The Copenhagen Post | Mar 1-7

Landmark League Cup win for legend Laudrup

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North Sea oil deal won’t change for 30 years

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INSIDE: Education Guide 2013

Denma

rk’s only

English-lan

guage new spaper

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1 - 7 March 2013 | Vol 16 Issue 9

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk COLOURBOX

NEWS

After three shootings last week, including one murder, police extend stop-and-search zones

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NEWS

Carbon support After being accused of dragging its feet, Denmark gives stamp of approval to carbon trading plan

5 InOut

You may need to visit your dentist after satisfying your sweeth tooth at the Chocolate Festival

G2

NEWS

Killer on the loose?

Jutland farmers are worried about their livestock after six sheep killed in what appears to be a wolf attack

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Price: 25 DKK

THE BIG BANG COMETH PETER STANNERS ‘Kontanthjælp’ reform: Government to force young people to take an education while reducing unemployment benefits for under-30s who are eligible to enter the labour market

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NEDUCATED young people will be the most affected by the government’s reform of the least generous unemployment benefit, kontanthjælp.

The government hopes to find savings in the kontanthjælp system that can be passed along to fund a reduced corporate tax as part of the government’s growth and jobs bill (see story to right).

The employment minister, Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokraterne), said at a press conference on Monday that the government tried to strike a balance between those who didn’t think there was

need for reform, and those who think the best way to get people into work was to reduce the generosity of benefits.

Instead, Frederiksen’s reform focused on strengthening initiatives that will ensure people are better equipped to find work.

“Those who can, must [work] and those who can’t need to receive better help than they do today,” Frederiksen said. “The reform will mean that more people end up taking an education and that more people end up in work instead of being on kontanthjælp. The reduced expense for kontanthjælp and increased tax revenue from people who end up in work will ensure the reform results in a profit.”

Frederiksen announced back in January that she preferred increasing the educational level of young people rather than cutting the generosity of kontanthjælp.

Her position is supported by the

Kontanthjælp continues on page 6

PETER STANNERS Growth and jobs bill: Ten billion kroner plan will reduce taxes and levies on business and increase public investment in order to stimulate growth and create 150,000 new jobs by 2020

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HE FINAL piece of the ‘Big Bang’ reforms was presented on Tuesday in the form of a growth and jobs plan entitled ‘Vækstplan DK’ (Growth Plan DK) that promises “stronger businesses and more jobs”.

The highly-anticipated plan uses savings made by cutting the least generous unemployment benefit, kontanthjælp (see story to left), and the student grant system, SU, in order to pay for lower taxes and levies on businesses.

The full catalogue of proposals includes several additional sources of financing that will pay for a reduction of

taxes and levies on businesses and an increase in public investment worth a total of ten billion kroner in 2014. The cost of the growth plan is expected to rise to 15 billion by 2020 and result in an additional 150,000 jobs.

In the plan, released by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday, the government states: “The initiatives will make it noticeably more attractive to invest in Danish businesses both now and in the coming years. We will also increase public investment and ensure improved levels of education.”

The government received a mixed response to the growth and jobs bill (see more on page 6). While the left-wing criticises them for cutting welfare and reducing the burden on businesses, the right-wing has commended the government for the same initiatives.

In the plan, the government ex-

THE COPENHAGEN MBA INTERNATIONAL NETWORK. TRIPLE-ACCREDITED PROGRAMME. “I have really benefited from the programme’s condensed curriculum and the fact that it is rich in tools.”

Visit www.cbs.dk/mba to find out more.

Growth bill continues on page 6

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Week in review

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

CPH Post Word of the Week:

1 - 7 March 2013 THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Visitationszone (noun) – Stop-and-search zone. Where you heard it: Police extended their stop-and-zone ordinance until March in reaction to gang violence (see page 4) and have been using the tactic around Christiania Scanpix / Torkil Adsersen

New addition

An EU without Danes?

Arabic man accuses free speech group of hypocrisy PM: Immigrant women must contribute America hungry for Danish model Police try to get to the bottom of rash of gang shootings

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. Copenhagen police arrest 50 illegal workers distributing newspapers and goods at deeply discounted prices.

FIVE YEARS AGO. A petition against the anti-Danish content of a Hamas-backed children’s programme gathers support from thousands of Palestinians.

In the early morning hours of Monday, the elephant Kungarao gave birth to a roughly 80kg baby at the Copenhagen Zoo. Everything went according to plan and now the ‘little’ one just needs a name, which zoo officials said will take a couple of weeks to decide.

32-year-old man from Amager thought to be the ringleader of the group involved in making joints intended for Pusher Street in Christiania. Police say the man contributed to the manufacture, production and distribution of more than 250,000 joints worth approximately 13.5 million kroner.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Go if you can

A number of upper-secondary schools in Denmark attract students to their schools by offering them study trips abroad, while students who can’t afford to go are excluded. JyllandsPosten newspaper investigated more than 100 upper-secondary schools across the country, and about 40 of them offer interna-

President and Publisher Ejvind Sandal

Since 1998, The Copenhagen Post has been Denmark’s leading source for news in English. As the voice of the international community, we provide coverage for the thousands of foreigners making their home in Denmark.

Additionally, our English language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience.

CEO and Executive Editor Jesper Nymark

In addition to publishing the only regularly printed English-language newspaper in the country, we provide up-to-date news on our website and deliver news to national and international organisations. The Copenhagen Post is also a leading provider of non-news services to the private and public sectors, offering writing, translation, editing, production and delivery services.

Managing Editor Ben Hamilton

Visit us online at www.cphpost.dk

Editor-in-Chief (responsible under the Media Liability Act) Kevin McGwin

News Editor Justin Cremer Journalists Peter Stanners, Ray Weaver & Christian Wenande

tional studies involving study trips that cost up to 51,000 kroner per student. The trips are mandatory at a number of the schools, which is against the rules, according to the Ministry for Children and Education. The study trips are often to far away countries such as the US, China and Australia.

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Colourbox

Copenhagen Police have arrested 28 people accused of manufacturing cannabis joints in the Copenhagen area, according to a department press release.

Some 31 addresses were raided throughout the city. Those arrested are scheduled to appear before the court within the next few days. Police targeted a

Colourbox

Colourbox

Joint bust

ONE YEAR AGO. Helle ThorningSchmidt’s meeting with US President Barack Obama may have influenced the Danish government’s decision to drop the magazine tax law.

Too full

Hospitals across the nation were packed full of too many patients last year. The JyllandsPosten survey showed that every third medical department was over capacity throughout 2012.

Constantly operating above capacity has prompted patients, doctors and nurses to demand action. According to patient ad-

Layout and design Justin Cremer Aviaja Bebe Nielsen Logo by Rasmus Koch Published by CPHPOST.DK ApS Printed by Dagbladet, Ringsted.

vocates Danske Patienter, over 1,000 beds in hospitals have been eliminated since 2007 and 43 percent of medical department nurses said they have had to treat patients lying in the hallways or in waiting rooms. Hospitals report that over 20 percent of patients currently occupying a hospital bed should be discharged.

The CPH Post welcomes outside articles and letters to the editor.

Letters and comments can be left on our website or at: comments@cphpost.dk

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Take a look at Workindenmark.dk - the official Danish website for international recruitment and job seeking

For international jobseekers, employees and their spouses, Workindenmark offers: •

In our job bank you can search for jobs in Danish companies looking especially for international labour force.

You can sign up for a subscription service and receive news of relevant new job advertisements.

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You and your family can receive useful information on all aspects related to moving to Denmark for work – for example job hunting in Denmark, rules related to residence and work, corporate culture, Danish classes and living conditions in Denmark, including childcare, education and housing.

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Get a good start. Visit International Citizen Service and get help with the paperwork.

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Offering targeted information on our website for international students www.workindenmark.dk/students.

This subsection also presents student job openings.

• Giving you the opportunity to add your CV to our CV bank to make yourself visible to Danish employers.

You can find vacant jobs in our job bank, where you also submit an application.

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Giving you personal advice on applying for student jobs, training placements and work experience placements.

Coming to Denmark to work or study is a major life change – not just for you, but also for your family.

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Job search courses Individual guidance about CV and job applications Help with contact to relevant companies

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Visit www.workindenmark.dk if you plan to work or study in Denmark.

4 News Increased gang activity keeps police busy The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

Police suspect that fatal shooting in Frederiksberg and two others around the city are gang-related

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openhagen Police are investigating a shooting that took place on Finsensvej in Frederiksberg last week on Wednesday.

Two shots were fired at the victim at close quarters and hit him in the chest. The victim, who has been identified as 27-yearold Zaid Mohammed Al-Kayssi, died the following morning at Rigshospitalet.

It was the third shooting last week alone, and police are now investigating whether any of them are connected.

The first shooting happened in the western suburb of Skovlunde just before 20:00 on February 18. The victim was a 19-year-old man. He was not severely injured despite being hit by multiple bullets in what police suspect was a gang-relat-

ed incident.

“He is a 19-year-old man who is already known to the police,” Ole Nielsen, the deputy assistant commissioner of Western Copenhagen Police, told TV2 News.

The crime scene is in a stop-and-search zone that was introduced on January 12 due to disturbances within the gang environment, including the murder of a man associated with the gang Værebros Hårde Kerne (VHK). The police have already confiscated 18 firearms as well as several knives, gas sprays and ammunition in the area.

On February 19 at around 15:30, the second shooting took place in Høje Gladsaxe. More than ten bullets were shot at a 27-year-old man, though none managed to connect. The cars used for escaping both the first and the second shooting were later set on fire. Both of those incidents are suspected to be gang-related as well.

Including these incidents, there have been a total of ten

Scanpix / Martin Sylvest Andersen

Sigrid Neergaard

Friday in order to search for evidence in the murder case. They are looking for a man estimated to be 20 to 25 years of age, approximately 165cm tall and dark-skinned. At the time of the crime, he was wearing a black winter jacket, a black tracksuit and a black beanie and was carrying a white and blue plastic bag. The police are encouraging anyone with relevant information to contact them on 114.

Stop-and-search zones prolonged again

Police are looking for connections between three recent shootings

registered shootings within the past six weeks. All of them are suspected to be disputes between VHK and the gang Loyal To Familia (LTF). Police suspect that the disputes involve the cannabis trade.

Al-Kayssi, the victim of the Wednesday shooting, had many gang connections. Looking through his Facebook profile, the police found several pic-

tures of him with gang members from VHK, and his friends list includes members of VHK and Hells Angels.

However, according to TV2’s sources, Al-Kayssi had been trying to get out of this environment for several years.

“He was not a part of it,” a friend of the victim told TV2.

The police shut down the Metro for an hour last week on

In response to last week’s shootings, Copenhagen Police have extended their stop-andsearch zone.

On January 14, a stop-andsearch zone (visitationszone) was introduced in Copenhagen due to increased gang activity. The zone was prolonged, due to ongoing conflicts between gangs, to February 12 rather than January 28 – the scheduled expiration date. And now, the police have decided to prolong the zone one

1 - 7 March 2013

more time to March 12.

Under a stop-and-search zone, police can stop anyone they want and search them for weapons or contraband, without even having any reasonable cause. Police say it is to secure the safety of city residents.

“Luckily no innocent people have been killed, but it could happen, and that is why we are trying to be as visible as possible in those areas [the gangs] are seen in. But it is difficult to stop,” chief superintendant Michael Ask told TV2 News.

The police assess that, despite seeing a decrease in the number of gang members over the past years, the gangs have become more violent.

“We have had some incidents of gang members shooting in all directions,” said Ask. Police in Copenhagen’s Vestegn area – which includes the western suburban councils of Albertslund, Brøndby, Glostrup and Ishøj, among others – also extended a stop-and-search zone until March 12.

Newspaper denied access to freedom Military proposes closing five barracks of information law documents Little insight into how the new controversial freedom of information law was drafted

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he new freedom of information law, offentlighedslov, has its first reading in parliament on Wednesday, but opposition parties and the media have been left in the dark as to how the new more restrictive law ended up finding the backing of parliament’s five principal parties.

Earlier in February, Information newspaper submitted a freedom of information request for documents detailing the drafting process of the law, but the Justice Ministry has refused to hand over the documents until April, long after the new law comes into effect.

Three parliamentary parties that don’t tend to supply ministers to coalition governments – Dansk Folkeparti (DF), Endhedslisten (EL) and Liberal Alliance (LA) – were all left out of the negotiations for the new law

and are all set to vote against it.

MP Pia Adelsteen (DF) stated earlier this month that it was no surprise that the law was written and supported by the five parties that normally supply ministers to governments.

“The offentlighedslov is what we use to keep tabs on those in power, and the law now contains a little under-the-table agreement between the ministerial parties,” Adelsteen told Politiken. “I think that says it all.”

Critics point out that the new law, which has been ten years in the making, will widen the scope of documents that are exempt from freedom of information requests to include documents that ministers use to draft and discuss ideas with both civil services and other government ministries.

Had the law already been in place, they argue, many scandals, including the infamous Taxgate affair, would never have been uncovered.

Earlier in February, the justice minister, Morten Bødskov

(Socialdemokraterne), defended the new law and explained that it was designed to protect ministers from being targeted in the media while they develop their ideas.

“Politicians need to have the opportunity to try out ideas and get feedback during the legislative process that we are constantly working on,” Bødskov told Politiken newspaper. “In general, I don’t think that the public affects the legislative process. But both our proposal and the former government’s proposal are built upon recommendations made by the Freedom of Information Committee and strike a balance between more openness on the one hand, and introducing some limitations on the other.”

Information newspaper is now accusing the government of not abiding by the current freedom of information law that states documents should be handed over within seven days of a request being made – Information’s request was made 13 days ago. (BSM)

Closure of barracks will help the military find 2.7 billion kroner of savings by 2017 as laid out in last year’s defence bill

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he military has recommended that five barracks be closed in order to help find 2.7 billion kroner of savings in its annual budget.

The barracks slated for closure are the Bülows barracks in Fredericia, Almegård on Bornholm, and barracks in Sønderborg, Haderslev and either Høvelte or Vordingborg.

The military’s chief of command, General Peter Bartram, announced the news on the military’s website.

“I have handed in my recommendations to the Ministry of Defence, which will be included in the further political process,” Bartram wrote. “My recommendations only take military conditions into consideration. My co-workers and I therefore expect that other aspects will be included in the final political decision, which may deviate from my recommendation.”

The final political decision is likely to be affected by the social and economic impact on towns near the barracks.

Haderslev’s mayor, Christian Gjesing (Socialdemokraterne), told Jyllands-Posten newspaper that southern Jutland, where two barracks have been recommended for closure, will be hit hardest by the proposed closures. He added that the region would lose an important historical connection to the army if the barracks were to close.

“I have a hard time imagining a Danish army that is not represented in southern Jutland,” Gjesing said. “My neighbours and my wife’s colleagues have all sent their sons to fight in Afghanistan. If the barracks are closed, an important connection between the military and civil society in the entire region will be severed.”

Gjesing also feared the economic consequences for the region if the Haderslev barracks closed.

“We will lose between 350 and 400 jobs,” Gjesing said.

“We already lost around 800 jobs when our hospital was

closed. The legal offices and the police commissioner’s offices have also been moved. We’ve been walked all over.”

Bornholm’s mayor, Winni Grosbøll (Socialdemokraterne), said that closing the Almegård barracks would have a tremendous impact on the isolated island.

“A barracks in the middle of the Baltic that employs 450 people plays a vital role for our island community,” Grosbøll told Jyllands-Posten. “The military’s calculations might show that this is an area where it can make savings. But the calculation changes if some of the socioeconomic consequences are also taken into account. Soldiers, cleaners and cooks are all dependent on the barracks.”

