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With a flattering TV portrayal and an unfavorable supreme court ruling, it was a mixed week for PM
They’re living it up at the Hotel Europa. Check in and check it out – it’s a lovely place
A female expat’s outsourcing consultancy firm is flourishing in the city centre
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Vol. 14 ISSUE 2 14 - 20 jan 2011
The Danish News in English
News
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While parents nationwide soundly reject lunch programme, Copenhagen residents approve the plan News
By Dominique Barir Jensen 3
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Guest contributor argues that to preserve the welfare system, government size and scope must be reduced business Foreign financial houses consistently outperform domestic stockbrokers Copenhagen Post T: 3336 3300 F: 3393 1313 E: info@cphpost.dk W: www.cphpost.dk
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‘Elvis’ and his sister are two newest additions to the Danish Royal Family
By Dann Vinther
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Foreign nationals hit with new resident permit processing fees; see how much you will be paying opinion
It’s one happy mummy, two for the royals
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he line of succession to the Danish throne grew by two last week, as Crown Princess Mary gave birth to two healthy babies at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on January 8. The 38-year-old Tasmanianborn Mary gave birth to the babies naturally, with her husband Crown Prince Frederik by her side throughout the labour. The 42-year-old heir to the throne then announced the arrival of his twins in the hospital’s lobby. “It’s a miracle,” he said. “There’s two small hearts to keep an eye on.” The first child, a boy, was delivered at 10:30 am, weighing 2674 grams and measuring 47 centimetres. The second child, a girl, was born 26 minutes later, weighing 2554 grams and measuring 46 centimetres. The twins reportedly both have dark hair. This is the first time twins have been born into the Danish Royal Family since 1626. The twins are the third and fourth children for the royal couple. Their first-born, Prince Christian, was born in 2005 and is second in line to the throne
CIA cover-up leads to breach of trust charge Government chose US interests over the Danish Commonwealth, Greenlandic MPs say
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Photo: Scanpix “About yay big.” Crown Prince Frederik was all smiles following the birth of healthy twins
after his father. Princess Isabella was born in 2007 and is third in line. The twins are fourth and fifth in line, pushing Frederik’s younger brother, Prince Joachim, even further down the line to number six. The two older siblings were smuggled into the hospital through a tunnel, a parking lot and a hidden elevator to see the newborn twins on Sunday morning, according to Australia’s Herald Sun. “It is still quite unrealistic
for them, even though they have been following their mother’s beautiful growing stomach,” said Frederik to the newspaper. According to Danish tradition, the names of the babies will not be announced until the christening, which is expected to be held in three months. In the meantime, Frederik joked that as they share their birthday with Elvis Presley, “we can call one of them Elvis for now” – a tongue-in-cheek remark that was apparently misinterpreted
by some of the many international press covering the birth. Immediately following the twins’ birth, the name guessinggame began. Although traditional Danish names are preferred for members of the Royal Family, they are only mandatory for the firstborn. The announcement of Isabella’s name stirred up some rumblings for being too non-Danish. Veteran royal experts are predicting that the twins will also get non-Danish names.
he government is being accused of double-dealing in regards to the illegal transportation of CIA prisoners over Danish airspace, including Greenland, and now a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament says the case highlights the need for Greenland to take over foreign policy issues. “We Greenlanders cannot continue to accept the changing views of each new foreign minister,” Lars-Emil Johansen told The Copenhagen Post. “We need more influence on our foreign policy.” Johansen and Greenland’s other member of the Danish parliament, Juliane Henningsen, have joined the opposition by demanding an independent investigation into the government’s alleged behaviour. “The case has created enough disagreement as it is,” Henningsen told Politiken newspaper. “So we need to CIA continues on page 5
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the copenhagen post January 14 - 20
Most parents against daycare lunches By Kevin McGwin City of Copenhagen bucks trend by approving councilrun lunch programmes
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hile the vast majority of childcare centres nationwide rejected an option to establish council run lunch programmes last month, some 25,270 children in Copenhagen will continue to dig into institutional meals for at least the next two years. Some 84.5 percent of city nurseries (vuggestuer) and daycare institutions (børnehaver) voted to continue the programme after the one-year trial period comes to an end in July. On the national level, some 73 percent of childcare facilities have voted down plans to implement lunch programmes. A third of local councils say none of their childcare facilities have requested to set up programmes. The city says that part of the reason for the success was a 100 million kroner investment that has both ensured the quality of the food and served as a sign of the city’s commitment to parents. “The results in Copenhagen show that parents will support a lunch programme when they know that it’s good quality food,” the deputy mayor for children and youth, Anne Vang, said.
Photo: Maria Sattrup Though it was approved in Copenhagen, most childcare facilities voted down the lunch programme
For many of those childcare facilities that rejected the programme, the primary reason was the cost. With fees running up to 600 kroner per month, many, according to Lars Klingberg, head of the National Association of Parents, feel they can offer more to their children for less. Parents, Klingberg said, were also worried about the government’s commitment to the programme after it backed down from its original plan of making provided lunches mandatory for all childcare facilities. According to the Welfare
Commission, an independent government-appointed body tasked with finding ways to shore up social services, one in five children do not bring an adequate lunch to school and the programme was to ensure that all children received a minimum standard. However, the plan met with resistance, particularly after reports that some councils were considering options such as vacuum-packed sandwiches trucked from Germany, and the government said it would permit individual facilities to make
their own decision. One of the councils where the programme was resoundingly voted down was in the Copenhagen suburb of LyngbyTaarbæk. None of its 37 childcare facilities voted in favour. According to the parents’ association at the Garantien nursery, the lunch programme was “a solution to a problem they don’t have”. In a letter to parents, the association recommended the current practice of having parents make lunches as the cheapest and least timeconsuming for teachers.
