The Week That Was, September 26th – October 2nd 2016

Posted on 03. Oct, 2016 in: TWTW

Politics/Economy

The New Conservatives, who now have the 20,000 verified voter signatures needed to be put on the ballot at the next general election, would win 4.3% of the vote if an election was called today, a new poll showed. Tax Minister Karsten Lauritzen dismissed the new party’s tax policy as ‘pure fantasy’ – the new, right-wing party has suggested a 40% cap on income tax, no inheritance or corporate tax, and abolishing car registration and labour market duties, but Mr Lauritzen said they must be ‘living in a dream world’. The leader of the New Conservatives, Pernille Vermlund, said if her party is elected to parliament she will propose a total ban on Muslim headwear in all public workplaces and educational institutions.

Another poll showed an increasing number of Social Democrat (SD) voters believe their party has just as much in common with the Danish People’s Party as their traditional ally, the Social Liberals.

The Prime Minister accused his opponent, opposition leader Mette Frederiksen, of ‘deceiving voters’ by putting forward a ‘non-plan’ as an alternative to the government’s 2025 economic and political agenda.

The unemployment rate held steady in August, after rising slightly in the previous month – the seasonally adjusted jobless rate came in at 4.3 percent, the same rate as in July.

The Danish Tax Authority (SKAT) admitted it has paid an anonymous source almost DKK6m for leaked data from the Panama Papers on hundreds of Danes.  SKAT also announced a new commission to look into simplifying the complex web of allowances and deductions that individuals and corporations have to deal with when filing their taxes.

Foreign Affairs/EU

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermanns told the government it won’t be getting the Europol deal it’s been striving for since 53.1% of the electorate voted against scrapping the country’s opt-out on justice matters in last December’s referendum – the Danish People’s Party (DPP) expressed confidence that Denmark can still  strike a deal to remain within the pan-EU police agency, but Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen rejected the party’s suggestion that a new referendum on the pan-EU police agency be combined with a vote on the Schengen open borders agreement. Head of the Danish Police Union, Claus Oxfeldt, said it would be a ‘catastrophe’ to be pushed out of Europol at a time when the need for international police cooperation has never been greater.

Ahead of his trip to Turkey Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen said the Turkish government has the right to put those behind the recent coup attempt on trial.

The prime minister said Denmark will need to extend temporary control at its German border after November 12, originally implemented in January after the refugee crisis in Europe intensified.

Danish aid organisations urged the government to copy Canada’s refugee sponsorship scheme, under which private citizens provide funding to bring in refugees and help them get set up in their new home.

A parliamentary majority is ready to double the sentence for begging to an immediate 14 days in jail with no warning – a new proposal would allow beggars, many of them east Europeans, to be put behind bars for ‘begging in an intimidating way’, although the definition is unclear.

Danish exports to ‘tiger economies’ such as Slovenia and Romania have decreased even though these countries are growing at a much quicker pace than the EU as a whole.

To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required)

Social Affairs

The four alleged accomplices of Danish-Palestinian terrorist Omar El-Hussein were acquitted of aiding an act of terrorism but found guilty of the lesser charges of gun possession and violence – the four men had been charged with providing support for El-Hussein who killed a filmmaker and a Jewish security guard in twin attacks in February 2015.

Only 5,040 people have applied for asylum so far this year – the government had forecast around 25,000 for the whole of 2016 but has now downwardly adjusted the figure to 7,500.

The government set aside DKK 250m to combat immigrant-dominated ‘parallel societies’ that reject Danish values – Integration Minister Inger Støjberg said the main concern is women and children who are violently abused but remain bound to their family by cultural or social stigma.

New data showed immigrants are over-represented in the crime statistics – the list was dominated by immigrants from three North African countries, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The leader of the nationalist, anti-immigrant Danes Party, came under fire for handing out ‘asylum spray’ to young girls to deter potential rapists.

Child brides will in future be permitted to live with their spouse at refugee centres after it was revealed that the government’s ban is in violation of international conventions.

A leading specialist called for increased focus on young people’s smoking and drinking habits after a new global study showed that, in terms of health, Danes are lagging far behind their Scandinavian counterparts.

Business

Leading business sector figures expressed concern that the tax dispute, which has split the centre-right alliance, could spark off an election and pave the way for the ‘red’ opposition to return to power.

Novo Nordisk, one of the world’s leading makers of diabetes medicines, announced plans to cut around 1,000 jobs globally to reduce operating costs – global engineering company FL Smidth will also lay off a further 130 workers in Denmark as part of plans to cut about 10 percent of its global workforce.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary arrived in the USA, Tuesday, at the head of a trade and business delegation characterised as ‘one of the most comprehensive trade missions from Denmark to date’.

The business sector expressed concerned about the EU’s proposal to remove the barriers for cross-border e-commerce.

Maersk Line was one of six shipping companies raided by the South African Competition Commission, Wednesday, on suspicion of colluding to inflate rates between Asia and South Africa. A.P. Moeller-Maersk and DONG Energy, two of Denmark’s biggest companies, reportedly discussed a merger last year.

The Danish shipping industry is lobbying for the proposed free trade agreement between the EU and USA – the Danish Shipowners Association estimated a finalised TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) deal would provide the industry with an extra DKK750m annually.

The Danish Bankers Association (Finansrådet) said negative interest rates, which have fueled the housing boom and raised fears of a bubble, may not be as punishing for mortgage lenders as previously assumed.

And That Was the The Week That Was, September 26th – October 2nd 2016 – To read all the above articles in full see:http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required)