The Week That Was, November 12th – November 18th 2018

Politics/Economy:

The government launched its new foreign affairs and security strategy under the banner: ‘How Denmark can navigate through a rapidly changing world’ – the main issues are: Rule-based international cooperation – Security – A strong, streamlined and effective EU – Refugees, migration and development – Economic diplomacy, strategic partnerships and the new digital world order – The Arctic.

Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen came under fire from opposition leader Mette Frederiksen who accused him of presiding over a country that’s suffered an ’endless stream’ of scandals in both the public and private sectors.

The ruling Liberals won’t be pushing for new, major political reforms in the upcoming election campaign – Finance Minister Kristian Jensen said two decades of reforms have made Denmark a more prosperous country so there’s no longer a need for large-scale adjustments.

The Danish People’s Party (DPP) warned that unless more money is found for the elderly there’ll be no budget agreement on the government’s top priorities, such as infrastructure.

The DPP called for a ‘whistleblower hotline’ in the military following a series of allegations of nepotism amongst high-ranking officials.

The four government alliance parties are divided about a new UN pact to manage mass global migration which the government is expected to sign next month – the Conservatives’ immigration spokesman, Naser Khader, warned that if Integration Minister Inger Støjberg signs up to the pact in its current form it will ‘seriously compromise the government’s strict immigration policy’.

Financial inequality continues to grow even though Denmark was recently ranked number one on a global index in terms of reducing the gap between rich and poor – new Statistics Denmark figures showed the financial disparity between high and low earners has grown steadily since 2007.

Denmark agreed to host a new international research and knowledge centre for antimicrobial resistance, which could create between 400-500 new jobs in this country.

The government watered down a controversial bill that would have penalised anyone sharing content from foreign intelligence agencies on social media with a prison sentence of up to 12 years.

The latest Statistics Denmark figures showed exports decreased a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent year-on-year after a 1.6 percent slump in August, while imports tumbled 1.2 percent year-on-year following a 1.4 percent gain in the previous month. Inflation increased by 0.8% in October, a slight increase on the previous month’s 0.6%, due to price rises in air travel, TVs, fuel, and rent.

EU/Foreign Affairs:

After attending a Paris ceremony to mark the centenary of the World War One Armistice, where French President Emmanuel Macron urged world leaders to reject nationalism, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen warned that turning your back on the rest of the world will only lead to distress and malcontent.

Defence Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen dismissed Russian denials of involvement in disrupting GPS navigation signals over northern Scandinavia during the recent NATO ‘Trident Juncture’ military exercises.

The Danish People’s Party (DPP) urged the government to defy the EU if the European Court rules Denmark has breached international law by denying family reunification for up to 8,000 Turkish nationals.

A political majority backed moves to restrict exports of cyber surveillance equipment to dictator states, following left-wing daily Information’s revelations that Denmark has exported ‘enough technology to keep the whole populations of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar under surveillance’.

Development Aid Minister Ulla Tørnæs said Denmark is withholding DKK65m ($10m) in development aid to Tanzania after a senior official in the east-African country announced a crackdown on gay people in Dar es Salaam.

A team of researchers led by the University of Copenhagen’s Centre for GeoGenetics discovered a giant meteorite crater deep below the surface of Greenland.

Social Affairs:

The Danish People’s Party (DPP) is standing firm on its demand for a ‘German-like’ cap on family reunification for immigrants – party whip Peter Skaarup said if Germany can impose restrictions ‘so can we’.

Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said too many refugees have become permanent immigrants in Denmark and the rules need to be amended ‘so temporary residency means what it says’.

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Business:

Lawmakers questioned why the head of the Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) , David Lando, was for years on the board of directors of a venture capital association that administrated a foundation used to speculate in claiming refunds of Swiss share-dividend tax.

The Danske Bank whistleblower who will appear before the Danish parliament this week was forced to sign a strict gag order when he quit the bank, which restricted him from sharing his insider knowledge of the money laundering scandal with police and prosecutors throughout the world.

In addition to various investigations into the Danske Bank money laundering scandal, political parties are now asking questions as to whether its controversial Estonian branch was used for illicit trading when it was in Finnish hands more than a decade ago.

MP Pension lifted its quarantine on Danske Bank following the bank’s commitment to replace its board of directors.

The government is considering new rules that would disbar investors convicted of wrongdoing from investing in Danish companies.

Shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk posted impressive Q3 operating profit forecasts on Wednesday, but warned that a trade war between the United States and China has hit demand for container shipping.

Electric-powered buses made in China will soon be seen gliding through Copenhagen streets – Anchersen, which operates  19 bus routes in the capital, has placed an order for 27 buses from BYD, a Chinese company that’s a world leader in electric transportation

Copenhagen’s flagship department store, Magasin, is facing an uncertain future following reports that its British owner, Debenhams, is facing bankruptcy.

Clean energy giant Vestas had a busy week – the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturer was selected to supply wind turbines to a wind farm set to be built in Victoria, Australia and also signed a deal to supply turbines for the 50-MW, subsidy-free Lakiakangas II wind project in Finland.

And That Was The Week That Was, November 12th – November 18th 2018: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).