New laws
The parliament declared war on petty crimes (shoplifting, pickpocketing, bicycle theft, and burglary). A new law will bring tougher punishments for petty crimes from February 1.
- Higher fines for shoplifting and pickpocketing (from 500 DKK to 1,000 DKK). In cases of repeat offences, the fine will be higher. Also, the fine will always be higher than the value of the stolen object.
- Random checks on cyclists to check if the bike has been reported stolen.
- Financial control of 18-25 year olds who commit burglary or theft. This is a special condition that limits the use of a bank account (e.g. a limit on financial transactions). Plus, regular reporting to the Danish Probation Service about the person’s finances.
The law on wiretapping has been amended so that stores are allowed to make audio recordings. However, customers and employees need to be informed via clear signage. Two trade unions, IDA and HK Handel, criticize the amendment as they argue it will have consequences for employees’ mental health.
Less bureaucracy for people with disabilities. The model for additional expenditure benefits (merudgiftsydelse) has been simplified by a majority agreement in Parliament. A fixed amount of 1,105 DKK per month has been introduced.
Reform of the Danish Social Inspectorate (Socialtilsynet). In recent years, the specialized social area costs have increased by one billion DKK every year. Unfortunately, it was not the service quality that increased, but supervision, control, documentation, and bureaucracy. The government reached a majority agreement in Parliament to reform the specialized social area, starting with three initiatives:
- The Danish Social Inspectorate will no longer be required to do an annual inspection of all services. Instead, it will be every three years, with an exception for foster families, which will be visited at least every two years.
- Limits on the right to freely choose residential care or residential-care-like services. You can only choose an alternative offer to the one presented by the municipality if it is less than 10% more expensive. Until now it was at 25%.
- If you live in a housing facility provided under Section 108 and your spouse (who needed the care of the facility) dies, you have three months to move out. Until now, you could stay as long as you wanted.
Law proposals
The Ministry of Culture sent an application to add Hanklit (Morsø) and Knude Klint (Fur, Skive) to the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the second attempt, after a failed application in 2012. A decision will be made in 2026. Why? The black basaltic ash layers contain unique fish fossils dated to the last mass extinction (55 million years ago). Other places in Denmark on the UNESCO World Heritage List? Christiansfeld (unique city planning), Jellinge Monuments (burial mounds and runestones), Kronborg Castle (preserved Renaissance castle from 1574), Stevns Klint (documents the meteor that killed the dinos), and many others.
A howl for fairness. A member of Parliament wants to move some of the wolves from Jylland to Fyn and Sjælland. Wolves are protected in Denmark, and it is illegal to shoot them. There are 60-80 wolves in Central and West Jylland.
- His colleagues from Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) are not happy with the idea.
The municipalities will no longer be allowed to change speed limits on busy roads (defined as having more than 4,000 cars daily). The Ministry of Transport proposed a reform of the road administration, which is seen as an attack on municipal autonomy.
Danish Members of the EU Parliament are open to banning TikTok in Denmark.
The law on taxation of crypto assets has been postponed until autumn this year. The government would like more dialogue with the different stakeholders in the crypto industry before presenting the new taxation rules. Around 300,000 people in Denmark own crypto assets (like bitcoin).
Denmark is doubling down on its efforts to restore streams and lakes, aiming for good ecological status by restoring over 7,500 km of watercourses and removing 1,500 barriers to allow fish to roam freely again. For lakes, the plan includes creating 1,000 hectares of phosphorus wetlands, planting trees along 500 km of streams, acquiring 30 fish farms, and restoring 77 lakes. The cost? 2.5 billion DKK. The plan has been sent into consultation.
Political scene
Latest opinion poll (compared to August 2024)
- Government parties: Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats) 19.7% (+0.5%); Venstre (Liberals) 8.6% (-0.3%); Moderaterne (Social Liberals) 4.4% (-1.9%)
- Red (left-wing) opposition parties: SF (Socialists) 15.8% (-0.2%); Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) 6.8% (-0.1%); Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals) 4.1% (-); Alternativet (Greens) 2.4% (+0.7%)
- Blue (right-wing) opposition parties: Liberal Alliance (Libertarian Conservatives) 11.6% (-1.2%); DD (Nationalist Populists) 11.5% (-); Konservative (Conservatives) 6.8% (+0.2%); DF (Nationalist Conservatives) 4.9% (-)
- New party (which is below the 2% threshold to enter Parliament): Borgernes Parti (Trump-style movement) 1.8%
300 billion DKK extra is needed to reinforce the military capabilities of Denmark, says the Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen. 200 billion DKK has already been allocated to upgrade the defense capacity. Now there is just a question of where this money will be taken from.
Local government in Hedensted refuses to implement a new law regarding waste supervision. Municipalities are required to organise more waste inspections for companies, and companies need to bear the cost of the visit. The local politicians find the law too bureaucratic and not supportive of the business environment.
A 20 km motorway in Aalborg called “the third Limfjord connection” will be built between 2027 and 2034. The motorway itself represents one of the most intensely debated local issues in the history of the city. There have been two options: to build it through where the rich people live (Hasseris) or to build it where the poorer people live (Aalborg East), and unfortunately for the rich, their side was chosen. Now, there is a movement against the decision and a significant amount of money collected to sue the Danish State.