Snow removal not up to snuff, councillor admits City Council caught off guard by second snowy winter in a row
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he city’s snow removal service so far this winter “could have been much better than it has been”, Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard, the deputy mayor for environmental and technical affairs, has admitted. But he explained to Politiken.dk that the city had not budgeted for backto-back snowy winters. “This is the second extremely tough winter in a row, and we had no way of foreseeing this when we laid out the budgets.” Kjeldgaard’s comments come after widespread criticism of the city’s snow removal. “The snow clearing has not been good enough. It’s worse than it usually is,” said John Lindbom, chairman of the Taxi
Photo: Scanpix It’s been rough going for cyclists and motorists alike this winter
Committee. “Nobody is salting the streets at night, which means that the snow turns to ice, and we can’t get through.” Cyclists too have been complaining that bicycle paths in Copenhagen have not been cleared properly this winter.
“We must have a higher service level. We should be at the same level as Frederiksberg Council, where the bike paths are cleared and the streets are black and free of snow the day after a snowfall. It takes five to six days here in Copenhagen,” said Jakob
Næsager, the traffic spokesperson at the City Council. “We claim to be the world’s leading cycle city and ask residents to use their bikes. When residents stick to their end of the deal, we need to live up to our promises. And we simply haven’t been good enough at doing that and clearing the roads.” The city set aside 35 million kroner for winter services for 2010. However, the council had already spent 46 million kroner on ploughing, sanding and gritting during the first few months of last year. “We ended up using over 63 million kroner on winter services in 2010, and this money needs to be found from other places,” said Kjeldgaard, adding that the people clearing snow couldn’t “work miracles” with the resources they have. (dbj)
Metro construction causes growing pains
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isruptions caused by the construction of the new Metro City Ring line could force some stores to close, reports Politiken newspaper. “Hundreds of stores located close to the construction sites across the city will experience some form of inconvenience that will drag down their sales,” according to Jan Michael Hansen of the retailers’ association Copenhagen City Centre. Begun last year, the con-
struction of the 17-station loop is not expected to be completed until 2018. Only stores located adjacent to construction sites can seek compensation for lost business. According to the committee established to investigate claims, a maximum of 30 percent are likely to be approved. “That’s the way it is when you run a business in a city where there are often public works projects,” said Jørgen
Poulstrup, the city’s coordinator for Metro activities. “It will be more difficult for customers and goods to reach stores. Metroselskabet, the company that operates the underground railway, has already set aside funds for compensating affected businesses. It declined, however, to state how much it expected to pay out, or how much compensation businesses received during the construction of other Metro lines. (km)
Photo: Metroselskabet Only a third of stores can expect compensation for lost business
in brief Two dead of H1N1 Two men in their 50s died of Influenza A (H1N1) on Tuesday in Skejby Hospital north of Aarhus. Else Smith, the director of the Board of Health, called the deaths tragic but not surprising. “For the vast majority, the influenza is harmless - and this goes for H1N1 as well. But there are unfortunately some who become severely ill and some that die,” said Smith. Neither of the two men had any chronic illnesses, nor did they belong to any risk groups. Smith said that the deaths should not make people worried, but underscored the importance of being aware of danger signals. The board recommends that people contact their doctors if they are ill with a high fever for more than three days or are struggling to breathe.
Ticket prices going up Public transportation prices are going up after January 18. A two-zone single ticket rises from 23 to 24 kroner and a 10-ticket klippekort goes up from 135 to 140. Frequent commuters, however, need not worry, since the price increase will not affect monthly travel cards. Life will also become more expensive for those who travel without tickets – fines go from 600 to 750 kroner. Klippekort prices have increased 55 percent over the last ten years. On a more positive note, commuters can now travel with their bikes on regional trains in suburban areas of Copenhagen, an offer introduced on S-trains last year.
More parking spots Copenhagen has lost some 10,000 parking spaces over the past ten years. But now political parties have been summoned to discuss a new parking strategy for the City Council. “We need more spaces for the city’s cars, and those spaces would preferably be underground,” technical and environmental mayor Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard told Berlingske Tidende newspaper. The challenge, according to Kjeldgaard, is not to compromise the goal to get more people to use public transport.
