The Week That Was, June 13th – 19th 2022:
Politics/Economy:
The Mink Commission announced it will submit its final conclusions to Parliament at the end of this month – opposition parties have already said they want to see the PM impeached if she’s implicated by the report.
In a strong sign that an election could be approaching, the government intensified its attacks on the opposition – after Employment Minister Peter Hummelgaard accused the opposition Liberals (Venstre) of copying Donald Trump’s dirty-tricks methods to ‘sow distrust’ in Danish institutions and authorities, Justice Minister Mattias Tesfaye followed up by accusing the Liberals of employing campaign methods that are ‘poisonous to democracy.’
Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s hopes of positioning himself at the dead-centre of Danish politics were boosted by a new poll showing his new Moderates Party would win seven seats if an election was held today – the former prime minister has made it clear he wants to hold the balance of power.
Nearly half of the electorate reacted positively to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s suggestion of an across-the-aisle, multi-party coalition in the future – 40% of voters in a new poll said they would prefer a government consisting of both ‘blue’ and ‘red’ parties while nearly half said they believed a left/right coalition would be beneficial for Denmark.
Integration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek said the British government’s failed attempt to send asylum seekers to Rwanda wont affect Denmark’s own plans.
Former Danish People’s Party (DPP) leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl announced he won’t be running for the party at the next election, another sign he could be preparing to start a new political party alongside former immigration minister Inger Støjberg.
The struggling Danish People’s Party (DPP) launched a new campaign – ‘It’s OK to be normal’ – a fightback against the ‘woke culture’ and identity politics that it claims are dominating Danes’ lives.
For the 3rd consecutive year, the Conservatives’ Søren Pape Poulsen was ranked the ‘most credible’ party leader at Christiansborg (parliament) followed by Social Liberal leader Pia Olsen Dyhr, Prime Minister Mette Frederiken and, surprisingly, Liberal Alliance leader Alex Vanopslagh in 4th spot.
The government and its allies on the left agreed to remove the controversial benefits cap imposed by the previous Liberal-led government in 2016 that limited the amount welfare recipients can claim in supplementary benefits, such as child or housing allowances.
Health spending rose to DKK 270.8bn ($39bn) last year, nearly 11% of Denmark’s total GDP – the DKK25.5bn ($3.6bn) increase on 2020 was mainly due to costs related to the corona virus.
EU/Foreign Affairs:
Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said Denmark will do everything it can for Ukraine to achieve their European dream after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi backed the country’s EU candidacy.
In a virtual press briefing for the Danish media only, Tuesday, Ukraine’s President Zelinsky expressed gratitude to all Danes on behalf of his countrymen, saying ‘…we will always remember all the countries that have helped us fight Russian terrorism and will always offer a helping hand if – God forbid – Denmark ever needs assistance.’ Denmark, in partnership with the UK, will host a humanitarian donors’ conference for Ukraine in August.
The U.S. Senate confirmed businessman Alan Leventhal as the country’s next ambassador to Denmark – the 69-year-old Mr Leventhal helped Joe Biden raise millions for his 2020 presidential campaign. His predecessor, Carla Sands, was ridiculed on social media for claiming that Danes cycle so much because they can’t afford to buy a car.
After signing an agreement with Canada, Tuesday, that divides the ownership of Hans Island, a large piece of rock in the Arctic, Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod called the deal a ‘good example for all border disputes.’
For the first time ever, Denmark claimed the top spot in the Lausanne-based Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Ranking, pushing Switzerland down to 2nd place – Singapore, Sweden and Hong Kong follow in 3rd, 4th and 5th position respectively.
Social Affairs:
180 Afghan refugees who were evacuated from Kabul last August amidst the chaos following the withdrawal of international troops left Denmark this week for a better life in the USA – one man said Denmark is a good country for Danes but not for immigrants.
New data showed that 76,278 immigrants reached Denmark last year, compared to 70,340 the previous year.
The corona virus is on the rise throughout the country – the latest status report by the National Serum institute shows the number of people infected rose by 53% between June 6th -12th. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke reported earlier that the transmission rate has risen to 1.1, which means 10 people are infecting 11 others.
Copenhagen was named the world’s most liveable city for the second year running.
Business:
Two young women sued Maersk at a New York court, claiming the Danish shipping giant failed to protect them from rape and sexual harassment.
The government was given the backing of parliament to help Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) stave off impending bankruptcy – a cross-party majority agreed to increase the Danish state’s stake in the struggling carrier to between 22 and 30%.
A Lithuanian woman, already imprisoned for helping Russian businessmen launder millions of dollars through fictive companies in this country, pleaded guilty to involvement in laundering more than DKK 29bn ($4.1 bn) through Danske Bank’s Estonian branch.
Danish toy giant Lego announced plans to invest more than $1 bn (DKK7bn) in its first factory in the USA.
Clean energy giant Ørsted opened an office in Madrid after establishing partnerships with four local companies.
And That Was The Week That Was, June 13th-19th 2022: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).