The Week That Was, October 6th – 12th 2025:
Politics/Economy:
In her opening speech to parliament Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Greenland’s population of 60,000 still lives in fear of an American takeover and warned that while it isn’t top of Trump’s agenda right now ‘he’ll be back.’
Parties on both sides of the aisle called for a new investigative commission into the Minkgate affair after both BT and Berlingske reported that senior officials in the agency deliberately withheld key information about the deleted text messages sent by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and other top officials at the height of the mink cull controversy in 2020 – although the PM said she had she done everything possible to ensure transparency five years ago she’s facing a grilling from opposition parties at a hastily convened emergency hearing on October 22nd.
A new poll showed a majority of voters would still prefer an across-the-aisle government despite discontent with the current centrist coalition between the Social Democrats, Liberals (Venstre), and Moderates. The Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) comeback continues – a new Epinion poll showed the populist party would win 12% of the vote if an election was held today, making it the largest party on the right.
The government is moving forward with plans to ban under-15s from social media – Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said smartphones and social media ‘have stolen our children’s childhood’.
Defence Command was unable to confirm whether the wave of aerial sightings over military sites and airports in recent weeks were all drone-related, as claimed – Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen admitted the military wasn’t sufficiently prepared to deal with the drone incidents over Danish territory. The Defence Ministry revived its interest in purchasing Israel’s Barak MX defence system to deal with the drone threat. Ukrainian military experts sent to Denmark to share their expertise in fighting Russian drones successfully intercepted and destroyed a Danish Banshee training drone during a live NATO demonstration. The Russian oil tanker linked to the drone incursions was released by the French authorities and resumed its voyage towards the Suez Canal.
The government announced plans to re-evaluate thousands of people claiming disability pensions with the aim of revoking their monthly payments – Employment Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek confirmed in a written statement that the status review would prioritise cases involving non-Western immigrants.
EU/Foreign Affairs:
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte returned to Copenhagen to discuss the security situation in Europe and the alliance’s continued support for Ukraine after the Defence Intelligence Agency (FE) last week warned of increasing hybrid threats, including cyberattacks and sabotage campaigns, from Russia – Norwegian intelligence services warned that NATO’s new air operations command centre in Bodø, north of the Arctic Circle, could become a key target for Russian espionage.
The government launched a crackdown on ageing oil tankers operating in Danish waters – specifically, Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’. Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said the new measures would target ‘old and worn-out’ ships anchored off Skagen Red in north Jutland, a key maritime hub in the Baltic Sea.
Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced a new defence cooperation deal that will allow more Ukrainian weapons manufacturers to establish production facilities in Denmark.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the EU to continue preparing Ukraine for membership even if Hungary maintains its veto on formally opening negotiation chapters.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen lobbied for more support from the EU in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Wednesday but failed to mention Donald Trump’s controversial claims on the Arctic territory.
Left-wing MP Victoria Velasquez from the Red/Greens landed at Copenhagen Airport, Thursday, following her arrest the previous day while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of the ‘Thousand Madleens’ flotilla.
Dutch lawmakers are pushing to prevent the European Union from adopting the controversial surveillance bill, backed by Denmark’s EU presidency, that would require tech companies to scan private messages for child sexual abuse material using artificial intelligence
The government announced a DKK375m ($58m) aid grant to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Former tech entrepreneur and diplomat Ken Howery, described as a ‘Trump loyalist’ ready to do whatever the President wants, was confirmed by the US Senate as the next ambassador to Denmark.
King Frederik and Queen Mary will embark on a state visit to Latvia at the end of this month with trips to Estonia and Lithuania to follow.
Social Affairs:
A new Chamber of Commerce (DCC) report showed how international workers’ contribution to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) expanded from DKK 78bn in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024 to DKK 82bn in Q2 2025, corresponding to 12.5 percent of the total economy.
Nearly 2,500 public sector employees reported being assaulted or threatened in the first half of 2025 – over the past three years the police have received between 4,500 and 5,000 reports of aggression towards nurses, social workers, and others.
30-year-old Hemin Dilshad Saleh appeared before Copenhagen District Court, Thursday, where he was accused of masterminding the smuggling of three firearms and ammunition during a violent feud between immigrant street gangs six years ago.
Business:
Orsted raised the DKK60bn ($9.4 billion) it needs to tackle the downturn facing the wind power industry – the state, which holds a 50.1 percent stake in the clean energy giant, had already committed to buying half of the share issue for DKK30bn, a move that will cost every single taxpayer in Denmark at least DKK5,000 each. Despite the cash injection the company is reportedly planning to axe around 20% of its 8,400 employees spread over 73 offices globally.
150,000 chickens are to be culled after the authorities detected an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus in a flock in the southeastern part of the country’s Jutland peninsula.
Tesla’s electric vehicles made a surprising comeback – Danish sales jumped 20.5% in September, marking the strongest performance across Europe.