Cost of being a Dane Danish citizens have become bad business for the welfare state. A Dane born today will cost society some 850,000 kroner more than he or she will pay back in taxes over a lifetime, reports Berlingske Tidende newspaper. That is an increase of 100,000 kroner on 2004 figures, according to a new forecast by the Centre for Political Studies (CEPOS). “As things stand, the Danish welfare model is not viable. It is steering straight towards doom,” said Mads Lundby-Hansen, the chief economist at CEPOS. Read the full stories at www.cphpost.dk
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the copenhagen post january 14 - 20
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Foreign nationals must now pay permit fees By Dann Vinther New fees meant to bring in 140 million kroner a year, but industry leaders warn it will backfire
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t will now cost foreign nationals thousands of kroner to apply for family reunification, work or study permits. On 1 January, a new processing fee was introduced for foreign nationals applying for a residence permit, an extension of a residence permit, or a permanent residence permit in the areas of family reunification, study and work. An application for family reunification, for example, would cost 6,000 kroner under the Danish rules, whereas it would still be free under EU rules. The fees, introduced as a part of the government’s economic restoration package, are expected to bring the state some 140 million kroner a year. Critics have voiced their concerns, arguing that the fee will turn professionals away from Denmark and lead to them instead consider other countries where the fees are lower or nonexistent. “This is the wrong signal to send out to foreign workers,” said Martin Kabongo of the Confederation of Danish Industry. “We need them more than
Processing fees As of 1 January 2011, foreign nationals will be required to pay a fee when applying for a resident permit or the extension of a residence permit, as well as to appeal their case. Family reunification
5,975
Work permit
3,025
Work permit (green card scheme)
6,100
Work permit (self-employed)
3,900
Students, including PhD students
1,600
Researchers
3,025
Au pairs and interns/religious workers
2,125
Extension of family reunification
1,725
Extension of work permit
2,575
Extension of greencard
2,800
Extension for employees and self-employed persons 2,575 Extension for students, including PhD students
1,600
Extension for researchers
2,575
Extension for au pairs and interns/religious workers 1,650 Permanent residence permit
3,500
Appeal a ruling or request to reopen a case
750
Details on the fees can be found at www.newtodenmark.dk
they need us, and that’s why the fees are just silly.” This view is shared by Expat in Denmark, a network of foreign professionals living in Denmark. According to Craig Till, the head of the secretariat, most expats already find Denmark an expensive destination,
and the new fees will only serve to strengthen that view. “Denmark’s introduction of fees for green cards is a shot in the foot,” he said. “Everyone now agrees that Denmark must attract and retain qualified foreign labour, yet the fees serve only as a deterrent – and,
International companies focus sights on Danish businesses Danisco bid could get the acquisition ball rolling, experts say
Profile
Name : Jiao Yu Age: 31 Years in Denmark: 4 Applying for: Green Card
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The continuing tightening of the rules will hinder foreign talents from coming to Denmark
Jiao Yu: “I think most of the applicants can afford the new fees if they intend to stay for long. But if they have no relatives or close friends living here, the continued tightening of the rules will hinder foreign talents from coming to Denmark to work and to further contribute to Danish society, even though the Danish government is trying its utmost to attract foreign intelligence. “The gap between what the state offers and what the business community needs grows even more with this new fee. In the Chinese community, I think paying the fee is not a
big problem, but we expect that the immigration office can process our application faster than previously with this fee. “The foreign students and professionals who are here already don’t have that many options: they need to pay the visa extension fee anyway, whereas for potential students or staff coming to Denmark from China the rule may act as a push-away factor to prevent the Chinese from seeking their further education or work here. “I’ll pay the new fee, but I expect it to buy some working efficiency to minimise the long waiting period.”
Enjoy Tuscany like the Tuscans!
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anish food ingredient and enzyme giant Danisco this week received a 36 billion kroner takeover bid from US-based chemical producer DuPont. The two companies currently collaborate on the construction of bioethanol plants, and with the likely acquisition, DuPont will attempt to take advantage of Danisco’s position in the food ingredient market. While this would be one of the biggest business deals in Danish history, it looks like 2011 will see several other big acquisitions by international companies. “This bid shows us that the market for mergers and acquisitions has come back to life,” Lars Topholm, an analyst at financial house Carnegie, told financial daily Børsen. Numerous renowned Danish companies could be bought up by big multinational companies. Insiders have named Danish companies such as Vestas, NKT, Topdanmark, FLSmidth and B&O as possible targets. “There is no doubt that the spotlight will be pointed at Denmark now,” said Frederik Aakard, a partner at consultancy firm Audon Partners. “The DuPont/Danisco bid is massive,
de facto, an additional tax – to those who freely choose to come and work here.” He said that Denmark is in competition for the sharpest minds, and the fees are therefore not a progressive step in the right direction. According to integration minister Birthe Rønn Hornbech, the new fees will not have a negative effect, and they are necessary for the economy. “We need money in the public purse and that’s why we’re introducing these fees. We cannot maintain a welfare state for free, so if we’re not charging fees, we’ll need to save elsewhere.” The fees may actually give applicants an advantage, said the minister. “Perhaps the fees will encourage applicants to make an extra effort to send in all the relevant papers, which would help shorten the application process.” In 2010, around 50,000 residence permits were granted in Denmark. The new fee will apply to all non-EU citizens, except Turks. A guest worker rights accord signed in 1963 states that family members of Turkish citizens working in Denmark cannot be subject to different requirements than family members of EU citizens, and they are therefore exempt from the new fees.
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Does the likely acquistion of Danisco, whose headquarters are shown here, open the door for more Danish companies to be taken over?