In November, all of the political parties with the exception of Enhedslisten approved a new defence bill calling for 2.7 billion kroner to be cut from the military’s annual budget by 2017.

Parliament was unable to come to an agreement on closing the barracks on Wednesday, but a decision is expected in the coming days. (PS)

Online this week Criticism of Immigration Service waits, but no action

Duelling demonstrations lead to arrests

City to get critical bicycle lane

Service delays of up to ten hours last summer at Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) were caused by what the service called “extraordinary circumstances”. After reports last August revealed delays at Udlændingestyrelsen were as long as ten hours, the parliamentary ombudsman wrote to the service asking for an explanation and an outline of the steps that were being taken to shorten waiting times. The agency explained that

The Anti-Muslim organisation Stop Islamisation of Denmark (SIAD) held a march on Saturday morning in support of the city’s Jewish population, which has reported increasing levels of discrimination. While only a few dozen SIAD supporters attended, hundreds of demonstrators from anti-fascist networks turned out for a counter-demonstration against SIAD, who they accuse of capitalising on the discrimination of

The City Council is set to begin the construction of a bicycle path at one of the most dangerous intersections for cyclists in the city. Heading from Vesterbro, on the far left corner of the second body of water, at the intersection of Åboulevarden and Rosenørs Allé, cyclists are forced to dismount and push their bikes the final metres from Peblinge Dosseringen to

legislative changes put into practice in the spring and summer of 2012 resulted in an extraordinary number of people needing help at the service centre. Udlændingestyrelsen told the government ombudsman that it had started having extra staff on hand during peak times, and that it is considering other methods to improve service for customers. The ombudsman said that he would not be investigating last summer’s marathon waits any further.

Jews in order to promote a racist agenda. Participants in the counter-demonstration attempted to approach the SIAD demo, which caused police to block off Dronning Louises Bridge and Frederiksborggade. Some of the counter demonstrators fired off maroons and roman candles, and 32 of them were arrested. SIAD and left-wing protesters have faced off before, including at last March’s European CounterJihad Meeting in Aarhus.

Åboulevarden. “This intersection has been a great annoyance to the thousands of cyclists that travel through town every day.

We will also cater to the numerous joggers and pedestrians who use the lakes as a recreational area every day,” the deputy mayor for technical and environmental affairs, Ayfer Baykal (Socialistisk Folkeparti), told Politiken newspaper.

Read these stories and more at cphpost.dk

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Carbon market revival receives Danish backing An EU without Danes?

Peter Stanners Government says it will support EU Commission proposal to remove surplus CO2 quotas in order to raise their price

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he government finally came out in support of a plan to save the European carbon trading market (ETS) last week after being accused of dragging its feet.

The European Commission is attempting to address the low price of carbon emission permits, which have dropped from about 140 kroner per tonne of CO2 in 2008 to around 50 kroner per tonne today.

An oversupply of carbon emission permits is being blamed for the price decrease, and the commission has therefore proposed ‘backloading’, or withdrawing, 900 million tonnes of CO2 from the market in order to stimulate the price. The price increases are seen as necessary if there is to be any incentive for businesses to transition to more renewable energy sources.

The Danish government has been under pressure to support the proposal, which is seen as the last chance to save the ailing ETS market. Last week, the climate minister, Martin Lidegaard (Radikale) finally stated that Denmark was onboard.

“Europe needs a stable carbon market that supports the

For example, they claim that transition to renewable energy,” Lidegaard said. “The commis- the market enables European sion’s proposal is the first step. businesses to offset their emission But it is very important that a reductions by paying for projects plan is soon presented that will in another country – usually in ensure the fundamental stability the southern hemisphere – that will reduce carbon emissions for of the carbon market.”

Lidegaard stressed that the them so they don’t have to.

According to Danish envibackloading proposal was only a short-term fix for the ETS. In ronmental think-tank Concito, the long term, the government however, the vast majority of the wants the EU to implement a EU’s CO2 reductions have all binding 30 percent emission re- taken place within Europe and duction target for 2020, up from only a small fraction have been achieved through offsetting. the current 20 percent target.

Concito managing director The government also stated Thomas Færgethat it would man told The lobby to enCopenhagen sure that the Post that he sup900 million ports the governpermits are not reintro- The EU’s initial target to ment’s decision to back the backduced into reduce CO2 emissions loading proposal. the market in Færgeman even 2015 as had by 20 percent in 2020 argued that the been planned, have almost already low price of cararguing that bon permits may they should been reached actually be a sign instead be that the ETS and permanently removed as flooding the market EU’s emissions targets have with the permits could lead to been successful.

“You can argue the market another massive devaluation.

Carbon trading markets are has worked,” Færgeman said. not uncontroversial, and over 90 “The EU’s initial target to reduce organisations have so far signed CO2 emissions by 20 percent in a joint declaration entitled ‘It 2020 have almost already been is Time to Scrap the ETS’. The reached. That, combined with declaration identifies several the economic crisis, is part of the structural flaws within the car- reason the price has already gone bon market that undermine down so much.”

The backloading proposal its ability to reduce EU carbon will increase demand on the reemissions.

maining permits, which would hopefully raise their price. This will encourage energy companies to invest more in natural gas power plants than coal, for example. Burning coal releases almost twice as much CO2 as burning gas, but the low carbon price has meant there is little incentive to transition to the cleaner fuel.

Færgeman argued that increasing the binding emissions targets to 30 percent in 2020, instead of 20 percent, would lead to emissions reductions and be in the best interest of industry.

“European ministers need to sit down and agree on new binding targets for 2020 and beyond,” Færgeman said. “A 30 percent target will ensure the permit price will rise, but it’s not politically feasible because there is such a strong industrial lobby.”

The Danish confederation of industry, Dansk Industri, disagrees with Concito, however, and argues that backloading is “not a sensible solution”.

“It won’t have a positive effect on the climate, and it will result in additional yearly costs for Danish companies of about 300 million kroner,” DI managing director Tine Roed told The Copenhagen Post.

Roed added that while DI was looking forward to discussions about a long-term road map for climate policy, the most important thing was to decide how to proceed beyond 2020.

A task force will examine ways to increase the number of Danes who find employment in the EU following dismal test results

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one of the 357 Danes who took the last EU staffing test passed, meaning that no Danes will be up for consideration for posts within EU institutions this year.

The poor performance by Danish applicants disappointed the minister for European affairs, Nicolai Wammen (Socialdemokraterne), who has now launched a task force to tackle the problem and improve the chances of Danes looking to find employment with the EU. “It is vital that we have centrally-placed civil servants [in EU institutions] who know Denmark and understand our causes,” Wammen said. “One of the ways to gain influence is to have Danes placed within EU institutions [which is] why it is worrying that it is difficult to attract clever young Danes.”

All permanent staff employed by EU institutions are found through an open competition known as the Concours that is held about once a year.

Danes make up 1.6 percent of the staff employed at EU institutions – a figure which is calculated based on the size of the Danish population, voting weight in the European Council of Ministers and the number of Danes in

the European Parliament.

But according to Wammen, about 15 to 20 percent of the 600 Danish civil servants employed by the EU are retiring over the coming years, and Denmark risks losing influence in the EU if they cannot be replaced, especially given Denmark’s poor performance at the Concours.

Wammen travelled to Brussels last week to discuss the level of Danish staffing within the EU with administration commissioner Marcos Sefcovic and Danes employed in EU institutions.

Mariann Fischer Boel, a former EU commissioner and member of opposition party Venstre, has agreed to help him with his new task force, which will also include representatives of other ministries, the industry lobby group Dansk Industri and the lawyers’ association DJØF. Marlene Wind, an EU professor at the University of Copenhagen, told Politiken newspaper that Wammen also needs to push for a new way of testing candidates if more Danes are to make it through. “[Danes] find the test oldfashioned and drawn-out and the ability to rote learn [memorise], which is being tested, does not appeal to them,” Wind said. “I think they need to do something about the way they recruit, otherwise the best candidates won’t make it inside the EU system, which is neither in Denmark nor the EU’s best interest.” (PS)

6 Cover Story Government’s Big Bang reforms lead to political chaos The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

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Scanpix / Keld Navntoft

Ray Weaver & Christian Wenande Coalition parties on the brink of mutiny as government is seen as catering to the opposition

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Criticism from within EL found some support in a rebellious SF, where many members are outraged that their party is part of a government that is catering to reforms that are so distant from their own political ideology.

Outspoken SFer Özlem Cekic called the proposed reforms “stupid” on her Facebook page and said that the “reduction of corporate taxes is not and never will be SF policy”.

Cekic has previously been at odds with the government and was stripped of her spokesperson roles for her criticism and refusal to vote for the government’s tax reform.

SF’s leader, Annette Vilhelm-

Kontanthjælp continued from front page

low educational level of young people who receive kontanthjælp.

Some 50,000 of the 135,000 people currently receiving kontanthjælp are under the age of 30, and 90 percent of them do not have any post-secondary education. Three-quarters of them only completed public school.

Under the current system, uneducated under-25s who are able to work can be forced to take an education in exchange for accepting kontanthjælp. This will now be extended to the under-30s, but instead of kontanthjælp they will be given an education benefit equivalent to the student grant SU, which is about half the rate.

While the government presented a happy, unified front at the Tuesday press conference announcing the growth bill, the political reality seems to be anything but

sen, who is also the business and furious when reports of Frederikgrowth minister, was oddly absent sen’s and Sass’s mutinous behavfrom the growth bill press con- iour surfaced in the press. ference on Tuesday, which could “People can say what they indicate considerable internal want,” Thorning-Schmidt told conflict within the ranks of one of Jyllands-Posten. “This is good the government’s most important policy. [Copenhagen mayor coalition parties.

Frank] Jensen supports it, as do In PM Helle Thorning- other mayors. The plan is a big Schmidt’s own party, S, mem- bouquet; it would be a surprise if bers have expressed there were no thorns.” everything from The prime minismild disbelief to ter said that a healthy outrage at what private sector would they see as a total revitalise the public reversal of S’s core I have a very, sector, and that those values. very hard time whose towns and liveEven before lihoods depended on the package was recognising business were in favour revealed, two of S’s my party of the plan. Thorningtop politicians, EmSchmidt went on to ployment Minister say that both FrederikMette Frederiksen and Henrik sen and Sass were both now back Sass Larsen, were forced to come in the fold and speaking publicly out in support of the package de- in favour of the growth package. spite having indicated that they Meanwhile, local S leaders did not support it. Frederikson also questioned the reforms. was unhappy that her kontan“They have apparently thjælp reform package was tied found it necessary to do things so closely to, and essentially sunk they have previously spoken by, the reduction in corporate against,” Herlev mayor Thomas taxes. The PM was reportedly Gyldal Petersen told Jyllands-

Posten, adding that he anticipates significant cuts in aid to children, schools and the elderly in his council. Petersen also said that he expects “a really difficult election for S if the government does not change course before the term expires”.

Copenhagen’s deputy mayor for children and young people, Anne Vang (S), appeared bewildered by the government’s plan.

“I have a very, very hard time recognising my party. I am extremely disappointed,” she told Politiken.

However, those who are not considered ready to take an education will continue to receive kontanthjælp at the current rate as long as they take steps to prepare for an education.

Educated under-30s who are able to work will also continue to receive kontanthjælp while they look for work, but at a lower rate also equivalent to SU. The government’s reform is also bad news for unmarried couples who live together, as they will now be treated like married couples. If one earns over a certain income threshold, their unemployed partner loses the right to receive kontanthjælp.

While the reform tightens the requirements for kontanthjælp and reduces the rate for most under-30s, it also places a greater emphasis on getting the

est group, essentially considered to be too far from the labour market to be saved, will now increasingly be given commitments to live up to in order to accept their benefit.

Some 106,000 kontanthjælp recipients are currently considered unprepared for the labour market, and 37 percent of those are aged under 30.

Despite increased expenses for education and targeted initiatives to get the unemployed into work, the reduced amount of kontanthjælp paid out is hoped to net 368 million kroner in 2014.

The government hopes that 2,500 people will enter the labour market, and 1,000 more will pursue an education as a result of the reform in 2014. By 2017, the government hopes to save over a billion kroner from the reform.

unemployed to take on community service work six months after becoming unemployed. The government hopes that by giving some structure to the lives of the long-term unemployed, it will reduce the number of children who are brought up by families in which neither parent works.

Single parents are also a vulnerable group that risk remaining unemployed for long periods while they bring up their child.

The government has promised extra resources to get single parents into education and work.

All kontanthjælp recipients will be made to work harder for their benefits. The old model in which kontanthjælp recipients were divided into three groups depending on how prepared they are to enter the labour market will be scrapped. The weak-

Praise from without Thorning-Schmidt’s embattled government did find praise from opposition parties and traditional nemeses, Venstre and Konservative, who have long been a driving force behind a political ideology that has centred on reducing corporate taxes in Denmark in order to increase competitiveness.

“I am really impressed by the government these days. Without wavering, they have executed

Scanpix / Keld Navntoft

he traditional political alignment in the hallways of parliament is being severely tested following the government’s latest reform of the welfare state.

The Socialdemokraterne-Socialistisk Folkeparti-Radikale (SSF-R) government has been accused of pursuing liberal politics after announcing that it plans to use welfare cuts to pay for a reduction of taxes and levies on businesses, leading to uproar from the political left.

Far-left support party Enhedslisten (EL) has been particularly vehement in its reaction to the news and has urged Danes to meet up and demonstrate against the government. “[There area] tax exemptions for businesses with record profits paid for by the unemployed and students through such things as the kontanthjælp reform, which means that unemployed parents under 30 lose thousands of kroner every month,” Johanne SchmidtNielsen, EL’s political spokesperson, wrote on Facebook.

Mette Frederiksen was reportedly miffed that her kontanthjælp reform was so closely tied in to corporate tax relief

the reforms, shortened the unemployment benefit period and are aiming at further ambitious structural reforms,” Jakob EngelSchmidt, a Venstre spokesperson, told Politiken newspaper.

And while the government reforms also yielded some positive words from think-tank Cepos for reducing growth in the public sector next year to the benefit of lower corporate taxes, Liberal Alliance (LA) maintained that the government’s reforms lacked courage.

“The proposals are guarded.

They are just more of the same.

A number of small initiatives that move a minimal number of kontanthjælp recipients into the employment ranks,” Joachim B Olsen, the employment spokesperson for LA, said on the party’s website. “The government admits that financial incentives play a role, but they don’t dare to reduce benefits so it will be less attractive to receive social benefits.”

Growth bill

tively educated on the world stage as they once were, while the overall productivity of Denmark remains lower than in other countries.

Government reforms, including the recent proposed reforms of kontanthjælp and SU, are hoped to both increase educational levels while also getting more workers into the labour market.

Thirdly, Denmark spends the greatest proportion of its GDP on public spending of all the OECD countries. The government therefore wants to limit the growth of public spending in the coming years, which means that improving public services will have to depend on increased effectivisation and modernisation, as well as an increased role for the private sector.

continued from front page

plains that there are three main challenges faced by Denmark that the reforms and growth and jobs bill hopes to address.

Firstly, it’s expensive to run a business in Denmark because salaries have increased faster than productivity. The uncompetitive level of taxation also makes it unattractive for businesses to invest, which limits the amount of new jobs that can be created.

To address this, the government is making it more attractive to run a business by lowering taxes and costs on production.

