound by the changes and can claim a refund. For example, customers with BasisEl that have been transitioned to TimeEnergi. Also those with Fast Energi Solar & Wind to TimeEnergi. You can appeal for a refund here.
Finans Danmark Fraud Task Force presented 18 recommendations against online fraud. In 2023, 190,000 people in Denmark were exposed to digital fraud. Among the proposals, you can find a spam filter for SMS messages, a two-factor authentication requirement for social media, and more power to banks to enforce control checks.
In three years, the chocolate factory Toms will be moving its production from Denmark to Poland. The brand Toms is iconic for Denmark and has a century-old history. They will continue to produce candy in Denmark at Hvidovre, but the chocolate production will be moved to Nowa Sol (West Poland). Around 170 people will need to find another job.
35 fatal accidents in a year in Denmark. Almost every ten days, a worker loses their life. Most prone workplace to accidents? Construction sites. The large majority of the fatal accidents involve international workers. At the last accident on the construction site of the Flemløse Biogas plant, two young Romanians lost their lives. They are still searching for the third, while six others of different nationalities were injured.
The minister of employment announced a package of initiatives to strengthen the powers of the Danish Working Environment Authority.
Focus
2,100 billion DKK from rich countries to poor ones as compensation for climate change consequences. COP29, the yearly meeting on climate between all countries, has ended with a financial climate agreement: from 2035, rich countries need to triple their support for poor countries to 2,100 billion DKK. While considered a success, the leaders of the 77 developing countries say the amount is far from what is needed to deal with climate change effects. They need four times the amount proposed.
Danish companies want to invest in rebuilding Ukraine. The minister of business, together with 22 companies, has been on a secret trip to Ukraine to better understand the opportunities offered for the companies in Denmark. There are already around 200 Danish companies in Ukraine.
There is 5.6 billion DKK in government export support for companies that want to enter the Ukrainian market.
Just like Germany was rebuilt after the war with international support, which turned into an economic miracle, there is the same hope for Ukraine. The World Bank expects an amount of 3,400 billion DKK (three times the post-WW2 Marshall Plan) to be invested in Ukraine.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Insights into the Danish way of life
It’s today! The month of December has arrived. For some, it comes as a surprise - where did 2024 go? For others, it has been a long year. One way or another, the 1st of December marks the date for the annual Christmas tree lighting in the main square in the capital. Since 1914, Rådhuspladsen (or the City Hall Square) has gathered massive numbers of people who get together to begin the advent countdown.
The first lighting up took place at the beginning of the first World War as a way of giving people hope and something to feel jolly about. By the mid-20th century, the event had grown into a large public celebration, supported by Copenhagen Municipality and other organizations. All around the country, mayors and citizens are enjoying the lighting up of Christmas trees at their communes’ town squares.
If you are still unsure about how to decorate your place, supermarkets are currently overflowing with fresh Christmas trees. The most common ones are the Norwegian Spruce and the Nordmann Fir, but many Danes also take pride in choosing a fresh, locally grown tree and cutting it down themselves. Next week, we will share more information about traditional Danish ornaments to put on the tree or around the house!
Weekly overview
“Emily in Paris” coming to Copenhagen for a season? The ministry of culture wrote a letter to Netflix to invite the producers of “Emily in Paris” to shoot a new season in Copenhagen. To attract them to Denmark, they point out a production discount that makes it cheaper to shoot foreign films here. The main actor of the TV serial, Lily Collins, already has a house in Copenhagen. The minister plans to send more letters to other popular TV serials.
The most popular dinner in Denmark is rye bread with cold cuts. In the top five, you can also find chicken with side dishes, pizza, pasta with meat sauce, and lasagna. The burger used to be in the top 5 in previous years. Dinner is also the most valued meal of the day.
The environmental zone rules will be updated in April 2025. An exception will be introduced to allow emergency driving in the environmental zone without a particle filter. Emergency driving is when driving to the maternity ward or to the hospital for treatment, or when you drive to a crisis or substance abuse center. You can see here where the environmental zones are. The fine for driving there without a particle filter is 1,500 DKK.
The Salling group will no longer throw food waste in the trash. The food will instead be given directly to the Food Bank (Fødevarebanken), which will further deliver it to the various volunteer-run charity kitchens around the country. The concept is called Madplus, and it’s supposed to save 2,700 tons of food every year - the equivalent of 6.5 million meals. Salling group is Netto, Føtex, and Bilka.
Do you know how to prepare for a three-day crisis situation? Watch this graphic explainer.
So far, 68% of people in Denmark have yet to prepare for a three-day crisis situation. Why? Lack of space, lack of money, and not believing it will actually be needed.
International Community in Denmark HQ
Three citizenship applicants who qualify will be called for a special “meeting” with the Citizenship Committee under the Parliament to discuss if they have strong enough democratic values. Why? Their background check revealed that they posted certain questionable opinions on social media.
What is the problem with this invitation? Well, first, there is no precedent or clear legal framework for it. The staff of the committee still needs to figure out how to make it legal. Second, this is the brainchild of the committee chairman, Mikkel Bjørn (DF - Nationalist Conservative), who wants to participate in the meeting with the applicants to personally evaluate if they deserve the citizenship. This is dangerous, as he already has an opinion, regardless of the outcome of the meeting, which means he is just looking for an excuse to deny.
International media about Denmark HQ
32-year-old American in Denmark, one of the world’s happiest countries: “I’ve built a rich life here” (CNBC)
Widespread disruption in Denmark after mobile network outage (Sky News)
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