and it could lead the world’s attention to other listed companies that might be vulnerable.” According to Aakard, the business world’s eyes will mainly focus on businesses that have struggled with low share prices for some time, and that have no protection against being taken over – for instance in the shape of a dominant shareholder. Financial experts have pointed to Vestas as one of the companies most likely to be acquired by an international industry giant, since the company’s share price has plummeted over
the past year. Contrary to common belief, a new wave of business acquisitions could actually lead to more jobs in Denmark, according to Peter Ørberg Jensen, a leading researcher in international business acquisition. “These companies are all more or less knowledge-based, and so their success relies a lot on their employees,” said Jensen. “Potential buyers would therefore make an effort to maintain those jobs. Otherwise they would just erode the value of what they just bought.” (dv)
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the copenhagen post January 14 - 20
Union ties early retirement reform to tax cuts for rich
in brief Going digital
Government denies the two issues are related
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Photo: Scanpix
Not your ordinary campaign advert By Kevin McGwin Critics claim the DR2 film was timed to coincide with rumours of an election
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ars Løkke Rasmussen is a man just like anyone else, TV viewers were told this week in a documentary about the prime minister’s family life. According to the 20-minute ‘En helt almindelig ualmindelig familie’ (A perfectly normal abnormal family), Rasmussen likes to bike, he makes dinner – when he isn’t working late – and he insisted that his three teenage children became scouts when they were younger. The family has two dogs, and continues to live in its home in the town of Græsted. The most notable change, according to Rasmussen’s wife Sólrun, is the constant attention from the press and the 24-hour surveillance and temporary guard house that takes up half of the neighbour’s garden. “But those are things we’ve got used to,” she said. Some of the footage from the film comes from a 2009 DR2 documentary looking at the life of the wife of the prime minister, but critics are accus-
ing the TV station of giving her husband a free political advertisement at a time when election rumours are in the air. Some, including Henrik Qvortup, who served as director of communications for Rasmussen’s predecessor in the Prime Minister’s Office, have called the programme “a gift”. Arne Notkin, general manager of DR2, defended the decision to broadcast the programme, arguing that it was a non-political film, and that the election has yet to be called.
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Giving voters a look at politicians’ private lives means a lot for their careers
“If we acted as if an election had been called, we could just as easily have been criticised for letting politics influence a decision not to air it,” he said, pointing out that the station also airs critical news programming, including the
highly-regarded Deadline news programme. According to Rasmus Jønsson, the director of communication for the Liberal Alliance party during the 2007 election, personal profiles have become increasingly important for politicians. “Giving voters a look at politicians’ private lives means a lot for their careers. It gives us a look at the person behind the politician and the kind of life they live,” Jønsson said. But even though he disagreed with Notkin about the programme’s political aspects, he had no objections to the broadcast or its timing. “There’s always an advertising element in these sorts of things and politicians make a conscious decision to do them based on whether it will help them or not,” Jønsson said. But for politicians like Rasmussen, who have an “ordinary guy” image, he said, profiles showing them on the home front have a limited impact. “But that’s mostly because we weren’t surprised. Had it depicted the personal life of a more private politician, we would have got much more out of it.”
Opinion polls yield mixed results Liberals gain ground in two recent polls, while a third shows strong support for Social Democrats
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SERIES of opinion polls released last week indicate that this year’s general election could be one of the most hotly contested in recent memory. According to a Politiken/ TV2/Megafon poll released last week on Thursday, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s centre-right alliance has the support of 50.9 percent of voters. However, a Greens/Børsen poll released on the following day showed the opposition leading with 53.5 percent of voter support and a Gallup poll released
the same day showed the opposition receiving the support of 52.4 percent of voters. The prime minister’s Liberal Party saw an uptick of support in all three polls, with the party earning the support of 24.3 percent in the Gallup and Politiken polls, and 21.6 percent in the Greens. The improving figures came after Rasmussen announced he would seek to eliminate the national early retirement programme. Meanwhile, the Gallup poll showed that support for Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s Social Democrats is at 31.3 percent - its highest in over six years. The Politiken and Greens polls put support for the Social Democrats at 29.2 percent and
25.5 percent respectively. The polls also show support for the Conservatives at a historic low. The party earned 10.4 percent in the 2007 general election, but in the Greens poll, the junior member in the governing Liberal-Conservative coalition has fallen to 4.5. The party’s problems at the polls come amidst recent high-profile party infighting. Rasmussen has yet to call an election, but must do so before November. Some political pundits are predicting that the latest developments increase the likelihood that he will call a quick election sometime this spring in order to capitalise on the perceived momentum. (km)
High court: PM can be sued over Lisbon Treaty Plaintiffs say prime minister was required to hold referendum
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n a surprise decision, the Supreme Court gave 35 plaintiffs the go-ahead to sue the prime minister for allowing parliament to ratify the Lisbon Treaty without holding a referendum. In October 2009, the Eastern High Court refused to permit the group to sue the PM on the grounds that there was no legal interest. A unanimous Supreme Court, however, decided on Tuesday that the plaintiffs do have a legal interest in the matter, and will be allowed to bring their case before a High Court judge. Since the Lisbon Treaty has a “comprehensive and intrusive rule”, the claimants have a “substantial interest” in having
their claims heard, according to the Supreme Court ruling by seven judges. “I’ll take note of that,” said Lars Løkke Rasmussen right after the news leaked in during his press meeting on Tuesday. “This does not change my assessment of the matter. There is nothing for the court to come after.” The parliament will be permitted to delegate sovereignty to international organisations such as the EU to “some extent”. In 1996 a group was permitted to take then-PM Poul Nyrup Rasmussen to court for violating the constitution in connection with the enactment of the Maastricht Treaty. The group lost, and when deciding not to hear the case the Eastern High Court said the 1996 decision had set the legal precedent. (dbj)
DANMARKS STÆRKESTE FAGFORENING