Secondly, the new generation of Danes aren’t as competi-

Split it to save it SF’s best move is to withdraw from the government Editorial, page 8

7 Just the facts: ‘Kontanthjælp’ reform and growth bill Cover Story

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 March 2013

Peter Stanners

Growth bill: Key elements

Kontanthjælp: What is it?

• Gradual reduction of corporate tax from 25 percent to 22 percent, except for banks and companies drilling for North Sea oil (see story on page 15). Cost: 1.2 billion kroner • Reduced energy levies on businesses. Cost: 1.8 billion kroner • Abolishment of the mileage tax for lorries and increased support for railway freight. Cost: 1.5 billion (in 2020) • Increased tax credits for research and education and reduction of VAT on hotels. Cost: 700 million • Initiatives to improve growth and attract highly-qualified foreign workers. Cost: 100 million • Increases in public investment.

Cost: 2 billion • Reintroduction of the income tax deduction for home renovations. Cost: 1.5 billion • Increased investment in renovation of public housing. Cost: 2.3 billion • Increased adult training and re-education together with the private sector. Cost: 1 billion (between 2014 and 2017)

• Kontanthjælp is the least generous unemployment benefit and is guaranteed to all Danish residents according to the constitution.

• Individuals cannot have savings of more than 10,000 kroner in order to accept kontanthjælp.

Recipients are often asked to sell their assets, including vehicles and property, before being granted kontanthjælp.

• Married couples have a duty to provide for each other. If one partner earns over a certain threshold, the other cannot claim kontanthjælp.

• Under-25s normally receive a maximum 6,767kr per month before tax, whereas over-25s normally receive a maximum 10,500kr a month before tax.

• Those who are pregnant, have children or suffer from mental illness can receive higher rates, while under-25s still living at home receive a lower rate.

• Under-25s without an education can be forced to take an education in exchange for receiving kontanthjælp.

• Kontanthjælp recipients are divided into three tiers. Individuals on the first tier are considered ready for the labour market and

Young unemployed individuals receiving kontanthjælp will be made to take an education in order to continue receiving benefits

are forced to search for work and take work that becomes available. The second two tiers are considered unprepared for the labour market and make up the vast majority of kontanthjælp recipients. Much less is demanded of these two groups.

• 135,000 people receive kontanthjælp. 50,000 are aged under 30 and 90 percent of these have no post-secondary education.

Kontanthjælp reform: What will change?

• Under-30s with an education will receive a lower rate of kontanthjælp equivalent to the stu-

dent grant SU (5,753kr a month before tax). Those without an education will lose their kontanthjælp and be forced to take an education. They will receive a benefit equivalent to SU. • Under-30s not ready to take an education will continue to receive kontanthjælp as long as they continue to take steps bringing themselves closer to an education.

• The expectations and duties for all kontanthjælp recipients will be increased, and the three-tiered system will be abolished. Those who can work will be made to take community service work until they find work.

• Unmarried couples living to-

gether will be treated like married couples and lose the right to kontanthjælp if one of the partners earns over 30,000kr a month before tax.

• Increased focus on providing individually-catered solutions for all kontanthjælp recipients with special focus on single parents and those whose problems keep them out of the labour market.

• With the reform, the government aims to save 368 million kroner in 2014 and one billion kroner by 2017. Some 2,500 people are expected to move into the labour market in 2014 due to the reform, and 1,000 more are expected to take an education.

Growth bill: How to pay for it?

• In exchange for increased government investment in public infrastructure, councils will not increase spending on public ser-

Will it work?

Various criticisms have been levelled at the government’s growth and jobs plan.

First are accusations that reducing corporate tax will have little effect on stimulating the economy or creating jobs. Many agree that reducing levies on business will encourage more production, but others argue that taxes on waste water and CO2 are needed to reduce consumption and pollution.

Read the story, ‘Government’s growth bill under scrutiny’, at cphpost.dk. vices. Gain: 2 billion kroner • Reduce annual growth of public sector from the planned 0.8 percent to 0.4 percent in 2014.

This will slowly rise to 0.75 percent in 2020. Gain: 1.9 billion kroner in 2014, rising to 4.2 billion kroner a year by 2020.

• Cuts to the student grant system, SU. Gain: 2 billion by 2020.

• Cuts to kontanthjælp. Gain: 0.4 billion kroner in 2014 • Temporary tax on capital pensions. Gain: 1 billion in 2014.

• Reduce salary increase in public sector to match the lower wage increase in private sector. Gain: 1.5 billion a year from 2013.

EU verdict could sabotage SU reform Christian Wenande

zen should not face discriminatory treatment and has the same Majority of Danes support the SU access rights to social benefits as Danish citizens. But the rules reform, but an EU verdict means are different for students, and as that the Danish authorities may a benchmark, citizens from othhave to provide more financial er EU nations are not permitted support to foreign students to receive SU when studying in Denmark. he EU courts last But in the particular case of week rejected a Danish ar- an individual identified as LN, gument that students from who was denied SU because he other EU countries who come had originally come to Denmark to Denmark to work and later to work before deciding to study begin an education should not at Copenhagen Business School, be eligible for the state-allocated the EU court ruled against the student allowance, SU. Danish state.

The decision, which comes Pagh said that the verdict after the governopens up the ment announced possibility of its SU reform other EU citiplans, could have zens becoming serious conseeligible for SU quences for how If you are a parent by coming to many people that Denmark to the Danish state is in Romania, some work for a couforced to support. of months sound advice to your ple “Denmark has before beginsuffered a clear de- child would be to ning their SUfeat. The education granted studies. minister will most work a few months “If you likely be forced in Tivoli before are a parent to share the eduin Romania, cation allowance starting to study some sound funds with more advice to your people than he would like to,” child would be to work a few Peter Pagh, a professor who re- months in Tivoli before starting searches EU law at the Univer- to study,” Pagh said. sity of Copenhagen, told PoliThe decision comes just days tiken newspaper. after the education minister, The legal issue revolves Morten Østergaard (Radikale), around an EU citizen’s inten- rolled out the government’s SU tions when initially coming to reform, from which they expect Denmark. Danish law states to save two billion kroner by that as an employee, an EU citi- 2020, by cutting down on the

T

amount of SU some students receive and the length of time that they can receive it.

The Education Ministry said it would evaluate the ramifications of the EU verdict before making a comment.

The proposed SU reform wasn’t particularly well-received by students, but following Østergaard’s presentation of the reform on Tuesday, a poll revealed that the majority of Danes back the reform.

According to a TNS Gallup survey complied for Berlingske newspaper, 51 percent of the population found the proposal acceptable, while 30 percent believed it was too drastic.

However, the Education Ministry’s advisory board, SUrådet, warned that disposing of the extra SU year won’t have the desired effect, and student organisations, such as Danske Gymnasieelevers Sammenslutning (DGS), have argued that the government’s proposal is too intricate and unclear. The head of DGS also criticised the media narrative surrounding the reform.

“The government has had plenty of time to sugar-coat the SU reform. They’ve talked a lot about the crisis and how the students must contribute. They’ve used a lot of negatively-loaded terms such as ‘gap years’ and ‘cafe money’ when describing the situation,” Malene Nyborg Madsen, the head of DGS, told Berlingske.

SU costs the state an estimated 17 billion kroner a year.

InvItatIon

Welcome to copenhagen – come be a part of the city!

The City of Copenhagen would like to invite you to a Welcome Reception the City Hall,would Tuesdaylike theto6th of March 2012 from the city ofatcopenhagen invite you and your 5 p.m. to p.m. family to 7this year’s Welcome reception at the city hall · Head of Business Affairs Jakob Brandt from Copenhagen Tuesday the Service 5th of March 4 p.m.welcome - 6 p.m. you to Business would 2013 like toat officially Copenhagen · meet representatives from different culture and leisure · Introduction to the city through interesting glimpse and stories activities in copenhagen and hear about evening classes, presented by Jakob Parby from The Copenhagen Museum sports, family friendly events and activities, and much more. · Taste the famous Copenhagen City Hall pancakes whilst having · taste the famous copenhagen city hall pancakes. the opportunity to meet representatives from different culture · Welcome speech by the mayor of culture and Leisure and leisure activities and ‘visit’ the human library. administration, pia allerslev.

Please register please registerthrough for freewww.kk.dk/english at www.kk.dk/english

We to seeing Enter look throughforward the entrance facing Theyou!

City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen).

Enter through the entrance facing The City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen)

8

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 March 2013

Shake up or ship out The drone debate in Denmark: We need to take a stance The only way to save this government might be to split it apart

drones – and the data they produce – can be used.

I

F THERE IS something worse in politics than not agreeing it is disagreeing. Case in point: the current government.

When it came to power in 2011, it was clear that the three parties making up the coalition did not see eye to eye on much beyond their opposition to the previous government. Given that the coalition includes socialists on the one side and centrists who backed some of the previous government’s legislation on the other, anything other than an agreement to disagree on most issues would have been either a lie or a political miracle.

Now, with the Socialdemokraterne-led government hellbent on forcing through a long list of painful reforms, the divides they had managed to paper over until now threaten to undermine the coalition.

Some have suggested that a cabinet shake-up may be on the way in order to smooth things over again. Such a move would reassign cabinet seats and make sure that Socialistisk Folkeparti ministers could head up ministries that were better suited to their left-wing profile. Currently, two of the party’s six ministers have portfolios related to working in the best interest of the nation’s businesses. That uncomfortable set-up this week became a source of political gossip when the business and growth minister, Annette Vilhelmsen, was conspicuously absent from the presentation of a government plan to stimulate growth by cutting taxes and reducing social services.

Had a reform been carried out three months ago, this move might have allowed members of the Socialistisk Folkeparti to seek shelter in their offices while the government was crafting its current raft of reforms. By this point, however, the damage has been done; SF voters are rebelling and the government is in disarray.

Such a situation need not prove terminal for the government. The bylaws of the Danish parliament permit minority governments, provided they do not have a majority against them. The government already relies on the far-left Enhedslisten to pass most legislation. Often it does so kicking and screaming, but the alternative, it finds, is even less palatable. Such would probably be the case with an SF that decided to detach itself from the government, yet remain loyal to it.

The reward to SF for its move would be to win back many of the voters it lost during its drift toward the centre and, critics argue, away from its socialist roots. The benefit for the government would be less internal divisions and an ally that had the self-confidence to prioritise its convictions over cabinet seats.

The choice facing the coalition members is amicable divorce or nasty public blow-up. While the dishes have been flying ever since the government was formed, they can no longer continue to sweep the pieces under the carpet.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Denmark needs to take a stance

KATJA LINDSKOV JACOBSEN & CHRISTA MOESGAARD

D

RONE TECHNOLOGY has been debated in the Danish media for quite some time already.

Although the focus has primarily been on ‘armed drones’, the possibilities offered by ‘surveillance drones’ has also been mentioned.

Yet, as recent debates demonstrate, this distinction is not as simple as is sometimes made out to be.

Moreover, two features are arguably contributing to changing the terms of debate about drones in Denmark. Finally, broader questions concerning the global political context have arguably received unhelpfully little attention.

Armed drones in Denmark: Where are we?

THE FIRST distinction that must be made concerning drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles) is the distinction between the use of this technology for surveillance or armed purposes. The use of armed drones is by far the most controversial and most debated. However, the application of drones as a tool in intelligence gathering is not without its own inherent issues. ‘Surveillance drones’ produce large amounts of data, such as images and electronic intelligence and can be used to track movements not only in military conflicts, but also in policing and political activities. The question in this regard is not only what the effect

of drones in surveillance will be, but also how to manage the data they collect and how to protect this data, e.g from unauthorised access. Transmissions from drones are not encrypted and occasionally drones have been hacked and information stolen.

It has also been suggested that hijacking a drone and using it for acts of terrorism or other crimes would not be impossible.

A critical aspect of recent debates concerns the issue of intelligence-sharing that blurs this distinction. Notably, the alleged Danish involvement in supplying the intelligence for the US drone attack on al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen in 2011 sparked public debate over the legality and morality of Danish support for the US use of drones in the killing of suspected terrorists. Yet this did not lead to any clarification of the political stance towards the use of drones.

Similarly, the Danish government announced in 2012 that it would rejoin the high-profile NATO smart defence Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme and, furthermore, Danish pension funds have invested in drone development programmes since such investments offer substantial returns for their clients.

As such, the drone debate in Denmark is not simply about whether Denmark should acquire more drones but rather about the need to define rules for how

THE DEBATE can be read as indicative not only of the pros and cons of the new technology, but also of larger issues concerning the need for politicians to take a stance. Two factors have arguably changed the international landscape in ways that push for such decisions to be made, also by Danish politicians.

Firstly, we have seen a new set of voices expressing concerns and critique of how the US has deployed drones to carry out targeted killings of terror suspects in places such as Yemen and Pakistan – places in which the US is not even at war. Notably, the United Nations has recently announced an initiative to undertake an investigation of the legality of the use of armed drones.

Although it is still too early to say whether the UN report that will come out of this might have any significant implications, it is still noteworthy as an illustration of how international organisations have begun to voice critique of the contemporary use of drones by the US. As such, these are arguably critical voices that Danish policy-makers need to decide how to relate to, certainly if they are critical of the US use of drone technology that Denmark has otherwise largely been uncritical – sometimes even supportive – of.

Secondly, the international situation is now such that a number of international players – including China, Saudi Arabia and India – are in possession of drones. The longer the US uses drone technology as it pleases – that is, with minimal transparency and legality – the more this prepares the world for a setting in which other states in possession of drones can point to the US and claim that they also have a right to deploy drones to neutralise whoever they define as their

enemy. Not only is this likely to affect internal security situations in the countries that have drones at their disposal; it may also cause friction with neighbouring countries. Issues of privacy aside, there are strong strategic incentives for why a widely recognised set of rules about the application of drones should be agreed upon at this juncture, rather than later.

Together, these two factors produce an international context that arguably pushes Danish decision-makers to take a stance not only on the issue of whether to acquire more drones, but also on the more critical issue of how to deploy such drones and perhaps on whose side “we” are on when it comes to issues of legality, insofar as that will be the new terms of debate.

Indicative of larger questions ARGUABLY, THE relevance of the drone debate lies not only in the specifics of the technology but also, and perhaps more importantly, in how drones are used within a broader political environment that continues to deploy the ‘War on Terror’ as legitimate. In this context, a crucial question that is sometimes neglected in current debates is the question of the extent to which this rhetoric and the ‘exceptional’ measures that it legitimises are still acceptable more than ten years after 9/11 and nearly two years after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Even if legal frameworks were to be defined for the use of drone technology, one could worry that, for as long as a ‘War on Terror’ rhetoric is evoked to legitimate exceptional measure, such legal frameworks will be of little use.

This aspect has arguably received too little attention in current debates about drone technology.

The authors are researchers at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

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Arabic man accuses free speech group of hypocrisy

Marginalised immigrant women on near-permanent welfare

Free speech is always subversive, because it’s freedom, even for people you might not like or even agree with. Even if they are non-ethnic Danes with funny names, this august association seems to find it extremely offensive and threatening not to have the proper name and ethnicity.

Mr Taha has not threatened anyone in his life, and according to him, his record is exemplary. If that’s true and a person with no spot on his record has a right to the benefit of doubt, there’s no reason to exclude him. Check on him all you like. It’s true that a private association has the right to arbitrarily decide who comes to their meetings and who does not. However, one would think that the commitment to free speech would put some ethical constraints on that.

Loroferoz By website

I think that this actually might prove to be a good thing. The Danes have become so accustomed to living as parasites, that they will never change the system unless they realise that foreigners can exploit it too!

