The Week That Was, November 4th – 10th 2024:
Politics/Economy:
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen joined global leaders in congratulating Donald Trump on his U.S. election victory and said she looked forward to strengthening the defence cooperation between the United States and Denmark - in a telephone call, Thursday, the two discussed the war in Ukraine, Russian aggression, and the challenges posed by alliances between Russia, Iran, and North Korea, as well as China’s global stance.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen tried to calm private sector fears of a trade war when Donald Trump returns to the White House, saying it’s more relevant to see what the new president does, not what he says – the ex-PM also acknowledged the likelihood of a less engaged U.S. on global climate issues under Mr Trump that could provide potential opportunities for Europe. Ex- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Trump's victory is a clear message to Europe that the continent will need to become more responsible for its own security.
Mr Løkke Rasmussen called for a substantial increase in Denmark’s military budget – at least 3% of GDP.
Support for the government remains low - the latest Voxmeter poll showed less than 35% of the electorate would vote for the 3-party coalition if an election was held today. Moderates leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he wants the ‘grand coalition’ to continue beyond the next election despite growing internal disagreement and disastrous opinion polls.
Four parties on the right were excluded from 2025 budget negotiations for tabling ‘unfeasible demands’ amounting to around two billion kroner but with no serious proposals on how to fund them.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that ongoing negotiations surrounding the green tripartite agreement may collapse if a political deal isn’t reached soon.
Queen Margrethe defended her family against allegations of close relations with the German Nazi regime in the 1930’s.
EU/Foreign Affairs:
Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s candidate for EU Energy and Housing Commissioner, passed his confirmation hearing in Brussels, Tuesday - following a 3-hour ‘grilling’ the former climate minister was approved by the EU Parliament with a two-thirds majority.
A survey showed 52% of Danish voters believe a full-blown war in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran is either “very” or “fairly” likely.
Sweden vetoed plans to build 13 offshore windfarms in the Baltic Sea, some between southern Sweden and Denmark, due to Russia security fears.
Social Affairs:
A new survey reflected a significant generational divide among Danish Muslims on several sensitive issues - young Muslims, aged 18-29, and those above 55 have widely varying views on Hamas, religious schooling, and premarital relationships.
The Liberals (Venstre) demanded that pro-Palestine students and staff involved in recent protests and vandalism at Roskilde University (RUC) be expelled or fired.
Notorious anti-Islamist Rasmus Paludan was slapped with a four-month prison sentence for inciting racial hatred against Muslims.
Three Swedish nationals were arrested in Spain on suspicion of recruiting minors to commit crimes in Denmark, including attempted murder.
A Russian man arrested in May after he informed the police he had placed an object close to Billund Airport’s outer perimeter was charged with manufacturing and transporting at least 3,000 grams of the highly dangerous explosive TATP.
Copenhagen City Hall’s push for a tourist tax to manage rising visitor numbers was rejected by Minister for Cities and Rural Districts Morten Dahlin, who said it would penalise Danes visiting their own capital.
Shoplifting has reached astronomical levels with 20,614 reports already this year, compared to 11,363 in all of 2021.
Denmark’s coal consumption has dropped to its lowest level in 50 years, with a 36% decrease in 2023 – overall, fossil fuel use, including coal, oil, and natural gas, fell by 7.7%, leading to a 2.1 million-ton CO₂ reduction
Business:
Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk reported a 21-percent rise in net profit to DKK 27.3bn ($3.94bn) for the July-to-September period as sales increased by 22% to DKK 60bn (€8.5bn) worldwide.
Partially state-owned Ørsted is back in the black - the clean energy giant reported profits of DKK 5.1bn (€683m) for the 3rd quarter (Q3/24) compared with a loss of DKK22.5bn ($3.1bn) in the same period last year.
Danske Bank raised its profit guidance for the year after reporting third-quarter (Q3) earnings above market expectations.
Denmark's biggest bank, Danske, said its net profit rose to DKK6.17bn ($897.78m) in the July to September quarter from DKK5.32bn ($703m) a year earlier.
The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) gave German utility RWE the go-ahead to install 72 Siemens turbines off the western shore of Jutland for the Thor project, Denmark’s biggest-ever offshore wind farm.
A record 2.7 million passengers passed through Copenhagen Airport in October, the busiest autumn month in its history and an 8% increase compared to October last year.
A new pan-European comparison showed Denmark has the most affordable housing prices in terms of average monthly salary.
Cars in this country emit only half as much CO₂ as they did five years ago due to the growing popularity of electric vehicles.