Ordinary, average guy? The timing of DR2’s film about Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s family has been criticised
he nation’s EFTERLØNNEN SKAL largest trade union has accused the GIVE DE RIGE NYE government of seeking to cut the national early SKATTELETTELSER. retirement programme (LØKKE VIL AFSKAFFE DIN EFTERLØN, MENS LENE as a way of financing VIL GIVE NYE SKATTELETTELSER TIL DE RIGESTE) tax cuts for the rich. In several of last week’s newspapers, the 3F union ran advertisements claiming that sacrificing “the early retirement programme will make way for new tax cuts for the rich. [PM Lars Løkke RasAnmeld selv flere skævheder på skævt.dk mussen] will eliminate Trade union 3F has been running ads critical of the plans to eliminate early retirement early retirement, while ments of its own stating its sup[Conservative leader Lene Espersen] will give new port for elimination of the early retirement programme. In the tax cuts to the richest.” The attack comes after Es- same advertisement, the party persen, whose Conservatives are lays out its other key issues, inthe junior member of the gov- cluding lower taxes. “We want to motivate peoerning coalition, said her party would campaign for lower taxes ple to do more, and making it worthwhile for people to work in the coming general election. Rasmussen, meanwhile, in longer is the way to do this. We his New Year’s address, told vot- will cut income taxes in order to ers that the country could not get people to do more.” Party spokesperson, MP afford the 16 billion kroner the programme is estimated to cost Henriette Kjer, however, said the two statements were not each year. The prime minister has reas- linked. “We believe voters are sured voters that no tax cuts are smart enough to understand the in the works. Meanwhile Espe- message.” In another advertisement, rsen rejected the claim that the 3F declared that: “Løkke will two issues were linked. “The money we save by eliminate your early retirecutting the early retirement pro- ment. He himself can retire gramme should be used to shore as a 62-year-old with 609,365 up the economy. The discussion kroner a year in his retirement about growth in the long-term pension.” The union has set up a Facomes in addition to that,” she said, adding that money for pro- cebook page around their camposed tax cuts would be found paign, Skævt (skewed) which focuses on what they call “an “another way”. Despite the assurances, increasingly unequal Dencriticism of the party’s position mark”. It has garnered nearly continued after it ran advertise- 85,000 fans. (km)
Twenty-nine of the country’s 98 local councils have decided to use digital electoral registers in the forthcoming general election. “We’re seeing a great interest in digital electoral registers,” Karen Nielsen, the vice president of IT company KMD, told public broadcster DR. “And so we can expect to see a digital general election.” By using a PC and a bar code scanner, election officials can register the voters in seconds and hand over the ballot. “We’d like to make the voting process as quick and trouble-free as possible,” said Anne Lise Hansen, who is in charge of elections for Hillerød Council. “That’s why we have decided to use digital registers in our polling stations for the upcoming general election.”
Wrongly denied As many as 22 young stateless Palestinians have been denied citizenship in Denmark in recent years, despite a UN convention requiring it to do otherwise, daily newspaper Information reports. And even though immigration officials changed their policy in 2010, stateless Palestinians have not been informed of their rights to citizenship. Denmark is obliged by the UN Convention to grant citizenship to stateless minors born here, even if they do not meet the standard requirements regarding language and familiarity with Danish culture.
Somali school to close The trouble-ridden Calamus private school in the Østerbro district faces a shutdown, reports avisen.dk. Calamus – which has 120 pupils, all with a Muslim/Somali background – has been accused of gross sex discrimination, academic failure and other violations, according to a 200-page report from the National School Board. The main problem, according to the report, concerns equal rights. Teaching is divided into gender, and the pupils generally refuse to work with students of the opposite sex. The report also highlighted the inadequate Danish and English language skills of the school’s teachers.
Wake-up counsellor Local authorities have declared war on the increasing problem of children cutting classes and are trying out various ways of combatting the problem. In the Jutland town of Viborg, a wake-up counsellor has been appointed. Her task consists of waking pupils up in the morning and even picking up the ones that have the worst attendance record. Parents and schools in Viborg have reported great success with the new project and now other councils are considering it. Read the full stories at www.cphpost.dk
news
the copenhagen post january 14 - 20
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Shortest ever hospital waiting times
CIA Continued from page 1 know what took place and what was said.” Greenland’s premier Kuupik Kleist, a member of Greenland’s Inuit Ataqatigiit party along with Henningsen, has arranged an extraordinary meeting with Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the prime minister, and foreign minister Lene Espersen to clarify the issue. The case about CIA’s transportation of prisoners dates back to 2008 and Photo: Scanpix has re-emerged thanks to documents recently pub- WikiLeaks documents show that former prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen lished by WikiLeaks. The (left) allegedly wasn’t interested in getting the truth out of former US ambasleaked reports indicate sador James Cain (right) that the government was that he misled parliament. Factfile | Greenland double-dealing in 2008 when it Months after the first parliawas forced to check whether the mentary debate about the CIA CIA had used Danish airspace flights, the government called Greenland is an autonomous for the transport of detainees, on US authorities for clarificacountry within the kingdom of Denmark. In 1979, Denreports Politiken newspaper. tion, but they received no reply. mark granted home rule to Leaked documents from the Prime Minister Lars Løkke Greenland, in a relationship US Embassy in Copenhagen Rasmussen has refused to comknown as ‘Rigsfællesskareveal that while the govern- ment on the issue. bet’ (Commonwealth of the ment promised the parliament “I will not comment on Realm). As part of the realm it would ask critical questions leaked documents,” he told of the kingdom of Denmark, of the US regarding the flights, broadcaster TV2. “The issue has Greenlanders elect two repJames Cain, who was US am- been dealt with and the former resentatives who sit in the Danish parliament. In 2008, bassador in Copenhagen at the foreign minister has answered Greenland voted to transfer time, said that then-Prime Min- questions about it in parliament.” more powers to the local ister Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s Commentators have regovernment. This became government was not actually ferred to this case as the bigeffective in the following interested in investigating the gest cover-up since the so-called year, with the Danish govalleged CIA flights. Thule case in 1957, when Danernment in charge of only of Per Stig Møller, who was ish authorities indirectly gave foreign affairs, security and foreign minister at the time, has the US permission to store financial policy. vehemently denied allegations atomic weapons in Greenland.