DanDansen By website Once more my iron law of immigration is confirmed. If you invite a bunch of people from a culture where women are strongly discouraged from any life role besides wife and mother, then don’t be surprised if they are unwilling or unable (it doesn’t matter which, really) to find employment and pull their weight economically.

Cliff Arroyo By website This whole kontanthjælp system is bullshit. There needs to be a limit on how long one can use this scheme. If you don’t have a limit,

they will ride the bus as long as they can. That’s a fact. ziggedwhenishouldazagged by website Trial to grade kids at an earlier age supported by opposition There is value in knowing that you are not as strong, or are stronger.

It helps to set realistic expectations in life and allows one to responsibly pursue that of which they are capable. The Danish attitude inhibits learning this very critical personal skill that pays off later in life. I also completely disagree with the comment that there is no evidence that giving grades improves student’s competencies.

How can a Danish educator even make this kind of statement? They have no valid data from which to draw that conclusion! These Danish educators are not doing Denmark any favours from a global competitiveness perspective.

Tom By website

Every time we have one of those parents’ evenings, it ends up with me having a battle with my both of my son’s teachers, after the normal pleasantries. I always ask the forbidden question: “What are their grades like?” The normal stock answer is that they are above average, and then I ask what that means – if the average is 50 percent, for example, then 60 percent is above average. The new answer they use is: “They are doing well; they are in the top ten percent.” I can see it in their eyes: they really don’t want to have this conversation with me, they start to fidget and look at each other. I think that a grade system, which would not only help the parents at least to know how well their children are doing and enable them to encourage the children to study harder and/or help them, may be a little progressive. But I am sorry – I don’t care if it makes the teachers work harder; any teachers’ time off comes second to my children’s education.

Rugratzz By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 March 2013

9

Immigration process needs less bureaucracy, more accountability

I

You’re Still Here?

BY KELLY DRAPER Kelly Draper is a British teacher who came to Denmark four years ago for work. She has been acting informally as a critical friend to Denmark. This has not gone down particularly well with Danes, who often tell her she should like it or leave it. Her blog is at adventuresandjapes. wordpress.com.

MMIGRATION is a difficult process, bureaucratically speaking.

Proper checks must be made and that takes time. It is reasonable, immediately after a major rule change, if there are long waiting times as staff get to grips with new systems. But really though, what’s going on at the Immigration Service?

Young people turning 18 who came to Denmark as refugees in childhood have the opportunity to seek citizenship. There are many hoops to jump through, however, and they do not automatically have the right to a Danish passport. This year’s cohorts, who have done everything the Danish government has asked of them, are facing waiting times of more than a year for their citizenship paperwork and passports.

This is no big deal if the plan is to go straight to university and stay in the Schengen Area until 2014-15, but if a young person has plans to take a year out to travel or study, this means they must find the money for a visa application or postpone their plans. Visa applications are not always successful for holders of refugee passports, depending on the political climate of the country

If you ring Mette at 11am, she might give you different information than Jens at 2pm they would like to visit.

When is a Dane not a Dane? To become a Danish citizen is no mean feat.

There are language and culture tests as well as rules about what you can and cannot do for a decade before you apply.

The Danish government is saying that these young people are Danish and have Danish citizenship, but yet may not have the same opportunities as someone who became a citizen by virtue of their parents. The EU rules of free movement and agreements Denmark has made with non-European countries do not apply to Danish citizens while they hover in bureaucratic limbo.

How unfortunate that this gives the message to young people who have jumped through every hoop, fulfilled

every criteria and made a positive choice to become Danish that they do not deserve fair treatment.

Meanwhile, those immigrants that the Danish state makes a big song and dance about desiring face similar problems. You read about these in the media intermittently. The waiting times, the loss of essential paperwork (a hint to Immigration Services: buy paperclips), and the letter that basically says “We have not looked at your application yet, despite having it for several months. When we get around to it, you will definitely hear from us at least seven months afterwards.” I paraphrase.

One of the biggest problems for everyone dealing with the immigration authorities is the variety of ‘advice’ you can get. If you check its website in Danish, the information can be different from what it is in English. If you ring Mette at 11am, she might give you different information than Jens at 2pm.

You might ring several times, just to make sure that you are doing the right thing. Then when you get to the office, Pernille tells you that the rules simply do not allow the thing both Mette and Jens said was possible when you rang

twice the day before.

The system is in chaos. There is no way that processing even a bumper crop of new passports after a citizenship test in a functioning system should take more than a year. Danish immigration law should not be so open to interpretation. Perhaps the underlying problem is a lack of staffing or poor leadership. The cynic in me wonders if it is deliberate, pour encourager les autres.

What needs to change, which is coincidentally the thing least likely to happen, is greater accountability. If Pernille, Jens and Mette felt that they might get in trouble for their incorrect interpretation of the rules or for not taking care of paperwork in a timely manner, wouldn’t they take more care over their work?

Each applicant should have a named caseworker (and perhaps a spare for holiday periods). This caseworker should be the only one to respond to queries about the rules. This caseworker should personally check the paperwork and ensure that nothing gets lost. This caseworker should be personally responsible for the time between receipt and decision. If this means that there needs to be more caseworkers, then so be it.

Yup, looks like I was booring you!

I

To Be Perfectly Frank

BY FRANK THEAKSTON Born in 1942 on the Isle of Wight, Englishman Frank Theakston has been in Copenhagen 32 years and is on his second marriage, this time to a Dane.

Frank comes from a different time and a different culture – which values are the right ones today?

I try very hard to convince my critics that I’m not against Denmark and everything Danish. It’s just that I live here, and I like to kick up a bit of dust.

If I lived anywhere else I like to think I’d be just as critical, although there might be some places where I wouldn’t get the same satisfaction in doing so. And there are probably places where it might be downright dangerous to do so. So that’s maybe the answer – I’m a bit of a coward but know I’ll be safe practising my grumpy skills in Denmark because I get absolutely no reaction. Any foreigner daring to do the same in, for example, most places in the States would probably risk ending up in the foundations of the latest casino in Las Vegas.

Indeed, a lot of the reaction seems to come from Americans who have chosen to settle here in preference to the land of their birth. And when you come to think of it, that’s quite a life-determining decision to take. The contrast in social philosophy could hardly be greater, at least within what we call the ‘Western world’.

It’s not so culturally difficult as a Brit to move around in western Europe – the va-

KNEW it was bound to happen sooner or later: I’ve start getting comments to the effect that my continual banging on about everything that’s wrong about Denmark has worn a bit thin. It reminds me of that 1960s ad for a certain deodorant: “BO [body odour] – what even your best friend won’t tell you.” So when your best friends do start telling you that you’re becoming just as boorish as the people you write about, then it’s time to do something. Or at least think about doing something.

The easiest thing would be to just stop expressing myself in print and continue to be a grumpy old man in private. But where’s the fun in that? And it’s not as though it’s personal. After all, I’ve lived here for 34 years so it can’t be all that bad. “Then why don’t you write something positive about Denmark?” goes the cry. Well, because I’m a grumpy old man and I’ve cultivated that image very carefully over my advancing years and tuned it to near perfection – or at least as near perfection as a perfectionist can admit to.

I’m a grumpy old man and I’ve cultivated that image very carefully over my advancing years riety of languages just adds a little spice to the adventure. So the relatively small things that I find it amusing to criticise should be almost insurmountable obstacles to an American. But apparently that’s just the point. Whereas I’m not aware of any books written by Brits about living in Denmark, there are certainly such books written by Americans.

Because for them it really is something to write about!

As an encouragement for me to see the more positive side of living here, and thereby presumably to put an end to my perceived negativity, a friend (an American of course) introduced me to such a

book, entitled ‘Americans in Denmark’

by F Richard Thomas. It’s from 1990 but still very relevant regarding the basic reasons why people who espouse a very different set of values would appear to want to give that all up. I use the phrase ‘appear to’ judiciously, as it’s not the values that they shun, but the way of life that goes with it: the endless pressure to achieve, the violence that often goes with it, and the heightened sense of guilt or shame that goes with not living up to the ‘dream’.

All this anxiety and fear is immediately quenched on moving to a country like Denmark. Here, nobody expects you to account for yourself or even take responsibility for your own actions, unless they are clearly criminal. And even then, you may get the benefit of the doubt as one of society’s ‘weaker’ members. The opposite side of the coin is that you can’t expect to be too excited or challenged by anything. It’s a choice that a lot of people make, not just Americans, and it looks like I made it too.

Gee, I guess I just said somethin’ positive about Denmark! Aw shucks.

CPH POST VOICES

BRICK BY BRICK

GRAIN OF SAND

THE BALANCING ACT

CHRISTIAN VALUES

STILL ADJUSTING

CRAZIER THAN CHRISTMAS

THE WORDS OF ÖZ

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The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 March 2013

Social media event shows that Danes love Facebook but lag behind on Twitter Social Media Week Copenhagen / Veronica Skotte

Ann Priestley While happy to be among their Facebook ‘friends’, Danes are less likely to interact in the more random nature of Twitter

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Some of the sights at the #SMWCPH event Filip Wallberg (@fiwa)

If Danes are to share content from traditional media via social media, they are much more likely to do so via Facebook than any other

tionals trying to get a toehold in Denmark. Participants were asked why they had come to the event. One Italian attendee responded that it was “because I

need some friends”. A Danish participant posted on Facebook afterwards that she regretted that neither she or anyone else in attendance approached the

Slaughterhouse to be reported to police over horsemeat While Hårby Slagtehus awaits a probably investigation, aid organisation wants horsemeat meals slated for destruction to be given to the needy instead

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årby Slagtehus, a slaughterhouse in the Jutland town of Skanderborg, was expecting to learn it had been reported to the police by the nation’s food authorities, Fødevarestyrelsen, this week for its role in the horsemeat scandal that has spread across Europe.

Fødevarestyrelsen suspects that the slaughterhouse hadn’t indicated on its packages of mixed meat exactly what was in the mix.

Hårby Slagtehus maintained that the restaurants it supplied were aware that the meat, which the slaughterhouse sold under the labels of ‘pizza meat’ (pizzakød) and ‘formed beefsteak’ (formede bøffer), could contain horsemeat. However, Fødevarestyrelsen went to six customers of the slaughterhouse who all said they thought they were purchasing beef. A control team from Fødevarestyrelsen took a

IKEA to stop selling meatballs after horsemeat discovery The horsemeat scandal has now reached IKEA. After Czech authorities revealed that horsemeat was found in packs of frozen meatballs made in Sweden and shipped to Czech stores, IKEA stores in Denmark have decided to stop selling the meatballs.

According to the Associated Press, an IKEA spokesperson said that the same meat stopped by the Czech authorities was sent to IKEA stores in 13 Euro-

pean countries: Britain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, Cyprus, Ireland, Greece and Italy.

While calling the Czech results “isolated” and stressing that the meatballs sold in the five Danish IKEA warehouses did not come from the same source as the suspect meat, IKEA announced on Monday that it would discontinue the sale of meatballs in Denmark.

total of nine samples from the six restaurants and found traces of horse DNA in three of the tests, traces of pig DNA in one sample, and a combination of horse and pig DNA in five of the samples.

“It’s completely unacceptable. The consumers don’t get what they think they are getting, and I don’t know if this is a oneoff case, but the food authorities are going to concentrate more on which animals are being used in the meat,” the food minis-

ter, Mette Gjerskov (Socialdemokraterne), told DR News.

Gjerskov added that her administration has made the horsemeat scandal a top priority.

As the horsemeat plot continues to thicken, the Danish Red Cross has suggested that all the horsemeat meals being destroyed should instead be given to the poor and needy.

“There are millions of people who don’t eat food every day, and even in Europe there are people who completely depend on hand-

“Here in Denmark, we have decided to send the meatballs from the Danish warehouses out for analysis,” a statement from IKEA read.

Analysis results came in on Wednesday and did show the presence of horsemeat. It was still unclear, however, if the tainted meatballs were sold in Danish stores.

IKEA has also stopped selling hot dogs in some countries, but not in Denmark. (JC) outs,” Anders Ladekarl, the general secretary at the Danish Red Cross, told DR News. “If we have good food that can be eaten, then we shouldn’t be destroying it.”

Ladekarl suggested that the food be sent to Spain, Greece and eastern European countries, but said that the people there must be told what is in the meat.

His suggestion was echoed by the German food minister, Dirk Niebel, who said it was irresponsible to be throwing away edible food. (CW)

Christian Wenande While it is illegal to grow cannabis plants in Denmark, it is legal to buy and sell cannabis seeds

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large number of Danes are growing their own cannabis plants at home, according to a new investigation by drug researcher Helle Dahl.

Dahl, a researcher at the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at Aarhus University, said that her investigation suggested that there were at least 1,200 Danes who grow cannabis plants in their homes, but that many grow the plants for a reason other than getting high.

“There are a number of people who self-medicate against ADHD, as is the case with cancer and AIDS patients who also benefit from [cannabis],” Dahl told P3 radio station.

While it is illegal to grow the plants, it is legal to buy and sell cannabis seeds in Denmark, and Dahl said that while there is a grey zone as a result, by growing their own cannabis people are not supporting the criminal element involved in the underground drug trade.

But while growing the plants is illegal, police are cracking down more often on the larger production facilities that have begun springing up in the country recently, which are able to produce up to 400 kilos of cannabis every year. That’s

just under one fifth of the total amount of cannabis confiscated in Denmark in 2011, according to a publication from last year entitled ‘Cannabis – forbrug, interventioner og markeder i Danmark’ (Cannabis – consumption, interventions and markets in Denmark) by the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research.

The cannabis output from home growers, on the other hand, is relatively small. Of 550 Danish home growers contacted for the study, only 22 indicated that their home production consisted of more than 100 plants, and just five of them had more than 500 plants, which could provide 60 kilos of smoke-ready cannabis a year. Most of the growers had only between one and 50 plants.

“Most of the people grow cannabis for their own use. But people generally grow more plants than they need because you don’t know how much you get from your production beforehand,” Vibeke Asmussen Frank, one of the authors of the publication, told Berlingske newspaper.

The publication also attempts to identify just who the typical Danish cannabis grower really is. But aside from observing they are mostly male and employed, there are no other general traits in common.

“There are too many Danes who smoke cannabis for them to be part of a marginalised group, and we are not surprised over how widespread growing cannabis actually is,” Frank said.

Farmers afraid of the big bad wolf after sheep attacks Anna Ackerman

Scanpix / sven Joensen

t’s official: the Danes are crazy about Facebook.

Usage is amongst the highest in the world and nearly 90 percent of Danish social media interactions take place within Facebook’s walled garden. But what do these simple facts tell us about Danes?

Last week, Social Media Week came to Copenhagen. It was part of a global event taking place in a total of ten cities from Miami to Milan celebrating the social, cultural and economic impact of social media. The theme of Social Media Week Copenhagen (SMWCPH) was ‘open and connected’, and with 107 events in the city, the programme had a bit of something for everybody.

But just how open and connected are the Danes when it comes to social media? Although many event descriptions were in English, a sneaky language icon at the side confirmed that most were in Danish. Also, there were mutterings that the events attracted the same people having the same discussions – a magic circle of cliques and agencies that can be hard to break into.

A story from one of the events in English, featuring NBC’s Richard Lui, illustrated a common problem for interna-

guy after the event. But all’s well that ends well – her post got 144 likes and the lonely Italian was tracked down. His Twitter follower count has now shot up.

