The Week That Was, December 15th-21st 2025:

Politics/Economy:

Voters continue to desert the Social Democrats in droves – a new opinion poll showed the ruling party would win no more than 16.5% of the vote if a general election were held today, a sharp drop from the 27.5% it secured at the 2022 general election. The Moderates, battling for survival, are now below the 2% needed for parliamentary representation.

The Danish People’s Party (DPP) warned it will only support a ‘pure blue’ prime minister candidate at the next general election who pledges to exclude Mette Frederiksen and Lars Løkke Rasmussen from any potential coalition

Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen was summoned to appear before Parliament’s Defence Committee after refusing to comment on reports that a central computer containing a possible backup of deleted text messages relevant to the Minkgate investigation was discovered in 2021 by the Prime Minister’s office but never handed over to the police.

The government allocated DKK1bn for a new 24-hour round-the-clock surveillance centre to monitor critical infrastructure and contribute to the fight against hybrid attacks.

The Soc Dem/Liberal/Moderates coalition set its own climate target of an 82 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 after failing to reach a wider, cross-party agreement.

The government watered down its controversial proposal to restrict the use of VPN connections following a public backlash

EU/Foreign Affairs:

The EU Court of Justice ruled that Denmark’s controversial ‘ghetto law’ could amount to ethnic discrimination but said the final judgment will be left to Danish courts – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who as prime minister in 2018 was the architect of the law, said the government may need to reconsider parts of the policy.

The government announced a new DKK1.7bn ($273m) donation to Ukraine for air defence systems and drones, bringing the total amount of military aid from the Ukraine Fund to more than DKK70bn ($11bn), but at the same time came under fire for the slow pace of defence investment.

Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry after cyberattacks linked to Russian state-backed hacker groups disrupted a water utility and municipal websites during the recent local elections.

Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Marie Bjerre will continue as European Affairs Minister after Denmark’s EU Presidency comes to an end on December 31st.

The government selected Lockheed Martin to supply advanced air-warning radars for deployment at ‘key geographic choke points across the Kingdom’ amid heightened Russian military activity.

Denmark was given a leading role in a new regional cyber defence initiative aimed at countering cross-border cyber threats across the Nordic and Baltic regions.

In a joint letter, Denmark and 18 other EU countries urged the European Commission to finance ‘return hubs’ outside the bloc for failed asylum-seekers – Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her British counterpart, Keir Starmer, jointly called for ‘substantial tightening’ of Europe’s approach to irregular migration.

Denmark’s EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen presented a pan-EU plan to tackle the housing crisis, including measures to increase the construction of affordable housing and regulate tourist-oriented short-term rentals such as Airbnb.

Impact Fund Denmark, a state-owned development company under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided its largest ever loan of DKK1.4bn (€183m) to a Danish-built wastewater treatment plant in Pakistan.

The Foreign Ministry updated its travel guidance for Thailand after an escalation in the border dispute with Cambodia.

Social Affairs:

The National Police (Rigspolitet) increased their presence around Jewish sites following the deadly terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Australia – Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was ‘appalled’ by the horrific terror attack, while King Frederik and Tasmanian-born Queen Mary also sent a message of condolence to the Australian people. Danish People’s Party (DPP) leader Morten Messerschmidt characterised the Bondi attack as ‘yet another expression of the growing hatred of Jews that is spreading everywhere.’

Statistics Denmark projected that nearly one in four people in this country will be immigrants or descendants of immigrants within fifteen years – the new Immigrants in Denmark report showed Denmark hosts more than 200 nationalities today, with Poles, Ukrainians and Romanians making up the largest immigrant groups.

The government put forward a new bill that would extend the ‘Burka ban’ to schools, universities, and all places of education.

Around 5,000 people who’ve been awarded a life-long disability pension will have their claim reassessed – specifically, immigrants from non-Western countries who reside in disadvantaged public housing areas.

The government appropriated more than DKK250m ($37.5m) to get more young people termed ‘vulnerable’ into the labour market or training.

The government proposed a ban on marriages between cousins and close relatives.

Business:

SkyPro Propulsion, a weapons manufacturer in Jutland, received final approval to produce 10,000 military rockets per year.

Mark Abraham, CEO of tech firm Shape Robotics, was charged with widespread fraud in Romania.

Denmark’s biggest bank, Danske, confirmed the conclusion of its three-year corporate probation with the US Department of Justice (DoJ).

And That Was The Week That Was, December 15th – 21st 2025: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).