Reduced waits for treatment comes despite tighter budget
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he average waiting time for operations at hospitals has decreased by 10 days since last year, and by almost 40 days since the LiberalConservative government came to power in 2001, reports Berlingske Tidende newspaper. Danish patients now wait an average of 52 days to receive an operation. “Waiting lists have never been this short,” said Bertel Haarder, the health minister. “The free choice of hospitals and the establishment of privatesector alternatives have contributed to the reduced waiting time and the public hospitals are able
to take on more than in the past.” Healthcare funding has increased by about 20 billion kroner since 2002, and a treatment guarantee passed in the same year has given patients the right to treatment in private hospitals if the waiting time at hospitals run by regional authorities is over a month. “We have very effective hospitals here. And when the economy is under pressure, we become more motivated to reorganise, so more are treated on an outpatient basis, and the hospitalisation times are shortened,” said Ulla Astman, chairwoman of the health committee at the National Association of Regional Authorities. Waiting times have decreased while many hospitals
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ntidepressant medications continue to be approved by the Danish Medicines Agency, despite evidence that many are no better than placebos. “In about 50 percent of the tests we see, the medicine does not do better than the placebo,” said Dr. Jens Heisterberg, of the Danish Medicines Agency. “It’s a huge problem that gives us headaches when we have to look at an application for a new product.” Despite too many failed
tests, new antidepressants continue to be approved. “It’s a difficult area, and we need to do our best to interpret the figures. We can’t say no to everything just because it’s hard to prove that the medicine works,” said Heisterberg. Professor Peter Gøtzche from the Nordic Cochrane Centre, which specialises in medicine quality, disagrees. “It’s scandalous. When a medicine does not work better than a placebo, it might be because it doesn’t work at all,” said
- International School of Southern Denmark
We strive for our students to obtain basic values such as tolerance, integrity and compassion contributing to their self-confidence and independence. The Cosmo – International School of Southern Denmark attaches great importance to professionalism, activity and community spirit. The Cosmo provides a vibrant international environment with
Peter Gøtzsche, who said that he is shocked that the Danish Medicines Agency itself is providing documentation that these medications work. “It’s like making your own evidence for court. We have seen examples of serious side effects being hidden, with only the most positive studies published,” he said. “Obviously, the consumer is not being properly protected.” Gøtzche said he believes that medicine should be tested by independent researchers to ensure that the results are reliable. (dbj)
cation u d e l a n o i t a Intern rt... a t s d A hea
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have cut staff. But according to economists, the layoffs have primarily affected service functions, not treatment capacity. Additionally, the overall focus on public spending may have led to general practitioners recommending fewer operations, which would have caused waiting times to decrease even further. (dbj)
Some antidepressants worse than placebos
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Photo: Pamel Juhl Waiting lists for operations are 40 days shorter than ten years ago
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commentary
6 editorial Uncommon families are just like us Following the lives of famous families fascinates for how they differ from – and are like – ourselves
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hen presented with an orchestrated insight into the lives of highly exposed people, it’s human nature to be sceptical about just how closely it reflects reality. But even though the glimpses the public were given into the lives of the royal couple and the first family this week can be seen as personal advertising, it’s also possible to catch sight of our own lives in their polished images. Before it was even shown, DR2’s documentary programme ‘En helt almindelig ualmindelig familie’ (a completely normal abnormal family), had come under attack for being an uncritical propaganda piece on behalf of Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. It is fair to question whether such a programme should have been broadcast in an election year, but once the political rhetoric died down and the show began, most people watching would probably have seen scenes from a daily life they recognise: a busy father concerned about not spending enough time with his daughter, a working mum who pulls most of the weight on the home front and three teenage children who are happy when their parents are home together, but happier when they are left home alone for a weekend. Only the fewest will ever live a life in the political limelight, but most of us will recognise what it is like to balance career, family and relationships. Taken out of its political context, the family featured in the documentary could have been any family and it was refreshing to see that there was nothing perfect about them. In the case of the royal couple, so far all we know about their newborn twins is what has been recounted by a beaming crown prince. Once reputed to be a wild adventurer, Frederik, performing for an eager press, again showed an emotional side that any dad, commoner or royal, can relate to. Of course, we’ll never see further behind the scenes than any public figure is willing to permit us to see. We don’t know if the first family has a cleaner, and most parents won’t have the resources of the royal household. But even though we know a performance can’t succeed without its stagehands, once the curtain goes up all that matters is what we can see.
the copenhagen post January 14 - 20
Who is ... Bamse?
opinion If you love your welfare, give it up By John F. Dascher
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he financial crisis was a great reminder that economic growth must be obtained on sustainable principles. Prospering off leveraged assets of artificially inflated value does not qualify as sustainable. The crisis originated as an American phenomenon in part because it is as close to a free market as a country can get. This means it is an economy driven by consumer spending. Individual households retain more of their income and can make immediate decisions on how to spend it. The American response to the financial crisis reflected these attributes through an overnight shut down of consumer spending and personal debt reduction. Denmark has not been exempt from the crisis and it has its own crosses to bear to emerge as the economically vibrant country it was pre-crisis. But, where there’s a will there is a way, right? Not so fast. The way is tedious and early indicators show it may change dramatically post election. Democratic governments cannot make financial decisions overnight. But for Denmark, where individuals give over 60 percent of their income to it, a third of the workforce is employed by it and over half the adult popula-
tion’s income derives from it, decisions on government spending usually require an act of parliament and often span multiple budget years, assuming they can get made at all. For example, a recent forecast by the Centre for Political Studies showed the average Dane burdens the welfare state by 850,000 kroner over their lifetime. This is a tell-tale sign that government spending on welfare, which is a whopping 44 percent, must be reduced. Moreover, the prime minister’s announced overhaul of the early retirement programme met with immediate political resistance. This leads me to the will.