The nub of the issue may be Danes’ reluctance to network with people they don’t already know – which explains why they are so keen on Facebook but less enthusiastic about other social media. A new survey gives an indepth picture of Danes on Twitter, or at least the 92,549 tweeting in Danish. Whereas in Sweden over 20 large Twitter communities have developed, Denmark lags behind with just five large communities with mutual interest in areas such as celebrities, sport and teens – yes, Denmark’s most followed tweep is a Justin Bieber fan. Finland is at much the same stage as Denmark but has some rather different areas of interest, such as librarians and manga. As a whole, Denmark is seen as being three years behind Sweden in terms of Twitter usage.

Looking further afield, Denmark’s social media usage is almost the mirror image of Japan’s – where Danes use Facebook, the Japanese take to Twitter.

Scientific analysis of social networks finds that the tightlyknit communities found on Facebook tend to be closed to new ideas, stifling innovation and creating an echo chamber of ‘people like us’ putting their thumbs up to the same stories.

SMWCPH was a timely reminder that cultural differences – and the language you use – can affect you in the virtual world just as much as in the real one.

More grow their own pot

Recent sightings of wolves in Jutland have farmers worried about their livestock, and now an attack has confirmed the fears

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n Monday, Sven Joensen, a farmer from Harrild Held in mid-Jutland awoke to find that eight of his 330 sheep were missing. He immediately suspected a wolf, as just days earlier, a wolf was photographed three kilometres away.

“I was outside with the flock in the middle of the day on Sunday, and there were no problems,” Joensen told Berlingske newspaper. “But when I returned on Monday at 10am to feed them, it was a different story. The sheep always used to run down to my feed wagon, but this time, they stood still. I saw the dead sheep in front of me and then looked around to find that in total, two of my sheep were killed. Several others were lying injured while the rest of the flock just stood still.”

Six out of 14 injured animals had to be killed. The sheep had bite marks all over their bodies, and a farmer from Holstebro confirmed Joensen’s suspicion that it was a wolf.

“My colleague is of Swedish

Six of the 14 injured sheep on Joensen’s farm had to be put down

origin, and he knows what a wolf attack looks like. He says it is typical for many sheep in the flock to be attacked,” Joensen said.

The case has been reported to the police, and Joensen has contacted state game rangers to clarify the cause of death. Although farmers have to pay a deductible for insurance for animal attacks, Joensen stresses that he is not opposed to wolves returning to the Danish countryside.

But he hopes that there will be greater awareness about the effects of their return.

“If it turns out to be a wolf, I would like it if we discussed the consequences of their return,” he said. “There are, of course, consequences.”

Prior to recent sightings, the last recorded wolf was shot just south of Skive in 1813. Now, some 200 years later, they are returning due to Germany’s wolf population increasing over the past decade.

LIFESTYLE: SPRING FOOD THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 March 2013

A plan for all seasons

BY DITTEMARIA SØNDERGAARD

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A self-confessed “food passionist and organic geek since forever”, Dittemaria Søndergaard is the assistant manager at BioMio, Copenhagen’s best known and biggest organic eatery. Founded in 2009 , and located on the always interesting Halmtorvet just outside the vibrant Kødbyen, its finger is on the pulse of what Copenhageners want on their plates: seasonal fare straight from the source with nothing in between.

For four weeks at a time, four times a year, our aim is to give you all the seasonal lifestyle advice you need to thrive in the areas of gardening, health, food and sport. When should you plant your petunias, when does the birch pollen season normally start, which week do the homegrown strawberries take over the supermarket, and which outdoor sports can you play in the snow? All the answers are here in ‘A plan for all seasons’.

So close you can almost taste it

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OW ARE YOU guys making it through winter? As I’m writing this, the snow is ankle-high, the sun is shining and big parts of the sky are the brightest blue. And even though the weather makes it a bit of a challenge to cycle around, I’m really grateful to enjoy such lovely winter days. And furthermore, I get to write my column, looking ahead to spring! I’m doubled up with excitement.

The first signs of spring NOW I REALLY don’t know anybody who’s not excited and happy about spring coming. And what’s not to get excited about after a long, cold and dark winter. The weather gets warmer, the days get longer, nature’s blooming, people tend to fall in love, and at the first sight of the sun you’ll start seeing the Danes outside, curled up in a blanket and most likely freezing their behinds off. That’s right! That’s exactly how much we yearn for the sun, warmth and light.

PHOTOGRAPH PETER STANNERS

A month of transition MARCH IS A month of transition.

The trees are starting to blossom again as they feel the warm sun beams, while the veggies are slowly starting to take on a spring feeling. Still, a lot of them remain the same as the previous winter months. Expect plenty of carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, celeriac, on-

ions, parsnips, Hamburg parsley, leeks, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, kale and apples.

THE SPRING onions, pak choy, new (almost-no-needto-peel) garlic, spinach and asparagus have come! And hold on now ... we’re approaching summer ... and that means STRAWBERRIES! That’s right: with a little bit of luck and sun, the strawberries will be ready to eat in May.

The herbs of hope YOU’LL GET the first taste of spring with the first fresh herbs. How wonderful is that? Slowly and steadily, they’ll start appearing in the spring (and summer). Look out for basil, rosemary, watercress, lemon balm, tarragon, sage, thyme, oregano, parsley, chives, coriander, chervil, marjoram and mint. And besides the fresh herbs, the cucumbers, radishes and a variation of mushrooms and tomatoes are coming.

IT’S TIME TO say a grateful goodbye to the root veggies (I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve had more than enough of them at this point) and hello to the true spring sensation.

Besides what March offered us, a large variation of lettuces are now in season, including babyleaves and rocket.

And baby spinach is also coming along.

If we’re lucky, and the weather has been warm and the sun’s been out, you’ll even get the first rhubarb now. And finally, here’s a small April shout out for the forgotten ramson (wild garlic). This herb is having a revival these years, and it will grant you the tastiest and craziest bright green Halmtorvet 19 • The Bosch building • DK-1700 Copenhagen V pesto. Try it!

Tlf: +45 33 31 20 00 • hej@biomio.dk • www.biomio.dk

Naturopathic Nutritionist & Reflexologist

Natural health and detox specialist guiding and motivating you to create optimal, lasting health. tel: 50 19 76 06 www.carolinecain.dk

Food Sport Next week

Keeping it seasonal is key

Awesome April

Caroline Cain

May you spring with health

IN OUR global society, you can get most veggies and fruits throughout the year, but if you eat according to the season, I’m sure you’ll get a different experience. The flavours are more intense, and the vitamin/ mineral content is higher – which of course means it’s better for you. And in a bigger perspective, it’s so much better for our planet and environment to eat local food. So give your taste buds the thrill of trying some of the season veggies – preferably the organic version.

It’s been my pleasure writing these columns over the last year. Now completed, they truly are a plan for all seasons.

Hope they’ve been useful – or at least amusing if nothing else. Here’s wishing you a great spring.

Garden Health

Halmtorvet 19 • The Bosch building • DK-1700 Copenhagen V 19 • The Bosch building • DK-1700 Copenhagen V Tlf: +45 33 31 20Halmtorvet 00 • hej@biomio.dk • www.biomio.dk Tlf: +45 33 31 20 00 • hej@biomio.dk • www.biomio.dk

BioMio is Denmark´s largest 100% organic restaurant.

Flavoured with love, passion & purpose

GET YOUR OWN PERSONAL SPORTSGUIDE – FOR FREE! www.medarbejdermotion.dgi.dk/SportsGuides

Get your own personal guide to the local sports clubs and maybe the beginning of a Danish network Mail: CONTACT: morten.graff@dgi.dk

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THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 March 2013

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

Krudttønden last week on Wednesday was the place to be for the long awaited worldwide premiere of ‘Shakespeare’s Women’. Pictured here (left-right) are BCCD president Mariano Davies, UK ambassador Vivien Life, Indian ambassador Ashok Kumar Attri, the triumphant cast (Christiane Bjørg-Nielsen, Ian Burns and Linda Elvira), director Barry McKenna, who co-wrote the play with Burns, and the Indian ambassador’s wife. See page 18 for our review

The monthly ‘After Hours’ event, organised by the Consortium for Global Talent, and last week on Thursday hosted by Copenhagen Business School, was once again very well attended by both Danes and internationals. Pictured here are Tine Horwitz, the CEO of the Consortium for Global Talent, and Per Holten Andersen, the president of CBS, who spoke at the gathering about ‘The Global Business School’

The government will shortly send a business delegation to Indonesia led by Pia Olsen Dyhr, the trade and investment minister, and last week on Tuesday, Asia House was the scene for a preparatory meeting, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Dansk Industri. Speaking here is Carsten Dencker Nielsen of the Asia House Foundation, who was later followed by Indonesian ambassador Bomer Pasaribu (seated, centre)

The Russian Embassy last week on Thursday hosted a reception to celebrate Defender of the Fatherland Day. Among those present were (left-right) Vietnamese ambassador Lai Ngoc Doan, Russian ambassador Mikhail Vanin, Chinese ambassador Li Ruiyu and Cuban ambassador Caridad Yamira Cueto Milian

Mexican ambassador Martha Barcena (not pictured) was at hand last week on Thursday to open an exhibition at Refshaleøen of 35 hand-woven rugs plus various other crafts, organised in collaboration with Zapoteca. The occasion also marked the establishment of a new networking group for Mexican and Danish entrepreneurs called Company Care

The Copenhagen Food Fair at the Bella Center concluded on Wednesday. Among those in attendance at the Horesta Stand was top chef Rasmus Kofoed (right) and Eva Kjer Hansen, the former minister for food and agriculture

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DATING THE DANES

And then there was one ... Swapping New Zealand for Zealand for her second tour of duty, Emily McLean isn’t, as far as we know, getting hitched anytime soon. She’s out there kissing frogs to find her prince - nobody ever said Dating the Danes was going to be easy.

One game you won’t win

D

ANISH MEN know how to play the game. While they may not be competing in the traditional dating game as such, they’ve created a much more sinister, craftier, slyer version – I’ll call it ‘slyming’. And sadly, this is one game where participation isn’t optional if you intend to get close to any Danish guy.

Rule number one in slyming is to keep your options open for as looooooooong as possible.

Why commit to one girl when an even hotter, funnier, sweeter one could be just around the corner? A far cry from a NZ man’s approach where flirting takes so much effort that by the time they nab one girl, they’re far too exhausted to try it on another. (In this regard, Danish men know that slyming is about working smarter, not harder.)

Rule number two in slyming is to use the word ‘friendship’ in as broad a term as humanly possible. Danish men always want to appear like the good guys, so by inserting this simple word into any sentence, it makes them appear caring in-

stead of misleading or cuddly to meet his family and he even instead of flirtatious. texted me ‘princess’. So I was No joke – I’ve had the fol- completely shocked when I got lowing lines said to me in the the “Oh, I think we’re just good name of ‘friendship’. friends” line. What?!

“I just like being close to It’s at times like that when my female friends, and spoon- I crave a NZ farmer and purely ing is a part of that.” for one reason – they’re honAnd “I est. They don’t don’t like that slyme and, I have to tone come to think down my affecof it, they tionate words I don’t like that I have wouldn’t actufor a girl just ally know how because she’s to tone down my to. my friend.”

As I see it, affectionate words for the Danish Now some men Danish guys are a girl just because she’s I’ve encounslymers for life. tered are good my friend But some just men ... but boy enter the game as bench play- do they know how to pull a ers for a quarter. However, by line, lay on the charm and flirt. the time they come off the field, Those things in themselves they’ve already solidified their are not bad, but if they’re not reputation, making the transi- done with intention, then they tion from slymer to good guy a just come off as deceitful. very hard one to make.

As a New Zealander, it’s Take the latest guy I recent- impossible to win this game. ly liked – I genuinely thought It’s not in our DNA to slyme, of him as a great guy, but that nor do we have any experience came into question when I felt I in it. So we either have to be had been slymed. Now, I really bench-warmers or enter at our thought he was into me – he own peril. emailed often, he was flirty, he I’m a person ... not a game. was attentive, he told me I had Don’t play me.

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THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 March 2013

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The trailblazer who helped the flight finder reach for the sky MATTHEW JAMES HARRISON

ROUMIANA STEFANOVA How a language school’s jobs guide helped an international internet firm to realise that hiring foreigners is the best way forward

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HIS TIME LAST year, the flight finder search engine Momondo was just another regular Danish middle-sized company.

But then it met Iuliana Orzan, a Romanian online marketing specialist, who has opened up its eyes to such an extent that it has just hired ten internationals at its HQ in Copenhagen.

“We would have loved to hire a foreign online marketing manager before,” the company’s international marketing manager, Kasper Hove, revealed. “But we thought it was impossible to find such a qualified specialist here in Copenhagen.”

Orzan was recommended to Momondo by Jobpakken, a job finders’ scheme run by the Copenhagen Language Center and funded by the City Council. It enabled the company to initially take her on as a trainee under a løntilskud arrangement, which meant the council would pay half of her salary for the first six to 12 months.

Orzan’s Romanian heritage paid immediate dividends.

After just three months in the

When expanding into a new market, it’s not just about translating your webpage into the local language

Iuliana Orzan (right) has proved to be a valuable addition to Kasper Hove’s team at Momondo

Romanian market, the company achieved better results than it had managed in two years in the French market.

“This was due only to the fact that we had a Romanianspeaking person in our team in Copenhagen,” said Hove.

Armed with this resolve, Momondo, which has a presence in 25 foreign markets, decided to hire ten more international experts. They have been surprisingly easy to find.

“Before we hired Iuliana, we thought that to find the right

candidate, who also knows the foreign market and speaks foreign languages, you should go to London, because you could not find people like this here in Copenhagen,” said Hove.

“We thought the recruitment process would take a lot of time and money. But we now know that there are many foreign candidates with very strong academic and professional backgrounds here in Copenhagen.

We simply did not know how to find them.”

As well as using Jobpakken,

COMING UP SOON Expat Spouse: Driving family force or drifting talent?

Books & Company, Sofievej 1; Hellerup; March 6, 09:00-11:00; 50kr; email signup@booksandcompany.dk to sign up This workshop covers the latest perspectives on expat partner talent.

Women’s Brunch Kvinde til Kvinde meet-up, location given to registered attendees; March 9, 11:00-13:30; tickets 100kr, 75kr reduced; www. kvindetilkvinde.dk/shop/kvindebrunch-100kr/ Kvinde til Kvinde (Women to Women) offers a Saturday brunch for women to meet and enjoy a morning of food, friends and an inspiring speaker.

Seminar on Modern Danish History Alexandersalen, University of Copenhagen, Bispetorvet 1-3, Cph K; March 13, 19:00-21:30; free adm, register at http://goo.gl/A8IL4 For such a small country, Denmark has quite a history – spanning thousands of years from the Vikings to Afghanistan. Once a great regional power in Europe, the Danish democracy has developed after dozens of defeats over several hundred years and developed into a modern democracy.

This seminar will examine the impact of the country’s unique history and the challenges facing Denmark today.

ent at online businesses in Denmark and a willingness to expand into new markets, the big problem is doing it and doing it in the right way,” he said.

“When expanding into a new market, it’s not just about translating your webpage into the local language. This is the

Groups and Networks for Expats Frivilligcenter Gentofte, Smakkegårdsvej 71, Gentofte; Thu March 7, 16:00-18:00; free adm, register at www.frivilligcentergentofte.dk; 3940 4648 Enjoy giving back to the community? Interested in meeting other expats who share the same passion? Come and get inspired and learn about volunteering opportunities in the Greater Copenhagen area! This workshop will introduce new IT-based tools to find social events and other internationals, and tips on how to start networks and groups and find like-minded friends. Coffee will be provided.