The government announced plans to double life science exports - including pharmaceuticals and medical devices - to at least DKK350 bn ($51bn) by 2030.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen joined global leaders in congratulating Donald Trump on his U.S. election victory and said she looked forward to strengthening the defence cooperation between the United States and Denmark - in a telephone call, Thursday, the two discussed the war in Ukraine, Russian aggression, and the challenges posed by alliances between Russia, Iran, and North Korea, as well as China’s global stance.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen tried to calm private sector fears of a trade war when Donald Trump returns to the White House, saying it’s more relevant to see what the new president does, not what he says – the ex-PM also acknowledged the likelihood of a less engaged U.S. on global climate issues under Mr Trump that could provide potential opportunities for Europe. Ex- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Trump's victory is a clear message to Europe that the continent will need to become more responsible for its own security.
Mr Løkke Rasmussen called for a substantial increase in Denmark’s military budget – at least 3% of GDP.
Support for the government remains low - the latest Voxmeter poll showed less than 35% of the electorate would vote for the 3-party coalition if an election was held today. Moderates leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he wants the ‘grand coalition’ to continue beyond the next election despite growing internal disagreement and disastrous opinion polls.
Four parties on the right were excluded from 2025 budget negotiations for tabling ‘unfeasible demands’ amounting to around two billion kroner but with no serious proposals on how to fund them.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that ongoing negotiations surrounding the green tripartite agreement may collapse if a political deal isn’t reached soon.
Queen Margrethe defended her family against allegations of close relations with the German Nazi regime in the 1930’s.
EU/Foreign Affairs:
Dan Jørgensen, Denmark’s candidate for EU Energy and Housing Commissioner, passed his confirmation hearing in Brussels, Tuesday - following a 3-hour ‘grilling’ the former climate minister was approved by the EU Parliament with a two-thirds majority.
A survey showed 52% of Danish voters believe a full-blown war in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran is either “very” or “fairly” likely.
Sweden vetoed plans to build 13 offshore windfarms in the Baltic Sea, some between southern Sweden and Denmark, due to Russia security fears.
Social Affairs:
A new survey reflected a significant generational divide among Danish Muslims on several sensitive issues - young Muslims, aged 18-29, and those above 55 have widely varying views on Hamas, religious schooling, and premarital relationships.
The Liberals (Venstre) demanded that pro-Palestine students and staff involved in recent protests and vandalism at Roskilde University (RUC) be expelled or fired.
Notorious anti-Islamist Rasmus Paludan was slapped with a four-month prison sentence for inciting racial hatred against Muslims.
Three Swedish nationals were arrested in Spain on suspicion of recruiting minors to commit crimes in Denmark, including attempted murder.
A Russian man arrested in May after he informed the police he had placed an object close to Billund Airport’s outer perimeter was charged with manufacturing and transporting at least 3,000 grams of the highly dangerous explosive TATP.
Copenhagen City Hall’s push for a tourist tax to manage rising visitor numbers was rejected by Minister for Cities and Rural Districts Morten Dahlin, who said it would penalise Danes visiting their own capital.
Shoplifting has reached astronomical levels with 20,614 reports already this year, compared to 11,363 in all of 2021.
Denmark’s coal consumption has dropped to its lowest level in 50 years, with a 36% decrease in 2023 – overall, fossil fuel use, including coal, oil, and natural gas, fell by 7.7%, leading to a 2.1 million-ton CO₂ reduction
Business:
Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk reported a 21-percent rise in net profit to DKK 27.3bn ($3.94bn) for the July-to-September period as sales increased by 22% to DKK 60bn (€8.5bn) worldwide.
Partially state-owned Ørsted is back in the black - the clean energy giant reported profits of DKK 5.1bn (€683m) for the 3rd quarter (Q3/24) compared with a loss of DKK22.5bn ($3.1bn) in the same period last year.
Danske Bank raised its profit guidance for the year after reporting third-quarter (Q3) earnings above market expectations.
Denmark's biggest bank, Danske, said its net profit rose to DKK6.17bn ($897.78m) in the July to September quarter from DKK5.32bn ($703m) a year earlier.
The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) gave German utility RWE the go-ahead to install 72 Siemens turbines off the western shore of Jutland for the Thor project, Denmark’s biggest-ever offshore wind farm.
A record 2.7 million passengers passed through Copenhagen Airport in October, the busiest autumn month in its history and an 8% increase compared to October last year.
A new pan-European comparison showed Denmark has the most affordable housing prices in terms of average monthly salary.
Cars in this country emit only half as much CO₂ as they did five years ago due to the growing popularity of electric vehicles.
The government announced plans to double life science exports - including pharmaceuticals and medical devices - to at least DKK350 bn ($51bn) by 2030.