The Week That Was, February 27th – March 5th 2017      

Politics/Economy:

Integration Minister Inger Støjberg lashed out at ‘greedy refugees’ whose only aim is to demand more and more from the Danish state.

Social Liberal leader Morten Østergaard said he was confident he can get former coalition partner, the Social Democrats, ‘back on the right track’ despite their ‘flirt’ with the Danish People’s Party (DPP) but warned that the growing cooperation between the two former enemies is a threat to the years-long centre-left alliance – at the same time DPP leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl dismissed speculation about forming a coalition with the Social Democrats after the next election.

Boeing filed a lawsuit over the Ministry of Defence’s failure to respond to a request for access to documents regarding Denmark’s purchase of rival Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.

Military Intelligence (FE) said cable channel YouSee’s blackout on New Year’s Eve, which prevented viewers from seeing the Queen’s speech, could have been caused by a foreign power.

The Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) urged the government to extend the so-called ‘researcher tax scheme’ that helps businesses and research institutions to attract highly skilled employees from abroad.

The economy grew less than expected in the fourth quarter of 2016 – the latest Statistics Denmark figures showed growth slowed as public expenditure and investments declined.

Retail sales increased in January after falling in the previous two months, a positive sign for consumer spending.

Financial inequality in Denmark continues to grow – disposable income amongst residents of the affluent North Zeeland region, north of Copenhagen, has risen considerably over the past decade while those who live in suburbs west of the capital continue to struggle.

Foreign Affairs/EU:

Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen confirmed his participation at a top-level Arctic conference to be held in Northern Russia later this month, signalling a thaw in Denmark’s chilly relationship with Moscow.

Leading Danish and Norwegian military experts claimed Russian aggression in the Baltics and President Trump’s demands for increased defence spending could encourage Denmark to strengthen its military ties with Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Norway has forged close links with the new Trump Administration over the past month, causing concern that Denmark is being left behind.

The Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) immigration spokesman, Martin Henriksen, said Anglela Merkel has set her country on the ‘path to self-destruction’ after the Chancellor claimed at a rally that ‘everybody who lives in Germany is part of the people’.

Leading terror expert Magnus Ranstorp of the Swedish Defence Academy said Sweden could learn a lot from Denmark as it struggles to stop the ever-growing number of Swedish Islamic State sympathisers.

Commentaters expressed concern that Denmark could become a ‘B-member’ of the EU after the President of the European Commission set out the EU’s ‘five pathways to unity’ survival blueprint after Brexit – the Danish People’s Party (DPP) warned that a two-speed European Union would hurt Denmark in the long term.

Three opposition parties – the Social Liberals, Socialist People’s Party (SPP) and Alternatives – called on all pro-EU parties in parliament to make a formal agreement that would prevent any future referendum on Denmark’s membership of the union.

The head of the Asia Department of the Foreign Ministry testified that he flatly refused to enforce China’s requests for suppression of free-speech during a state visit by China’s president at the time, Hu Jintao, in 2012.

A ruling from the European Court of Justice disallowing Denmark’s data-logging surveillance strategy caused division amongst the three coalition parties.

Minister for Employment Troels Lund Poulsen is exploring harsher punishments for foreign fighters who continue to claim Danish social benefits while in combat abroad.

Denmark’s Ambassador to Iran was summoned to the foreign ministry in Teheran following an alleged ‘violation’ of the country’s embassy in Denmark.

The government donated DKK 20m towards UNICEF’s efforts to help children and former child soldiers who have fled the terrorist movement Boko Haram in Nigeria.

To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required)

Social Affairs;

New Ministry of Justice figures showed nearly 3000 people, most of them from the Middle East, have been turned away since border control was re-imposed in January of last year.

New figures from the National Penal Authority revealed that housing foreigners awaiting deportation at a disused prison last year cost DKK3,794 ($540) per night, compared to DKK3,250 for a superior room at the posh D’Angleterre Hotel at Kongen’s Nytorv.

4,300 new housing units were completed in Copenhagen last year, the highest number since the World War 2.

Business:

Copenhagen Airport increased its annual number of passengers by 10% in 2016, to 29m, leading to DKK 4.4bn in turnover.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said Danish trade unions’ two-year fight for a wages agreement have failed and he expects to establish a hub at Copenhagen Airport ‘within the next 12 months’.

Maersk Oil wing denied rumours they had come to a deal with the Ministry of Finance over oil extraction in the Tyra field of the North Sea – the company has previously stated it would be difficult to envision Danish oil production continuing without the Tyra field.

Medicine giant Novo Nordisk acknowledged that 95,000 e-mail addresses, names, and telephone numbers were mistakenly posted on its website for three weeks in January.

And on one single day Denmark generated sufficient wind energy to power all its electricity needs.

And That Was the Week That Was, February 27th – March 5th 2017     To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required)