The first week of March has been about equality. Being able to read your taxes in English, having the opportunity to be publicly honored with a statue for outstanding actions (even if you are a woman), and actually enjoying reading a book written by a Danish author that portrays minorities fairly. And the most fun development: calls from various Danish public figures for more political involvement of the international community in Denmark.
Five public debates have caught our attention this week. First, statistics show that young women are moving more to the left, while young men are moving more to the right. While in SF (Socialists), women dominate the party, the opposite can be said about Liberal Alliance (Libertarians). Second, there is a worrying development with our groundwater. 90% of the groundwater from the capital and the surrounding municipalities contains one or more harmful substances. However, you shouldn’t be afraid to drink the tap water; it just means it requires a more thorough cleaning process.
Third, crisis preparedness courses are selling like hot cakes. The number of participants has increased 10 times since the war in Ukraine. People in Denmark feel uncertainty is in the air and want to be prepared for the worst, or at least for the three days after the worst has happened. Fourth, the medical fraud case with Alles Laegehus continues. The chain of private clinics has been reported to the police and the Patient Safety Authority. At the same time, the South Denmark region decided to check every private clinic in their area. Lastly, the Nordic Waste scandal also continues, with revelations from former employees who claim that soil cleaning wasn’t being done properly. The soil was, in fact, a storage space for toxic substances.
As usual, we end this column with a few calls to action. The LinkedIn team writes about “making Danish friends” and invites others who want to share their story to leave a comment in that article. The Instagram team posted a few reels about being a woman in Denmark and invites you to share your story with them. The Facebook team is looking for more creative volunteers who want to play in our sandbox and create a magical space.
Thank you for reading Last Week in Denmark!
Word of the Week
Samråd = Council / Consultation. The word is used in three specific situations: (a) to discuss a specific issue with someone and find a solution together; (b) a meeting between a minister and a parliamentary committee, where the members of the parliament can ask about the ministry activity; (c) gathering of people who decide together on different issues, for example, the local samråd, a kind of neighborhood association where issues are discussed.
