The Week That Was, September 19th – September 25th, 2022:
Politics/Economy:
The latest Epinion poll for DR News indicates a virtual dead heat between the two opposing alliances if an election was held right now, with 84 seats for the government and its allies, and 85 for the ‘blue bloc’ parties, both less than the 90 needed for an overall majority – at the same time, the new poll showed the Conservatives have slipped back in the wake of the negative media coverage surrounding party leader Søren Pape Poulsen.
An independent team of lawyers hired to assess whether the prime minister should face impeachment for her role in the Minkgate scandal concluded there are grounds for prosecution under the Ministerial Responsibility Act – New Right leader Pernille Vermund called for Ms Frederiksen’s immediate impeachment if the opposition wins the upcoming election.
Ex-prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he would push to lower taxes for higher-income groups by raising the threshold for paying the punitive, top rate of income tax if his new party, the Moderates, wins parliamentary representation at the next election.
The Christian Democrats picked a controversial Muslim politician to run for parliament at the next election – Elif Demir Gökce, a former city councillor member in Brøndby, west of Copenhagen, was forced to quit the Social Liberals (Radikale) this year after claiming that the brutal murder of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty in 2020 had nothing to do with Islam ‘because Muslims don’t murder people’
The Red/Greens’ plan to redistribute billions of kroner from companies enjoying windfall profits from galloping inflation to consumers faced with sky-high food and energy prices was dismissed as ‘unfeasible’ by leading economists.
The government proposed a 13 kroner ($1.80) passenger duty per ticket on all flights departing Danish airports, part of its ‘Green Air Travel for All’ initiative.
The National Audit Office launched an investigation into cabinet ministers’ possible misuse of their government-issued credit card, following the controversy surrounding Food Minister Rasmus Prehn, who handed in his official credit card last month after it was revealed that he’d repeatedly used it to charge restaurant bills to his ministerial expense account.
The latest figures showed the consumer confidence index fell to a historical low in September.
The National Bank projected the economy will shrink by 0.1% next year – Governor General Lars Rohde said the public needs to prepare for a period of weakened activity and declining employment.
Leading economists warned that negative growth, high inflation, and lower real wages are a dangerous cocktail that could lead to political instability.
Foreign Affairs/EU:
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the West has been too naïve when dealing with Vladimir Putin, following the Russian president’s thinly-veiled threat of a nuclear attack – Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said he was ’truly shocked’ by Putin’s ‘irresponsible and completely unacceptable nuclear threat’ while Defence Minister Moren Bødskov described Russia’s announcement of partial military mobilisation as a threat to European peace.
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary accompanied Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to the United Nations General Assembly to help lobby for Denmark’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC).
For the first time ever, Denmark requested the right to intervene in a legal dispute between two sovereign states at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, where Ukraine has accused Russia of presenting false accusations of genocide to justify its invasion.
Social Affairs:
Danish People’s Party (DPP) leader Morten Messerschmidt defended his controversial claim that the country’s hospitals and waiting rooms often remind him of ‘Bedouin camps’ because they are ‘full to the brim’ with Muslims.
Environment professionals said Denmark’s decision to unilaterally pay DKK100m ($13.3m) to developing countries affected by climate change is ‘symbolically important’ even though it isn’t a great deal of money in terms of combatting disasters.
HM Queen Margrethe tested positive for Covid after returning home from London, raising fears that Queen Elizabeth’s funeral could have been a ‘super spreader’ event.
Business:
The Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) warned that Russia is trying to circumvent EU sanctions by persuading Danish companies to export goods to intermediary countries, from where they can be re-exported to Russia.
Denmark’s biggest bank, Danske, was fined €1.82 million by the Central Bank of Ireland for failing to ensure that its Dublin-based branch properly monitored transactions for potential money laundering or terrorist financing for almost a decade.
A group of 74 disgruntled shareholders, including top pension funds, trusts, and investment banks, filed a class action lawsuit against former Danske Bank CEO Thomas Borgen for his role in the Estonia money laundering scandal.
And That was the Week That Was, September 18th – September 25th 2022. To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).