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Not only does the emperor have no clothes, but he can’t afford to buy them anymore either
Danes’ identity comes from the welfare state. Ranking highest in the Happiest People on Earth Study was the greatest ‘atta-boy’ Denmark could get because it recognised it as being the best in the world at what it prides itself most. For any politician to look cross-eyed at the welfare state would be political
suicide, and Danes are not prone to challenging their politicians. So where is the will? Given that 54 percent of Danes recently favoured the proposed overhaul of the early retirement programme, there is something resembling a Will out there somewhere, but for a politician to promote a reduction of the welfare state he or she must pronounce “the emperor has no clothes”. The government’s economic Wisemen were the first to do this in their prediction that Denmark will be bankrupt by 2015 (I don’t think anyone heard them). Unfortunately, all Danes must realise that not only does the emperor have no clothes, but he can’t afford to buy them anymore either. This is a result of the fact that welfare means taxation; like love and marriage, you can’t have one without the other. The welfare state has created a cultural phenomenon that actually supports taxation, thus resulting in Danes being the most taxed people in the world. Aggressive taxation after the Second World War was economically viable because Denmark predominately traded with likeminded European countries. However, in a global economy Denmark must compete with China, India, etc. There are two ways for Denmark to sustain the welfare state,
and the default method of “let’s just raise taxes” is no longer viable. This leaves the final option of being a sustainable, competitive economy again by lowering taxes to drive up taxable economic activity, as oxymoronic as that sounds. However, lowering taxes is just the start. It must be followed by a reduction in the power and size of the government. An economy where a third of the workforce is employed by the government and half of the people are dependent upon it is no longer viable. A more free market obtained through smaller government and privatisation will actually strengthen the welfare state. This is evidenced in the recent announcement that hospital waiting lists have decreased due to relaxed regulations and the proliferation of private hospitals. Otherwise, if Danes default to their historic MO of taxation and government-run everything, they may lose more than just their identity. In short, the more they tighten their grip on sustaining welfare, the more it will slip through their fingers. The author is a career venture capitalist and CFO who has worked for several funds in the United States and most recently Inventure Capital in Aarhus. He currents owns and operates Böllstein Development & Research.
reader comments Editor’s Note: On December 31, a 28-year-old man was shot and killed on Frederiksberg Allé near Vesterbrogade. Three men were arrested for the shooting, which was called gang-related by the Copenhagen Police. One of our readers, Scottish expat Davie McCurdie, happened to be at the scene of the crime and offers the following eyewitness account. I was walking down Frederiksberg Allé on New Year’s Eve at 13:00, when I became aware of a group of around eight Arabic men jostling with each other outside a kiosk on the corner of Værnedamsvej. As I approached, pushing my 18-month-old boy in a pushchair, a woman waiting at the bus stop warned me that I probably shouldn’t continue past the group. Somebody from the shop then ordered two of the men into their car and told them to drive. They duly obliged and got into the car. Suddenly, another man came from the shop and started kicking the vehicle violently. It was then that the driver exited the car, holding what looked like a 9mm pistol and fired off what I believe to have been four shots. I was only 10 yards away from the incident – I could not have been any closer to it. It didn’t appear
as though he aimed at any one individual when he pulled the trigger, my attention was completely focused on the weapon in his hand. I didn’t realise until a few seconds later that he did in fact hit one of the men. I cannot be sure that he shot the man who was kicking the car. If I’m honest it was very difficult to keep track of what was going on. The shooter then sprinted off past Blockbuster and up Vesterbrogade. While another youngster, a teenager it seemed, jumped into the silver Opel Vectra before speeding off up Frederiksberg Allé. The five or so men who were left attended to the man who was now lying motionless on the ground as it became clear that he had been hit by one of the bullets. Onlookers now felt the incident was over and one or two tried to offer help to the victim. An old woman attempted to put her coat around him as one of his friends rubbed his hand frantically. Another of the group tried to turn the man over and, upon realising the extent of his injuries, threw his hands in the air and shouted “Åh nej!”. I remember walking past the scene, noticing that there wasn’t a lot of blood considering a man had been shot. Even the sound of the gunfire was fairly muted. The police were on the scene fairly quickly. I had only retreated five or so yards, moving my
still-sleeping boy into a doorway safe from the commotion. When they arrived, they put up a cordon and asked us where the assailant had went and in which direction the car had sped off. I then couldn’t go anywhere until I had given the police my story. I thought initially he had been shot in the upper body or, at worst, the neck. I didn’t actually realise until I got home that he had been shot in the head. When the ambulance came, they put him onto a stretcher. It was then that I began to believe he may be dead. His face was expressionless and his limbs hanging from the side. I think everyone knew he was gone, long before they eventually turned off his lifesupport machine later that night. I was approached by a journalist who asked me for my version of events. I remember telling her that only recently I had read a survey somewhere that said that 83 percent of Danes felt safe here. This kind of thing, though I know it happens, is not something you’d expect to see. Not least on Frederiksberg Allé. Maybe Nørrebro, Nordvest, even Amager – but not where I live. As I got home, it dawned on me that I had given the newspaper my name and allowed their photographer to take pictures of me. I hadn’t thought that this could be gang-related in any way, despite the people in-
volved or the fact that one had a weapon. To me, it seemed like a fairly normal argument that would probably have been solved, where I come from at least, with a couple of punches. I haven’t stopped thinking about how something so seemingly trivial could result in a man being shot to his death. The police very quickly recovered a weapon and arrested a man sitting in a restaurant up the road on Vesterbrogade. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that they had discovered the car in Greve and arrested two others. It later transpired that the suspect had links to a gang called Bloodz. This was about the same time as the adrenalin had escaped my body and the realisation that my picture in the paper, coupled with the apparent gang-related nature of this crime, could be a worry. As it transpired, the paper printed my story but not my picture the next day. I can’t help but think this incident would have been a bigger news story if the victim had been a white Dane. The incident is still very much in my mind, though it seems that the news and the streets move on. I went back to the scene later that night as I was about to embark on the New Year celebrations. The only evidence of the incident was the police cordon around the front of the shop.