Lunch with Stine Bosse British Chamber of Commerce luncheon; Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Hammerichsgade 1, Cph K, March 22, 11:45-13:00; members: free adm, non-members: 400kr; register at www.bbc.dk Stine Bosse, the highest ranking female CEO in Denmark, was also appointed the 22nd most influential business woman in 2009 and 2010 by the Financial Times. At this luncheon, sponsored by the British Chamber of Commerce, Bosse will discuss her book ‘Det handler om at turde’ (it’s about daring) and her approach to no-nonsense communication and societal engagement. The event will include welcome drinks and a buffet lunch.

the company also attends events aimed at internationals looking for work. Pia Vemmelund, the CEO of Momondo, recently attended one entitled ‘Skills and growth’ and, according to Hove, “was very impressed by how highly-skilled the candidates she met there were”.

Hove, who is a former Google consultant, contends that this is the way forward for small and middle-sized Danish companies interested in expanding abroad.

“While there is so much tal-

way to start, but if you want to grow, then you need somebody with a local presence. It is about having the full package: advertising correctly, using the right promotional channels, knowing the local publishers and running successfully social media.

How can you do this, if you don’t have a person speaking the local language?”

Orzan is happy to have made a difference. Finding work at Momondo was the culmination of a long arduous journey that began 18 months ago with her sending numerous applications to mostly large companies – to no avail.

“I eventually came to the

conclusion that I was wasting my time,” she said. It was then that she went to the Copenhagen Language Center and spoke to its jobs guide, Casper Hernández Cordes.

“He helped me realise two things. Firstly, I was applying to big companies that focus on the Danish market and who needed Danish specialists. I could not compete and my aim needed to be smaller companies who need foreigners. Secondly, I needed some kind of entrance to the companies: someone to network for me.”

Cordes was happy to oblige with the second part of the equation, and he arranged an interview with Momondo and the rest is history.

“Of course nobody can guarantee you a job. You need to take the initiative yourself,” said Orzan. “But the job coaching was the deciding factor. I might not have been able to get the interview without the help of the jobs guide.”

The Copenhagen Language Center runs regular Career Evenings, for both its students and international seeking work in Denmark, where they can find out more about its job finders’ scheme, Jobpakken.

The next evening is at Flæsketorvet 60 on April 24 at 17:00. Find out more at www.facebook.com/ CareerEvenings and www.kbhsprogcenter.dk/danish_and_work

International bright young things Job Search Workshop Nyropsgade 1, Cph V; March 5, 09:00-14:00; free adm; register at www.workindenmark.nemtilmeld.dk Are you new to the job search in Denmark? Workindenmark welcomes you to a free workshop where you will be introduced to the basics of Danish employers, tips for searching, motivation letters, CVs and interviews. Tea, coffee and sandwiches are included.

Friends Cafe Night Cafe Kant, Drejervej 15, Cph N; March 14, 19:00-22:00; free adm; www.meetup.com/friendsproject/events/104414922 The Friends Cafe Nights will help international women build networks and make friends across cultural boundaries. Join for coffee, cake and good times!

Talk on Modern Buddhism Sankt Joseph – Klærkesalen, Griffenfeldsgade 44, Cph N; free adm, register at http://talksonmodernbuddhism.org/copenhagen Gen-la Kelsang Dekyong, the spiritual head of the New Kadampa Tradition, a global Buddhist organisation, will give a free talk on modern Buddhism in her first visit to Denmark.

The event will feature a guided meditation and will be held entirely in English.

JESSICA HANLEY

Launch night at the KEA bar: nothing like a few pints to get the creative juices flowing

DAVE SMITH Design school predicts that overseas students will prove the difference in case competition

O

LA PUKKI, the head of studies at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology (KEA), has predicted that teams taking part in a newlylaunched case competition will have an advantage if they include international students.

The case competition, which was officially launched last week on Friday by KEA and the Copenhagen Cooperative Bank (Københavns Andelskasse), will see teams of students competing to create the best sales campaign for the bank.

“If the groups consist of both international and Danish

students, it will be a huge advantage,” contends Ola Pukki, the head of studies at KEA. “International students will probably have a very different approach to sales campaign than what we are used to in Denmark, so their ideas will be fresh and new. Danish students have a good understanding of the Danish culture and can adapt the fresh ideas into a practical plan. In fact, the international students and Danish students will be quite dependant on each other in this competition.”

Xinxin Gudbjörnsson, the project manager at the Copenhagen Cooperative Bank, is enthused that the students will be able to participate regardless of what they study. “Many case competitions favour economics students, engineering students, marketing students or design stu-

dents,” she said. “This one is for all students with good ideas and the ability to make a solid plan.

It’s not an academic assignment.”

The case competition is the first of many that the bank intends to co-ordinate. “Many of our owners and board members are teachers, so we are interested in working with students,” said Gudbjörnsson.

“We have many ideas for different case competitions. Our many teachers at the bank can help the school create an interesting and creative competition, and the bank is very willing to sponsor with student-friendly prizes.”

The case competition mentioned in this article is only for KEA students.

Should your school be interested in running a case competition, contact Xinxin Gudbjörnsson at xg@kbhandelskasse.dk.

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Sports

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 March 2013

Scanpix/EDDIE KEOGH

Scanpix/ GLYN KIRK

Cup win makes Laudrup a legend, but will it be his swan song?

Christian Wenande With his greatest managerial triumph to date, Michael Laudrup took less than one season in Wales to bring silverware to Swansea City. Top clubs are beginning to show interest

S

unday was a special night all round for Michael Laudrup and Swansea City after they romped to a 5-0 victory over Bradford City in the Capital One League Cup Final, securing the first major trophy of their 100-year existence.

First-half goals from Nathan Dyer and signing-of-the-season contender Michu had given the Swans a healthy lead going into half-time, before another Dyer effort shortly afterwards had put the match beyond Bradford.

Bradford’s goalkeeper, Matt Duke, was then sent off for fouling Jonathan De Guzman, who proceeded to score with the resulting penalty, much to the consternation of an angry Dyer who had hoped to secure his hat-trick.

A graceful Laudrup took the blame for the mix-up that ensued following the awarding of what was, quite amazingly, Swansea’s first penalty of the season.

By then the party had already

kicked off for the thousands of Swansea fans who had made the trip to London, and while the Swans did take their foot off the throttle out of respect, De Guzman got his brace and Swansea’s fifth in stoppage time.

For Bradford, the lopsided defeat was a cruel end to one of the most sensational cup runs in English football history. The League 2 side, who play their football in England’s fourth tier, had battled their way into the hearts of many by beating Championship side Watford in the early rounds before going on to overcome Premier League outfits Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa on their way to the final.

For Laudrup, though, it was his greatest managerial triumph to date. In less than one magical season in south Wales, he has managed to bring silverware to Swansea and accolades onto himself.

“I don’t think I can compare this title today with something I have done before, for the simple reason that it’s one thing to win when you are playing for Barcelona or Juventus, but to win it with a smaller club is absolutely fantastic,” Laudrup told BBC News. “It is Swansea’s first major trophy ever, and to win it in this, the centenary season, is up there with the best things I have done because it is completely different.”

The League Cup triumph is the first time that Laudrup has won any sort of silverware outside Denmark as a manager.

He won the Superliga once and the Danish Cup twice during his stint with Brøndby between 2002 and 2006. He did come close in 2008 with Getafe in Spain, but lost the Cope del Rey final to Valencia.

But more importantly, the cup glory and success he has brought the Swans in the Premier League has finally vaulted him into the upper managerial echelons that he had failed to reach thanks to dubious results at Real Mallorca and Spartak Moscow. Now, the big boys are taking notice.

According to a recent poll in Spanish sports newspaper AS, Laudrup is the Real Madrid fans’ favourite to replace Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu.

Of 40,000 voters, 78 percent wanted Laudrup ahead of other names such as Rafael Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti.

But despite the interest, Laudrup was adamant that he would remain with Swansea for the remainder of his contract, which runs through until the end of next season.

“I’ve been part of this [football world] since the beginning of the 1980s so I know it’s like that,” Laudrup told Sky Sports.

It was a champagne moment as the 100-year-old club lifted its first trophy ... in 100 years Scanpix/EDDIE KEOGH

Laudrup took most pleasure from seeing the fans of a small club win something

Nathan Dyer opened the scoring against a team that managed its first effort on goal in injury time

“I’ll cope with it, and I’ll probably have a lot of questions about this – probably every Thursday when I have a press conference – until the end of the season.

But that’s a part of it. I’ve said I’d like to stay here, but again, even if you have a 10-year deal, there will always be rumours.

The Swansea players could be forgiven for thinking ‘all good things come in threes’ before the match when looking at their 48-year-old manager’s previous

big-match experiences at Wembley stadium.

As a legendary player, Laudrup took part in two important matches at Wembley – well, actually the old Wembley, but close enough – and won them both.

First he helped secure Denmark’s first participation at a major football tournament (Euro 1984) when he was in the team that beat England 1-0 at Wembley thanks to an Allan Simonsen penalty. The second match was

in 1992 when he and his Barcelona teammates beat Sampdoria 1-0 in the European Cup final after a Ronald Koeman free-kick in extra time.

Legends of the game like Hristo Stoichkov, Raul, Romario, Andrés Iniesta and Franz Beckenbauer have all called Laudrup the best player of his time.

The cup win with Swansea could be his first real step towards becoming a legendary manager as well. He already is in Swansea.

Sports news IN brief Hardly a step-up for Thorup

Arizona dream quashed

Jannik’s jab punished

Is defeat in omnium an ominous sign?

Date with Diego in Dubai

Jess Thorup, the current coach of Superliga Club Esbjerg fB, which he guided to promotion last year after just one season in charge, has announced his decision to quit at the end of the season to replace Morten Wieghorst as manager of the under21s. The 43-year-old, who will assume the reins in June, played club football in Germany, Austria and Norway, but never won a national call-up.

Thorbjørn Olesen failed to deliver on recent form, bowing out of the World Match Play Championship in the second round in Arizona. A day after seeing off Jamie Donaldsen 3&2, he lost by the same margin to South Africa’s Tim Clark.

Thomas Bjørn, meanwhile, who like Olesen qualified courtesy of being one of the world’s top 64 golfers, lost 3&2 to Sweden’s Peter Hanson in the first round.

One of Denmark’s NHL stars, Vancouver Canucks forward Jannik Hansen, has been widely condemned for smashing his forearm into the back of Marian Hossa’s head – an attack that concussed the Slovakian and earned Hansen a two-minute penalty, a $7,300 fine and a one-game ban. Meanwhile, the Canucks are rumoured to be considering a bid for another Dane, Nicklas Jensen.

There was disappointment for Olympic omnium champion Lasse Norman Hansen in the Track Cycling World Championships in Belarus on Saturday.

Heading into the second day, Hansen trailed the Australian defending champion Glenn O’Shea by three points, but despite overhauling him on Saturday, he was passed by another Antipodean, New Zealand’s Aaron Gate, who won two of the three events to

Caroline Wozniacki has a new fan: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona. The unlikely pair caught up at the Dubai Duty Free Championships, which the Dane bowed out of in the semi-finals, losing to Petra Kvitova, her fifth loss in eight against the Czech.

“She came to me to say hello,” Maradona told Sport 360. “But actually it was me who wanted to come and say hello to her.”

claim gold, with Hansen second, three points behind. In total, Hansen finished second in four of the events, but was undone by sixth and seventh-place finishes in the scratch and eliminator races. Meanwhile, the flying Dane also picked up a bronze in the men’s pursuit – along with Casper von Folsach, Mathias Møllerand and Rasmus Quaade a result that saw Denmark finish 15th in the medal table.

Business

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 March 2013

Government decides against renegotiation of North Sea Agreement after exempting the oil company from new corporate tax reductions

Maersk

Bjarke Smith-Meyer

DUC will get complete support from the government in the North Sea, but will in turn not receive any tax breaks

plan. The plan explicitly exempted banks and companies drilling for oil in the North Sea from the reduced corporate tax, which for other businesses will fall from 25 to 22 percent.

“We have agreed to waive a corporate tax cut this time around,” Maersk Oil CEO Jakob Bo Thomason told Børsen financial daily. “But it is important to emphasise that a tax burden on the North Sea has a direct impact on investment and activity maintenance.”

PM Helle ThorningSchmidt (Socialdemokraterne) insisted that the government “considered the background to the agreed economic conditions in the North Sea Agreement to be balanced and sustainable” during the unveiling of the government’s growth plan on Tuesday. Magnus Heunicke, a spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne, tweeted his satisfaction about the outcome.

“The government has managed to negotiate an agreement with the oil industry, in which [the industry] won’t get a single

krone from the corporate tax reduction,” Heunicke tweeted to Jyllands-Posten reporter Kåre Sørensen. Heunicke said in a subsequent tweet, however, that he would have liked to have seen the oil industry taxed more.

Thomasen, on the other hand, welcomed the government’s decision to forego any re-examination of the original agreement.

“It’s crucial for us at this time to get back to work now that the government has given its unconditional support for the North Sea Agreement,” Thomasen told Jyllands-Posten. “We can now concentrate on developing further investment and jobs within our sector.”

According to Concito, the DUC has profited from enormous increases in oil prices since the deal was struck, leading to vastly higher profit margins than most businesses. In 2008, the DUC had a profit margin of 28 percent. The average nonfinance-related company has an average after-tax profit margin of two percent.

Slow growth for Maersk, but hiring on the way

S

hipping and gas giant AP Moller-Maersk released its annual report last week, revealing a pre-tax profit of 42.5 billion kroner for 2012, which represents a 16 percent decrease on the previous year. Overall revenue, however, came in at 23.4 billion kroner, a 29 percent increase on 2011.

Nils Andersen, the CEO of Maersk Group, expressed satisfaction with the results, highlighting the performance of its shipping business.

“After a difficult start, Mae-

Justin Cremer Stronger than expected sales of toys aimed at girls helps Danish toymaker achieve a 25 percent increase in revenue

T

A

deal struck in 2003 between the Danish government and oil companies including Maersk will not be altered for another 30 years despite the government’s previous calls to re-examine the arrangement.

The agreement was signed by the oil consortium DUC – which includes Maersk, Chevron and Shell – and the previous centre-right government in 2003. The current government had indicated it would seek to renegotiate the treatment, which many have criticised as being too generous to the oil industry. But now, JyllandsPosten has confirmed that the government has dropped its plans and the agreement will stay in place until 2043.

The terms of the original agreement stated that should the government choose to raise the hydrocarbon tax before 2043, it would be obliged to compensate the DUC for any lost earnings as a result. Calls for changes to that agreement had recently gathered momentum, after far-left party Endhedslisten’s calls for a higher share of DUC’s profits through taxation were supported by think-tank Concito.

However, that no longer seems to be the case, after Maersk accepted that it will not benefit from the new reductions in corporate tax announced as part of the government’s growth

Pink is the colour of success for Lego

The Lego Group

Maersk’s oil deal to remain untouched until 2043

15

rsk Line improved its performance and the group achieved a result above last year’s, both in terms of net result and in underlying performance,” Andersen said in a press statement.

According to the company, higher freight rates and cost cutting measures were the primary reasons for the improvement.

In a press conference following the annual report’s release, Andersen told reporters that Maersk expected to acquire four new Triple E mega-ships, the largest in the shipping

branch, in 2013.

The company also said it would hire thousands of new employees this year. Maersk Drilling, one of the company’s units, expects to hire 1,300 people this year as part of a plan to add 3,000 new workers by 2018.

