The Week That Was, February 24th – March 1st 2020:

Politics/Economy:

Social Liberal (Radikale) leader Morten Østergaard warned that unless the government presents a climate plan of action before June 5th (Constitution Day) his party will pull its parliamentary support – Climate Minister Dan Jørgensen acknowledged that the government has no idea what its 2030 green conversion plans will cost.

The Red/Greens threatened to topple the climate minister unless he kick-starts negotiations for a climate action plan.

Opposition leader Jacob Ellemann-Jensen warned he won’t resume equality reform bill negotiations with the government, aimed at transferring DKK18.5bn (€2.5bn) from prosperous, well-functioning local authorities to more vulnerable regions struggling with social problems, until the proposed multi-million ‘integration grant’ is halved.

Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen apologised for a leaked e-mail sent by the Social Democrats’ press office urging party officials to find ‘compromising stories’ on the Liberals.

Denmark contributed DKK8m ($1.2m) to the international fight against the coronavirus – the money will be channeled through WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies – the Ministry of Health put two military barracks on standby to house hundreds of potential coronavirus victims.

For the second time in two weeks the far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party held an anti-Muslim demonstration outside a prominent Copenhagen mosque while a funeral service was being conducted inside – video sharing service YouTube closed down the nationalist party’s propaganda channel, ‘The Voice of Freedom’.

The government put forward new rape legislation based on consent.

The Alternatives’ steering committee gave new leader Josephine Fock a vote of confidence following allegations of harassment and mistreatment of party workers.

Consumer confidence, an indicator of the overall health of the economy, fell slightly in February after rising in the preceding month.

Foreign Affairs/EU:

Parliament’s Health & Elderly Committee postponed a fact-finding trip to Israel as the coronavirus continues to spread.

Parliament’s Foreign Policy Committee approved the government’s request to allow a Danish naval frigate to join the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG)on a training exercise.

The Danish Radio and Television Board, part of the Culture Ministry, closed down a satellite TV station run by anti -Teheran exiled Iranians.

A new Eurostat report showed Danes are more likely to be targeted by internet fraudsters than any other country in the EU – 1 in 3 EU citizens aged 16 to 74 reported security-related incidents when using the internet for private purposes but the highest rates were observed in Denmark.

Social Affairs:

A TV2 producer tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from a ski holiday in the Lombardy region in northern Italy on Monday – 16 of his colleagues were sent home, Thursday, and ordered to remain isolated for the next 14 days.

Local mayors throughout the country warned they won’t force new citizens to shake hands when receiving their citizenship, as required by law – a man who refused to shake hands during a naturalisation ceremony at Copenhagen City Hall, Wednesday, was denied citizenship.

Denmark agreed to start accepting UN quota refugees again, the first time since 2017 – the first sixteen were scheduled to arrive from Turkish camps over the weekend.

The killers of a reformed gang leader who had turned his back on crime were given life sentences by Frederiksberg District Court, Tuesday – Nedim Yasar, 31, who had become a radio presenter, was shot dead in Copenhagen last year.

Copenhagen is the best city for expats on assignment, according to a new study.

Business:

Shares in A.P. Møller-Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, have slumped by 20 percent following the coronavirus outbreak, causing a DKK33bn ($5bn) drop in market value – the shipper ordered any employee who’s been in South Korea or Northern Italy to work from home for the next 14 days.

Engineering group Danfoss also imposed a 14-day work at home order on any employee who’s been in China, Singapore, South Korea, and Northern Italy – on Tuesday TDC, Denmark’s largest telecommunications company, asked 10 employees who’ve been in ‘second hand’ contact with any person diagnosed with the coronavirus to work from home over the next few days. SAS has already lost around DKK140m ($20.3m) due to the coronavirus and the figure looks like growing – the Scandinavian airline usually flies around 250,000 people between Scandinavia and China (Beijing and Shanghai) every year but has suspended all flights in February and March.

Danske Bank announced plans to fire 230 employees and discontinue 400 positions across the Nordic region as it continues to struggle with the repercussions of the money laundering crisis – former Danske CEO Thomas Borgen was personally sued by angry investors seeking damages of €358m ($387m) who claim he withheld information about potential money laundering that subsequently destroyed the bank’s stock market value.

Jyske Bank, Denmark’s second-largest lender, said it would impose negative interest on clients’ personal accounts in excess of DKK250,000, down from an earlier DKK 750,000 limit.

A new report revealed even more corruption and fraud than previously revealed at brewing giant Carlsberg’s Indian subsidiary.

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures the average changes in prices received by domestic producers for their output, declined in January – retail sales rose in January after falling in the preceding month

And That Was the Week That Was February 24th – March 1st 2020: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).