The Week That Was, June 15th – 21st 2020:

Coronavirus/ What happened last week:

Although the number of people hospitalised by covid-19 has fallen to a 3-month low, the rate of infection rose every day last week.

The government will open the borders from June 27th to travellers from most European nations with a low rate of corona infection – Portugal and Sweden remain excluded. Sweden’s foreign minister, Anne Linde, warned that her country’s continued isolation from its neighbours during the corona crisis could seriously damage Nordic cooperation.

Questions were asked as why 318 passengers on a flight from Pakistan that landed at Copenhagen Airport on June 6th weren’t screened on arrival, after it was revealed that 18 people with links to the plane have since tested positive for the corona virus.

The government launched a coronavirus tracing app, Smittestop (Infection Stop) that warns users if they might have been in close contact with COVID-19-infected individuals.

Health Minister Magnus Heunicke urged everybody in Hjørring, north Jutland, to be tested for the corona virus following an outbreak at a local care home. A Danish farm in the same region culled 11,000 mink after detecting a Covid-19 outbreak – the animals are thought to have caught the virus from their human handlers.

An increasing number of business people have been arrested on suspicion of defrauding the state out of corona-aid funding.

Politics/ Economy:

The government put together a majority for a ‘summer package’ aimed at boosting consumer spending as the economy reopens – all pensioners and other welfare claimants will receive a DKK1,000 tax-free bonus, while 60% of money accrued in the mandatory holiday savings fund, around DKK60bn (€8bn), which was frozen until 2021 will now be paid out in October.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen came under fire from Danish People’s Party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl, who asked whether she’s proud of the fact that pensioners are getting the same amount as a failed asylum seeker waiting to be repatriated. The government also announced a DKK10bn crisis fund to help ‘essential’ companies navigate the downturn.

The Social Democrats confirmed their position as the country’s biggest party – by far. A new Gallup poll for Berlingske showed the ruling party is riding on the crest of a ‘corona wave’ and would win 33.1% of the vote if an election was held right now.

Right-wing parties’ call for a ban on Muslims’ call to prayer was dismissed by the Integration Minister as a violation of the Danish Constitution and the European Human Rights Convention.

For the first time ever the anti-immigrant New Conservatives (New Right) have overtaken the populist Danish People’s Party (DPP) in the polls.

Work started on new facilities at Skrydstrup Air Fiorce Base in Southern Jutland that will house Denmark’s new fleet of Lockheed Martin Fighter (JSF) combat planes.

Governor of the National Bank Lars Rohde warned that the Danish economy could need an ‘extra push’ in the form of a more expansive fiscal policy if reconstruction takes longer than expected – the Bank expects Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to contract by 4.1% this year, followed by an upward swing of 4.2% in 2021.

Danish inflation stayed unchanged at 0.0% in May, the second consecutive month with no price increases.

Foreign Affairs/EU:

Confidential documents revealed that high-ranking Defence Ministry civil servants deliberately tried to conceal that Danish ventilators offered to Italy in April were unusable in the fight against covid-19 – Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofiod announced the formation of a new, bi-ministerial task force to ensure something similar never happens again.

US Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands warned that the U.S. will fiercely defend its interests in the Arctic as the region opens up – in an online forum hosted by the Hudson Institute, the ambassador said the once-inaccessible Arctic has become the site of a major Russian military build-up and a key piece of Vladimir Putin’s 21st-century economic strategy.

Russia’s Gazprom asked Denmark’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for permission to deploy new vessels in Danish territorial waters for work on the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Greece authorised the EU to begin legal procedures against Denmark over its alleged appropriation of feta cheese.

Defence Minister Trine Bramsen said the corona crisis has made EU countries more receptive to putting cyber security higher up the agenda, following a video conference chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

The defence attorney for the alleged 40-year-old Norwegian-Iranian assassin accused of planning to murder an Iranian exile dismissed the evidence presented as ‘flimsy’ and ‘lacking credibility’.

Social Affairs:

The jobless queue shortened by 5,000 people although there are still 41,000 more unemployed than before the corona crisis gripped Denmark in mid-March.

The State Prosecutor’s Office for Serious Economic and International Crime (SØIK), popularly known as the fraud squad, called for a minimum  ’5-6’ year prison sentence for a 47-year-old Lithuanian woman accused of helping Russian businessmen to launder millions of dollars through fictive companies in this country.

Business:

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) launched the world’s biggest climate investment fund with the aim of raising DKK40bn ($6bn) over the next year to significantly reduce Denmark’s CO2 footprint – two major investors, Pension Danmark and AP Pension, have already pledged DKK4bn and DKK2.5bn respectively to support massive investment in offshore windfarms, solar cell technology, land-based windfarms, waste recycling, biofuel, and clean energy systems.

Denmark rose to number 2 on the 2020 World Competitiveness Ranking published by the IMD Business School in Switzerland.

Norwegian Air and SAS are adding more flights to their schedules from July onwards as demand begins to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic – SAS said it needs at least DKK12.5bn (nearly $2bn) in new funding to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Henrik Poulsen resigned as CEO of partially state-owned green energy giant Ørsted, the world’s biggest offshore wind developer.

And That Was the Week That Was, June 15th – 21st 2020: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).