Maersk’s 2012 profits totalled 342 billion kroner, a 19 billion kroner improvement on 2011. The company expects to see a lower profit in 2013 due to lower production levels from Maersk Oil and diminished world trade. (JC)

Exchange Rates Australian Dollars AUD

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United States Dollars USD

Sell

5.55

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0.05

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6.06

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0.06

0.19

0.89

6.15

8.68

5.76

he toy giant Lego released its 2012 annual report last week, which revealed that revenues rose for the fifth consecutive year.

The company reported that its revenue increased by 25 percent, from 18.7 billion kroner in 2011 to 23.4 billion kroner last year.

The toymaker also saw its operating profit increase by 40 percent and its operating margin increase by four percent.

Its net profit for 2012 was 5.6 billion kroner, an improvement on 2011’s profit of 4.2 billion kroner.

“It is a highly satisfactory result and better than we expected at the beginning of the year,” Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, the CEO of Lego Group, said in a statement.

“This is due, first and foremost, to the fact that we were able to develop and launch products that children all over the world have put at the top of their wish lists in 2012.”

Lego pointed particularly to the success of its Lego Friends line, which performed twice as well as expected.

The line of toys, which is

Lego’s girls’ line, Lego Friends, was surprisingly successful ... although it was still outperformed by the company’s Star Wars line

aimed at young girls, came under criticism upon its release for encouraging gender stereotypes.

Several online petitions popped up against the line, including one on the popular site Change. org that criticised the company for giving the toys sexist activities including “lounging at the beach, brushing their hair in front of a vanity mirror, or shopping with their girlfriends”.

Denmark’s minister for gender equality, Manu Sareen (Radikale), also accused the line of reinforcing traditional gender roles, although he soon thereafter apologised for “formulat[ing himself ] in a bombastic and blunt manner”.

Lego’s chief marketing officer, Mads Nipper, said that the company released the Friends

line with “a lot of anxiety as we have historically never been very successful [in] attracting girls” to its toys.

“Through Lego Friends [we] have managed to introduce Lego play to millions of girls who had never received a Lego product before,” Nipper said in a statement.

Overall, the lines of toys that were most successful for the company were Lego Star Wars and Lego City, followed closely

by Lego Ninjago.

The company also reported that direct online purchases now account for some ten percent of total sales.

Lego’s financial results come just two weeks after the company announced that it would eliminate a total of 380 positions from its Billund factory by 2015.

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

It’s about daring...

Stine Bosse, has a Master of Law from the University of Copenhagen and before being appointed to Group CEO of TrygVesta A/S in 2001, she held various positions in Tryg which provided her with a unique, thorough and hands-on understanding of the day-to-day operations.

She is widely known in the public for her direct and no-nonsense communication and is enthusiastically engaged in the societal debate for a better and safer world. She is a role model for many aspiring young people as the highest ranking female CEO in Denmark and was appointed the 22nd most influential business woman in the world in 2009 and 2010 by the Financial Times.

Stine Bosse serves as chairman of Flügger Denmark, The Royal Danish Theatre, CONCITO, Børnefonden, and Copenhagen Art Festival. She is Danish member of ChildFund Alliance, and sits on the board of among others Nordea Bank A/S, TDC, Allianz and Aker ASA. Additionally, Stine Bosse is the former chairman of the supervisory board of the Danish Insurance Association (Forsikring & Pension), and former board member of Grundfos and Amlin plc.

In the Spring 2010, Stine Bosse was appointed Advocate for the Millenium Development Goals by the UN Secretary General, Ban Kimoon, to fight world hunger and poverty.

Stine will talk about the essence of her book “Det handler om at turde”.

Programme: • 11.45: Registration and welcome drinks • 12.00: Welcome and introduction by Mariano A. Davies, President, BCCD • 12.10: Guest speaker - Stine Bosse • 12.40: Questions and discussion • 12.55: Announcements by Penny Schmith, Executive Director, BCCD • 13.00: Buffet lunch and networking

Date: Friday, 22 March 2013 Venue: Conference Suite on 1st floor Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Hammerichsgade 1 Copenhagen K

Non-members are very welcome. Please contact BCCD or go to www.bccd.dk for further information.

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

If you would like to attend then please send us an email (event@bccd.dk) or call +45 31 18 75 58

Date: 27 February 2013

• official media partner Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

16

THEEMPLOYMENT COPENHAGEN POST THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE

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1 - 7 March 2013

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LANGUAGE SKILLS: Portuguese mother tongue. Fluent in English and Spanish. Basic knowledge of French. Starting Danish course.

IT EXPERIENCE: Proficient in the use of AutoCAD and MS Office. Trained in Adobe Illustrator/ Photoshop and ArcGIS. CONTACT: silviamfigueira@gmail.com, Tel: +45 2237 4427 SPOUSE: Ylenia Fiorini FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Post Graduate Master’s Degree in Peace Studies, Development Cooperation, International Mediation and Conflict resolution EXPERIENCE: I have ten years experience as social worker in Italy,and experience in various fields, in the social and third sector and I feel that my educational background combined with my campaign assistant practice in the Ngo Burma Campaign, in Barcelona, has been an excellent preparation. In the same way also my job experiences in the social field made me open to different situations and to see them as a source of knowledge.

LOOKING FOR: Entry Level jobs in the third sector field, in international organization or NGO’s LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian Mother tongue, fluent in Spanish, English, French, Swedish (basic) IT EXPERIENCE: Ms Office (Mac,Windows) CONTACT: yleniafiorini@yahoo.it SPOUSE: Lillian Liu FROM: Taiwan SEEKING WORK IN: Marketing/Public Relations.

QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Foreign Language and Literature (Major in English, and minor in French) EXPERIENCE: 5+ years of professional experiences in Marketing and PR. I am a dynamic and creative marketing communications talent with substantial international working experience in large corporation and in agencies, possessing Integrated Marketing Communication ability.

Proficient in analysing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision-making and formulating marketing communication strategies. Familiar with brand image build-up, channel marketing, media communication, issue management, etc. Possess in-depth understanding/knowledge of APAC market and Chinese culture.

LOOKING FOR: Marketing jobs in Jylland.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mandarin Chinese, English, Danish, French.

IT EXPERIENCE: Familiar with Windows O/S and MS Office.

CONTACT: sugarex@hotmail.com SPOUSE: Tanzeel ur Rehman FROM: Pakistan SEEKING WORK IN: Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Ms in Business administration from Sweden EXPERIENCE: 4+ years of experience as Customer Management and Profile Keeping in Telecom sector in Denmark. Implemented and follow Business Ethics in all the Marketing, promotional and branding activities throughout all the Denmark. Organized events for different communities for 50-500 people. Worked in Banking sector as Business development Executive.

LOOKING FOR: Full time or part time job LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent), Urdu(native), Punjabi (mother language), Danish (intermediate- currently learning) IT-EXPERIENCE: Bachelors in Computer Science CONTACT: EMAIL: tanzeel.lyca@gmail.com, Tel: +45 4223 8800 SPOUSE: Lynn Kim FROM: South Korea SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Science in Oceanography, Inha University, Incheon, Korea 2008.

Studied Chinese in Yentai, Yentai University, Shandong, China Fall 2006. Complete a course in Korean Language Teacher’s training, 2012 EXPERIENCE: Korea Coast Guard, Donghae; Pyongtaek, Police constable. Yeonsu Private Institute, Incheon, Teacher in Elementary, Middle School, and High School students in English. The Hankyoreh Newspaper Company, Seoul, Editorial bureau assistant. Weather and funeral column writing, Provide administrative support to the city desk. Inha University Newspaper, Incheon, Photo Journalist LOOKING FOR: Korean tutor as a part time job.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in English, intermediate Mandarin, Mongolian language, I’m learning Danish on Youtube.

IT EXPERIENCE: MS office tools(excel,powerpoint,word) CONTACT: amorphophallus@jinbo.net SPOUSE: Chiara Rodighiero FROM: Siena, Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen or nearby areas, Greater Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Ph.D. in Microbiology (Univeristy of Bristol, UK), Laurea (Degree) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (University of Padova, Italy), Project Manager Professional Certification (George Washington University, School of Business).

EXPERIENCE: 5 years as Senior Project Manager for Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.

Responsibility for managing multiple global projects at various stages of Research and Development. Experience coordinating activities within cross-functional teams and ensuring that internal research activities are fully aligned with project goals. Experience also includes managing a team of scientists, controlling research budgets and resource allocation. Also have experience working for Biotech (in United Kingdom) and academia (Harvard Medical School).

LOOKING FOR: Full time position in the Pharma/Biotech Industry in Research, Project Management or related fields suiting my qualifications and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian mother tongue , very good command of English and a working knowledge of French.

IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft Office package. Excellent command of internet and ability to find information on the web. Excellent command of word-processor and spreadsheet applications.

CONTACT: chiararodighiero@hotmail.com, Tel +39 348 790 7554

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

WHY: The Copenhagen Post wishes to help spouses looking for jobs in Denmark. We have on our own initiative started a weekly spouse job page in The Copenhagen Post, with the aim to show that there are already within Denmark many highly educated international candidates looking for jobs.

If you are a spouse to an international employee in Denmark looking for new career opportunities, you are welcome to send a profile to The Copenhagen Post at aviaja@cphpost.dk and we will post your profile on the spouse job page when possible. Remember to get it removed in case of new job.

EMPLOYMENT

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 March 2013

17

Biotech Job Vacancies Lundbeck

Novo Nordisk

Business Manager for Vortioxetine

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Director, Scientific Education

Regulatory Associate

Divisional Assistant – Global Study Management

Senior System Supporter

SAP HR Solution Architect

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Team Leader

Quality Specialist for the External Suppliers Quality Unit

Research Scientist

Corporate Business Analyst with focus on Group Management reporting

Assistant

Finance BI Specialist at LEO Pharma – temporary position

Supply Chain Project Manager

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Manager Epidemiology

Global Patient Solutions Manager – Psoriasis

Quality Data Analyst with a LEAN perspective

Business Analyst for Global Sales & Marketing (GSM)

Senior Regulatory Professional Modelling Scientist CDM Process Developer

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MUSIC FESTIVAL 7 - 20 NOVEMBER 2011

FROM SCHÜTZ TO GEIST

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NEWS

Dane unable to obtain family reunification for his Thai girlfriend says residency rules are a Catch-22

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Are you interested in becoming part of one Denmark’s most exciting media workplaces? The Copenhagen Post is on the move, and we’re looking to break into new advertising markets. As maternity cover for one of our current employees, you could become a part of that effort.

Exploiting ‘fat tax’ Supermarkets are scamming their customers under the guise of the new national ‘fat tax’

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SPORT

Get in or get out

This is a full-time, temporary position starting as soon as possible.

Is now the time to join the euro, or to run like hell?

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National coach Morten Olsen’s new contract will keep him in the job until after the 2014 World Cup.

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A new budget to ‘kickstart’ the economy JENNIFER BULEY

Warrior Jesus How Christianity borrowed from Norse mythology and branded Jesus as a tough guy in order to woo the pagan Vikings

HISTORY | 19

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SRSF’s first budget will spend 17.5 billion kroner on infrastructure and abolish previous taxes and restrictions

C

AN YOU HAVE your cake and eat it too? Conventional wisdom says no, but with their first budget plan since the shift of power, the new Socialdemokraterne-RadikaleSocialistisk Folkeparti (SRSF) coalition appear to be giving it a shot.

Many of the elements of the new budget – which is expected to be released in its entirety on Thursday – will increase state spending at a time when the budget deficit has increased. But where the money would come from remained a mystery.

A number of the new budget items reinstate spending cuts made by the pre-

vious Venstre-Konservative (VK) govern- the number of students. Moreover, stument. Here are a few of the major points: dents will no longer pay administrative Families: VK limited the state’s fees, and prospective Master’s students monthly child support handouts (bør- will have prerequisite course tuitions necheck) to 35,000 kroner per fam- paid. The government will also fund ily. That limit has now been abolished, 1,500 more state-supported internship meaning that many families will get positions.

Infrastructure and job creation: larger child benefits. The government will also pay for fertility treatments and Some 17.5 billion kroner will be invested over two years in infrastructure voluntary sterilisations.

Welfare: VK and Dansk Folkeparti projects, such as a new rail line between (DF) introduced specialised welfare pro- Copenhagen and Ringsted, a project to grammes that reduced the cash benefits widen the Holbæk motorway, erosion for new immigrants. Those programmes protection efforts along Jutland’s west have now been eliminated and going coast, and renovations to public housforward all residents in need of state ing. Prime minister Helle Thorningsupport will receive the same welfare Schmidt has said that these ‘kickstart’ projects will create 20,000 new jobs benefits.

Higher education and research: from 2012-2013. The Danish ConstrucUniversities will get an extra one billion tion Association predicts 10,000.

Tax break:meeting The unpopular ‘mulkroner over two years to cover costs as- a personal Organise sociated with a predicted increase in timedia tax’ introduced by VK will be

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abolished, saving some 525,000 Danes with business laptops and mobile phones 3,000 kroner per year.

Not everyone, however, can look forward to a cash infusion. Smokers and junk food lovers will be taxed higher on their vices, while international corporations will also see higher tax bills. SRSF plans to raise revenue by closing a number of tax loopholes going back nearly 20 years that allowed international corporations in Denmark to escape paying corporate taxes (see more on page 15).

All told, the spending increases in the new budget are not as big as the minister of the economy and interior, Margrethe Vestager (R), would like. She noted that VK under-reported the deficit for 2012, making it imprudent to spend more. But Denmark will still meet the EU’s financial responsibility benchmarks, despite the larger deficit, she added.

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Page 10

We publish a weekly print newspaper (circulation 15,000), operate the website cphpost.dk and have a number of new on-line products in development. Our offices are located in Copenhagen’s Kødbyen district and we offer an international work environment and a social atmosphere.

We seek an experienced B2B and media salesperson who is fluent in English, Danish would be an advantage. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently, be goal-oriented and capable of seeing opportunities. Your role will be to service existing customers and develop new relations, while at the same time help us open new markets.

InOut The CPH Post Entertainment Guide | 16 - 22 Sep

KIDS ON FILM YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BUSTER!

BLUES w w w. c o p e n h a g e n b l u e s f e s t i v a l . d k

SEPT. 28 - OCT. 2 · 2011

FESTIVAL

John Primer w. Nisse Thorbjorn Band [US/DK] Joe Louis Walker [US] | Holmes Brothers [US] Mud Morganfield w. Peter Nande Band [US/DK] Louisiana Red & Paul Lamb [US/UK] | Janice Harrington w. Kenn Lending Blues Band [US/DK] Keith Dunn Band [US/NL] | Johnny Max Band [CA] Delta Blues Band | The Healers | Shades of Blue Thorbjorn Risager | Troels Jensen | Alain Apaloo H.P. Lange | Mike Andersen & Jens Kristian Dam Tutweiler | Fried Okra Band | The Blues Overdrive Bluesoul | Grahn & Malm | Ole Frimer | Paul Banks Jacob Fischer Trio | Svante Sjöblom | Jes Holtsoe

See full programme: w w w.copenhagenbluesfestival.dk & w w w.kultunaut.dk

Østerbro International School was founded in 2009 by the initiative group to meet the needs of the International English-speaking community in Copenhagen. Østerbro International School is a IBMYP candidate school since May 2012.

The role of the Language A English teacher would be to implement the programme, develop curricular and teach to the objectives of the subject. The position will require the candidate: • • • • • • • • •

To be a native of English with the relevant teaching qualifications and experience.

Knowledge of and a commitment to the educational philosophies of the International Baccalaureate, specifically the Middle Years Programme Teach 26 lessons, lasting 45 minutes per week.

