The Week That Was, April 19th – 24th 2022:
Ukraine crisis:
During a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, Thursday Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen promised to increase Denmark’s military aid to the war-torn country by DKK 600m ($87m) bringing the overall contribution since Russia invaded to DKK1bn ($146bn).
Ukrainian refugees will be able to seek work even though they haven’t yet been granted residency, the Immigration Ministry said.
Politics/Economy:
The government presented plans to quadruple green power production by 2030 but at the same time temporarily increase natural gas production to free Denmark of dependence on Russian energy – it also proposed a carbon tax of DKK1,125 ($164.21) per tonne of carbon dioxide on heavy industry and businesses to make Denmark’s ambitious target of a 70% reduction in greenhouse gasses reachable by 2020.
Consumers’ view of the economic situation has dropped to a 34-year low – the Consumer Confidence Index fell to minus 20.9 in March, the lowest level since 1988 and even lower than during the financial crisis. Producer prices, often used to gauge inflation, accelerated again in March to set a new record.
In its latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected 2.3% Danish growth in GDP for the current year and a 3.8% rise in consumer prices.
Anti-Muslim politician Rasmus Paludan announced he’s running for election to the Swedish parliament this year – over the Easter period, the far-right extremist’s Quran-burning demonstrations sparked off riots in several Swedish towns.
The Liberal Alliance (LA) called for a probe into the government’s role in the treason charge levelled against former defence minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen.
18 employees have quit the Danish People’s Party (DPP) over the past few months, indicating a tough psychological work environment according to a report by the Arbejdstilsynet (Danish Working Environment Agency).
EU/Foreign Affairs:
The government resumed talks with Rwanda about setting up an offshore processing centre for asylum seekers – Immigration Minister Mattias Tesfaye praised the British government’s plan for a similar scheme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is expected to visit Denmark at the start of May, part of a European trip that will also include Germany and France.
Denmark’s military contribution to NATO will be increased after an across-the-aisle parliamentary majority voted to contribute more to land, sea and air missions in the Baltic.
Social Affairs:
Smokers could soon be paying DKK 100 ($16.25) for a packet of cigarettes – the government proposed a hefty price increase on cigarettes to prevent young people from starting to smoke and encourage others to quit.
The war in Ukraine and rising interest rates have had little impact on the housing market boom – 22,584 homes were sold in the year’s first quarter (Q1), the second-highest figure for the January – March period since 2011,
A parliamentary majority is pushing to outlaw all criminal street gangs.
Business:
The number of businesses going bust has risen to pre-corona levels – 242 firms or companies filed for bankruptcy in March, the highest since October 2019.
Iconic Danish shoe brand Ecco’s reputation as a global luxury company and Purveyor to HM the Queen has been ruined by its failure to close down 250 stores in Russia – nine Danish companies are being investigated for a possible violation of EU sanctions on Russia.
Danish investment bank, Saxo, notified its Russian and Belarusian clients about the termination of services from June.
And That was The Week That Was, April 19th – 24th 2022- To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).