The Week That Was, May 23rd – May 29th
Politics / Economy
Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen defended an upcoming income tax hike meant to offset the abolishment of the PSO energy duty – critics accused him of violating a campaign promise to freeze taxes but he called the increase ‘unavoidable’.
At a mini economic summit involving business and trade union leaders, the PM stressed a need for welfare reforms to get more people into the labour market.
The government cut its growth forecast for 2016 from 1.9% to 1.1% amid continuing sluggishness in the economy and also reduced this year’s inflation estimates and next year’s growth expectations – in another report the finance ministry predicted that Denmark’s GDP growth will not grow faster than 1%-1.25% per year after 2020. Economists remain pessimistic about the Danish economy despite employment levels rising by 12,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2016 – as consumer confidence dropped to a 7-month low they claimed productivity still hasn’t picked up.
Former editor of Jyllands-Posten, Fleming Rose, who published the ‘Mohammed cartoons’ in 2005 that sparked riots throughout the Middle East, won this year’s ‘Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty’ for his work on promoting free speech.
The recently formed ‘New Conservatives’ party challenged the Danish People’s Party for not holding strong on their right wing beliefs – they want to appeal to voters with an even tougher rhetoric on immigration.
An employee at the Danish Patent and Trademark Office was duped by a Nigerian scam email into transferring DKK 6.7m abroad, but the error was uncovered in time to reverse the transaction and recover the funds.
The government announced an independent historical review of Denmark’s military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans.
Aarhus city council scrapped plans to build a mega mosque in the city after a recent documentary showed imams calling for stoning and beatings
The Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) Søren Espersen cancelled a trip to the US to meet with congressional leaders after being accused of called President Obama the ‘N-word’ but later reversed his decision after the Social Democrats’ Jeppe Kofod withdrew the accusation.
The DPP proposed legislation that would legalise the sale of pepper spray for self-defense.
The Social Democrats altered their stance on refugees by proposing a cap on the number Denmark should take – ‘ closer to 1,000 than 10,000’.
Foreign Affairs / EU
Russia’s ambassador in Copenhagen Mikhail Vanin accused Denmark of conducting an ‘anti-Russia campaign’ in recent months, pointing to the government’s recent decision to send troops to Estonia as part of a NATO mission.
A parliamentary majority is looking to cap child benefits after a Syrian refugee was granted family reunification with 17 of his 20 children, all who would be eligible for child support benefits – the EU court of Human Rights ruled that Danish family reunification laws are discriminatory and need to change.
Five Syrians launched a legal challenge of the government’s family reunification restrictions, which they claim violates their rights.
Danish EU Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, approved plans for beer producer Anheuser-Busch InBev to take over rival SABMiller in a $100 billion deal.
Denmark will contribute DKK 630 million to the UN’s war on hunger.
The Danish People’s Party expressed disappointment at the defeat of the right wing Freedom Party in Austria’s recent election.
A US based IT-security company confirmed that Iran was behind a four month long cyber attack on the Foreign Ministry last year.
Social Affairs
Press Photographer Flemming Nielsen was acquitted for charges of racism stemming from a Facebook post in which he equated Islam to Nazism – he successfully argued he wasn’t insulting Muslims, only the ideology.
American authorities are investigating Planet Aid, the sister organization of Danish charity organization Tvind which has been involved in embezzlement and corruption scandals in the past.
A study from Nykredit found that foreign workers took 70% of new jobs in Denmark, with the majority going to Romanians and Poles.
Business
State owned energy giant, DONG energy, set its share price for its upcoming IPO (Initial Public Offering) at an ambitious DKK 200-225, which could make it one of the biggest IPOs this year – this came just as the company acquired the rights to an offshore wind power project in New Jersey, USA, that will provide energy for up to half a million homes. The European Union ruled that an electricity agreement between DONG and government-owned grid operator Energinet.dk does not constitute state aid.
A panel of experts in the US voted 16-0 in favor of recommending the approval Novo Nordisk’s new type-2 diabetes medication to the FDA.
The family that owns Lego surpassed the the family owning Maersk as ‘Denmark’s richest’ – Lego made it on to Forbes’ list of the world’s most valuable brands this year, putting it in the same category as Apple and McDonalds.
SAS was forced to cancel flights from Copenhagen airport after a technical inspection revealed problems with the landing gear on a few of their planes.
The state non-profit corporation Energinet confirmed that it had an interest in a project to create a natural gas pipeline from Norway to Poland, which has been under discussion for some years.
And That Was The Week That Was, May 23rd – May 29th 2016. To read all articles in full see: www.seven59.dk