Ability to plan, deliver and evaluate lessons which stimulate and motivate students to learn Grade, plan collaboratively, preparation of lessons.

Possibility of class teacher Strong interpersonal skills Understanding of and sensitivity to cultural variance

The position commences August 2013 (length of contract to be confirmed) However, the successful candidate will complete an introduction and transition period, where the handover of the curriculum implementation and lesson plans will be communicated and the teacher will be assisted with settling in for the first week.

For more information, please contact sales manager Mark Millen.

Applications with CV should be sent to mark@cphpost.dk, writing Key Account Manager in the subject line.

To apply: please email your C.V and a letter of application to the MYP CoordinatorAlex Rankin ar@oeis.dk by March 15th 2013.

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18

Culture

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

1 - 7 March 2013

Cutting its strings to tackle issues like child pornography Who is …

T

he city’s puppets are no longer under the control of the City Council.

After nearly ten years under its supervision, the Copenhagen Puppet Festival has cut its strings and taken on a life of its own to become a self-governing, privately-funded institution.

There were multiple reasons behind the split, explained Øystein Leonardsen, a member of the festival’s board of directors.

“Now that we are a selfgoverning organisation, we have a greater opportunity for artistic freedoms,” explained Leonardsen. “You can tell the stories that you really want to tell. There is also a greater freedom for sponsorships and collaborations with private companies.”

Working as a separate organisation, he said, would allow the festival to focus more on complex themes and fully embrace its own identity.

“A lot of people misunderstand the meaning of puppetry and assume that it’s all for children, that it isn’t grown up,”

Jacob Haugaard?

DR/ Kirsten Ellebæk

Going it alone without the funding of the City Council will enable the Copenhagen Puppet Festival to exercise greater artistic freedom

Leonardsen told The Copenhagen Post. “We want to show that adult puppetry can in fact be quite serious.”

Founded in 2004 as a oneoff event, the festival has long been a creature of two parts, split into Puppet Junior for children and families, and the Copenhagen Puppet Festival for adults.

But while the junior version will continue to receive public finding, the adult festival won’t, starting with this year’s festival, which begins at selected venues in Copenhagen on Thursday and lasts until Sunday (see G8 in InOut for more details).

Adult puppet theatre can often tell stories that other mediums cannot adequately cover, Leonardsen explained.

He pointed to one of this year’s productions as an example: a piece entitled ‘Hooray for Hollywood’ set within the child pornography industry.

The main puppeteer, Raven Kaliana, was forced into pornography herself as a child and uses puppetry to communicate her own story in ‘Hooray for Hollywood’. The issues tackled in the production, Leonardsen reasoned, would have been difficult to portray in another medium.

“If we were to illustrate this issue on stage with real people, it would be uncomfortable and difficult to portray,” he ex-

Gordon Anderson

Jessica Hanley

Sigrid Neergaard

A puppeteer at work in ‘Hooray for Hollywood’ − not sure if this counts as molestation

plained. “Puppetry can go places that other art forms can’t and take on themes that are difficult for other art forms.”

“When you read a book, you generate specific images in your mind – but it’s not the same as seeing real people,” Leonardsen went on. “Yet when you view a film onscreen, it lacks the sense of vitality you achieve onstage. So puppetry kind of bridges the gap.”

Although topics like those in ‘Hooray for Hollywood’ might have been approved by the City

Council, Leonardsen maintained that the split would add to the artistic authenticity of the festival’s productions without the concern of the public agenda.

“As a part of the council, I always had in the back of my mind whether something we covered would be politically approved,” Leonardsen went on.

“I’d ask myself: ‘How will this look in the newspaper?’”

But the City Council did come with a sense of security, he admitted. While the puppet

Ann Charlotte Vengsgaard Shakespeare’s Women HHHHHH

February 20 at Krudttønden

I

t’s the opening night and the place is packed. Welcome drinks and laughter. The atmosphere is warm and friendly.

Nurse Dugmore (Linda Elvira) lights the candles and removes a dust cloth from some furniture in a dark room, which it transpires is the top floor of the Elephant, a hostelry on the South Bank of the River Thames, which is expecting a most esteemed guest. There are paintings of women in every corner, a large print of Hollar’s panorama of the Thames behind a mullioned window, and a large chair and writing desk in the centre of the room.

She struggles into the room with baskets of provisions to get it ready ahead of his arrival, disapproving of the settings. We hear the sound of gentlemen talking on the stairs.

A tired and worn-out playwright, William Shakespeare (Ian Burns), is heard muttering: “Not now Master Fletcher − I beg of you, I am exhausted,” before appearing in the room dressed in black, with a cloak and hat. He lets himself fall on to the nearest place to rest. On a large travelling trunk.

We are taken back to the old days of London, where the streets

Sarah Coghill, White Light Gallery

Shakespeare’s saved the best to last: you will like it!

Shakespeare’s run out of words, but he’ll always have his women

were not so much paved with gold, but something else.

The once famed and worshipped Shakespeare only months earlier watched his career go down in flames, along with his beloved theatre. He now feels like one of the tragedies he was famous for writing, tormented and bewildered, yet given the opportunity to give life to an idea for a comedy, ‘The Jailer’s Daughter’.

The story is brought to him by Fletcher, whom we never get to meet in person.

Shakespeare’s faithful nurse, who almost against his will keeps him going, is played by Elvira (again) with great empathy and wit. She wears what looks like a pair of orange satin undies on

her head and speaks loudly in a thick Northern accent: “You’re to have your syrup Mr Shakespeare – I care not if it tastes like Satan’s crack.” She urges him to rest, but he says no: “Fetch me my paper and pen.”

But we soon understand that in this hour of profound darkness, it is clearly not so easy to break free from the inhibiting chains of grief. Old Will is suffering from writer’s block, but help is at hand from an eerie singing nymph (Christiane Bjørn Nielsen) who encourages him to seek his inspiration from his one true muse and his leading ladies from previous plays. They come alive in his mind’s eye − appearing from behind veils and curtains

− like visions, speaking and singing devotedly with glossy lips and goldilocks, to their creator to engage and inspire him in his deed.

Burns humbly takes ownership of the stage in his role as the darkened, tormented Shakespeare. He fills the role perfectly and so do his companions, the leading ladies. Elvira and Nielsen are clearly in their element, enjoying their multiple roles to the full.

They include Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Perdita (‘The Winter’s Tale’), Ophelia, Cleopatra and towards the final part, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern (from ‘Hamlet’) wearing tricots that poke out revealingly. This is very funny: “Women are we my lord.

But we appear to you in this mannish gear.”

When the nurse returns in the morning, she finds Shakespeare collapsed in his chair. He has been writing all night.

While it certainly helps if you know the characters beforehand, in order to get the full picture and understanding and value of the play, it’s still accessible if you’re a Shakespeare novice. In this respect, full credit must be given to both Burns and director Barry McKenna, the co-writers of the play, for opening up the beauty of the Bard to those less keen on sitting through five-hour plays.

Those gathered at the world premiere of ‘Shakespeare’s Women’ were treated to a quickwitted, most charming performance. We need more plays like this in English.

festival failed to secure sufficient funds for 2013, they ultimately managed to get by due to a surplus from the last festival and donations from enthusiastic supporters.

“If we don’t find better funding in the next six months, there’s a possibility that we’ll have to shut down,” he said.

“But if that does happen, we’ll know that Denmark wasn’t ready. This in itself is an experiment and quite a leap into the unknown.”

Can you feel the love tonight ... not for us?

I

f only the British newspaper The Guardian chose who would win, then Denmark would scoop the Oscar for best foreign language film every year.

But on Sunday night, LA time, the love in the room was clearly only heading the way of ‘Amour’, the Austrian-produced, French-language entry that fulfilled expectations to add the Academy Award to the haul it has already won this year.

For the Danish film ‘A Royal Affair’ it was another case of the cupboard being bare. And given Amour’s 1/50 odds to win, Nikolaj Arcel, the Danish-Turkish director, and the main stars, Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen, could have been forgiven for staying away.

But then again, that would have denied Mikkelsen the chance to strut the red carpet in his best tuxedo and remind the gathered media that his new series, ‘Hannibal’, is making its debut on NBC on April 4.

While Denmark missed out on winning its second Oscar in three years, Sweden won its first statue since 1984 when Malik Bendjelloul triumphed for his documentary ‘Searching for Sugar Man’.

Meanwhile, Denmark can look ahead to next year’s awards, where 2012 Golden Globe nominee ‘Jagten’ is tipped to be in the hunt. (BH)

He is a comedian who is also well known as a musician, actor and … wait, did you say politician?

A comedian in politics – you’ve got to be kidding!

No, and it’s been a laugh a minute since the start. It all began at the political group Sammenslutningen af Bevidst Arbejdssky Elementer (the confederation of intentionally work-shy elements), which he helped found in 1979. The political group’s manifesto stated that everybody has the right to laziness, arguing that if work is healthy, why not give it to the sick? It predicted a future in which we would all become zombies feeding on work.

Initially, it was incredibly popular. But maybe this was due to the fact that everyone automatically became a member unless they clearly stated otherwise.

Sounds like the church!

Indeed, but with slightly more support. When Haugaard ran for parliament as an independent in 1994, an amazing 23,253 people voted for him. His policies included abolishing headwind on the bicycle lanes, shorter queues in the supermarkets, the right to impotency and bigger Christmas presents. And he was much loved by the army when his demand for Nutella in field rations was met.

Sounds like a shoe-in for prime minister. What went wrong?

Fortunately for the producers of Viagra, he chose not to run for parliament again after his four years as an MP, but he may have been the inspiration for Italian comedian Beppe Grillo, a candidate in the recent general election in Italy. Some of his key issues include broadband for all, bike lanes (although no mention of tailwind), and the right for priests to have their own children so they can keep their blessed hands off other people’s.

Now that’s funny! There’s room for humour in politics after all.

That’s exactly what Haugaard said. And just in case they ever forget, his portrait oversees the goings-on of parliament to this day. According to the Christiansborg comidian himself, it serves as a scary example that even foolish populists can end up in parliament.

DENMARK THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

1 - 7 March 2013

19

Illuminated by the Lumiéres, he lit up Denmark from his director’s chair MARK WALKER How an apprentice greengrocer left his sprouts to bear fruit to this country’s first ever films

T

From radishes to the royals BORN IN 1866 to a poor family in Helsingør, Elfelt was baptised Peter Lars Petersen. The eldest of three brothers, he began an apprenticeship at the age of nine with a greengrocer in Hillerød, where his family had relocated WIKIPEDIA

HAT DENMARK is a cinema-producing country of some standing is an undisputed fact. Thanks in large part to Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg and their clever branding of the Dogme movement, alongside the success of filmmakers such as Billy August, Susanne Bier and Nicolas Winding Refn, the Danish foothold on the international stage is as strong as it has ever been − but where did it all begin? On the shoulders of which giants do today’s greatest Danes stand?

Through The Looking Glass has previously explored the country’s golden age in silent cinema, including the global adoration of that period’s most beloved star, Valdemar Psilander, and the era that followed, featuring master filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer and the ups and downs of Ole Oleson’s company Nordisk Film, which is, today, the world’s oldest film studio still in production. However, Denmark’s cinematic roots go back even further than this.

in Paris in December 1895 at the legendary first public screening by the Lumière brothers at the Grand Café, where the pair unveiled ten films including the iconic ‘La Sortie des usines Lumière à Lyon’ (‘Workers Exiting The Lumiére Factory in Lyon’).

So taken with the screening was Peter Elfelt that he insisted on buying one of the Lumière cameras. The brothers refused him, as they did the great Georges Méliès (who later made the iconic ‘Voyage to the Moon’ and is a character in the 2011 film ‘Hugo’), but the seed had been planted firmly in the young Dane’s mind, and he returned to Denmark severely bitten by the cinema bug, determined to make the very first Danish film.

shortly after his birth. However, the hand of fate saw Elfelt, at the age of 13, swap his apprenticeship to work under Karl Rathsach, a photographer in the same town. This led to contact with Jens Poul Anderson, a skilled craftsman and, crucially, a stillcamera constructer. Once his apprenticeship was complete, Elfelt went to work as an assistant in Copenhagen for one of the leading photographers of the time, Johannes Petersen. From here, Elfelt began his own business venture with the Hillerød camera constructer Jens Poul Anderson. Anderson had developed his own hand-made stillcamera, the ‘Nellorødkamera’, and Elfelt began to distribute it.

Military service followed in 1888, and after employment with Johannes Hauerslev, another of Denmark’s foremost practitioners, Elfelt set about starting his own company. He opened his photographic studio in the centre of the capital on the corner of Købemagersgade and Kultorvet, employing his two younger brothers to help oversee the day-to-day running of the business. A turbulent beginning saw the death of his first wife in 1892, but by 1901, he had been officially appointed royal court

photographer. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be this impressive accolade for which he would eventually be best remembered ...

To the dogs … with success BEFORE GAINING his royal post, Elfelt had attended the aforementioned Lumière screenings in Paris, and shortly afterwards, some short documentary films arrived on Danish shores from England, which were exhibited in June 1896. These were the first films to be seen in Denmark. By this time, Elfelt had returned from France to begin working diligently with his old friend Anderson on the construction of his own film camera. It was based on Jules Carpentier’s detailed designs for the manufacture of the Lumiere-invented camera he’d tried to purchase. In early 1897, he succeeded in making the history books with the first Danish film, ‘Kørsel med Grønlandske Hunde’ (‘Travelling with Greenlandic Dogs’). It’s a documenting of a man called Johan Carl Joensen riding on a Greenlandic sledge with his dogs, barely one minute in length. Filmed in Fælledparken in Copenhagen, it’s a silent, one static shot or

take, with apparently no cuts, depicting the simple action of Joensen approaching the camera (presumably intended to evoke a similar response to the train in the Lumiere brothers’ ‘L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat’), circling around behind it and emerging again with Joensen, having dismounted, now chasing the sledge on foot.

Posh frock docs ELFELT MADE, over the next 15 years, more than 200 documentary films of a similar nature.

Elfelt travelled the country, primarily filming royal occasions, but also everything from nurseries to funerals. These have come to be regarded as precious documents of Danish life, many of which incredibly exist to this day, thanks to the efforts of the Danish Film Institute. Its Elfelt Collection holds more than 70 of his films, offering a unique view of life when the moving image was very much in its infancy.

Heritage of ‘The Killing’ WRITING himself again into the history books, Elfelt was the first to make a Danish fiction film. Entitled ‘Henret-

telsen’ (‘Capital Execution’), the film used actors to portray the events of a real life case in which a French woman was executed for the murder of her own children. Elfelt was said to be dissatisfied with the film and publicly doubted his motivations for making the film, saying later that he had questioned the merit of his original idea. It’s unclear as to whether the film even received a public screening. Nevertheless, the following year, he went on to film the first Danish commercial − for Svendborg Brewery’s Bock Øl. And in 1901, he also opened one of the first cinemas, Kjøbenhavns Kinoptikon, although it took five years before it became a financially viable undertaking.

Remembered today REGARDLESS OF the reservations he held about his film work and his relegation of it to second place under his ongoing still photography endeavours, Elfelt helped to popularise the moving image in Denmark immeasurably. He gave momentum to both an art form and a lucrative industry that thrives to this day, whilst allowing Denmark to lay claim to being one of the world’s first filmmakers.

Present at the birth THERE IS a moment that many consider to be the very birth of moving images. A Danish photographer named Peter Elfelt, then 29 years of age, was

A self-portrait of course WIKIPEDIA

Denmark’s first ever film: a white-knuckle ride ... through Fælledparken WIKIPEDIA NORDISK FILM

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