Photo: Scanpix
No, we haven’t forgotten that we did a Who is? on Bamse in 2010. This is a different Bamse – Flemming ‘Bamse’ Jørgensen in fact. This Bamse is, or rather was, a Danish singer and actor. Will this be one of your subtlehint-of-humour articles? Actually no. This is because this Bamse, rather sadly, died on New Year’s Eve, and we should show a little respect. It is also because, after doing our research, we didn’t come up with anything you could really laugh at. Even though his music is probably not to your taste, he seems to have been a genuinely nice man. There must be something that could make me giggle? OK, take a look on YouTube, under ‘Bamses Venner – Venner kom og se’. Seeing his less-than-perfect physique dressed up in a French onionseller’s shirt and a pair of dungarees might make you chuckle a little, or perhaps the fact that local newspaper Aarhus Onsdag wrote (after his death) that he would be performing at a concert on January 9. Aside from spooking some Aarhus residents, you might also snigger a little. You say he was nice – how so? He did a lot of work to support child sufferers of diabetes. When his team of singers won the TV2 programme ‘All Stars,’ he donated his entire 250,000 kroner of prize money to children with diabetes in Aarhus (the city where he grew up). Why did he choose diabetes in particular? He himself was a sufferer of Type II diabetes and his son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when he was six years old. Judging by the picture on YouTube, he was asking to get Type II diabetes. Not so fast. After developing the illness he became a model patient. Keeping to the strict diet recommended to him, he lost 50 kilos. Unfortunately, according to Danish magazine Se og Hør, he had been diagnosed with a weak heart some ten years ago (a condition typically due to over-eating), which may well have led to his fatal heart attack. Victoria Steffensen
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the copenhagen post January 14 - 20
Danish fashion: standing out in a crowded industry By Wu Bo, Xinhua News Country has developed an international reputation for designing functional and fashionable clothing
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ith its fashion design evolving as a pioneer in the field, Denmark is experiencing an unprecedented boom in its fashion industry. The government and fashion associations are setting out to build capital Copenhagen as the next fashion hub, and fashion has already become Denmark’s fourth largest export item, according to official statistics. Generally speaking, Danish fashion is characterised by the style of ‘boho-chic’, which is particular about the choice of material and stresses detail, using such elements as embroidery and ornaments. The garments are often comfortable enough to wear for daily life without compromising on style. Whether riding a bike, attending meetings or going to a party, Danish fashion goes with almost everything.
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Copenhagen is just as qualified as any European metropolis to become the next international fashion hub
“In Denmark we are able to design and produce functional and at the same time fashionable clothing. It is fashion for real people,” said Ulla Skjødt, trend manager at Dansk Fashion and Textile, in an introductory report of the Danish fashion industry. What’s more, the fashion industry here has a wide range of
Photos: Pamela Juhl Visitors from all over the world attend Copenhagen Fashion Week, the biggest in northern Europe. The next edition is planned for February 2 - 6.
creativity and appeals to many different types of consumers. The original Nordic design and more accessible prices compared with other international brands are big pluses. Innovation is an important feature of Danish fashion. Individual design, which is often less commercial but more artistic, is encouraged. “Everybody is able to make a dress, and everybody can have it produced. But to develop your own identity – this is not something everybody can do,” said Skjødt. The Danish fashion industry today can generally be divided into two major categories: trend-driven brands that build their businesses on established trends, and innovation-driven brands that strive to define tomorrow’s design. The largest Danish fashion companies, Bestseller A/S, BTX-Group and IC Companys, which together account for more than 40 brands and 75 percent
of the country’s fashion exports, mainly focus on mainstream apparel and mass production. Trend-forecasting and finding inspiration in international designs are essential for the trend-driven companies. Bestseller, one of the world’s leading retail clothing companies, has enjoyed success in this direction. Bestseller expanded its operation into China in 1996, opening the first franchised store of brand ONLY in Beijing. While introducing European-style clothing, Bestseller also localised to meet the specific demands of the Chinese market. The success of trend-driven companies not only ensures the substantial exports of the Danish fashion industry, but also creates thousands of job opportunities in the midst of a global financial crisis. If the trend-driven design is, so to speak, the pillar of Danish fashion, then the innovationdriven design is undoubtedly the driving force for the bloom-
Hooligan registry nets first arrest
ing of trend-driven brands, as it is widely believed that Danish fashion would not distinguish itself in the international fashion arena but for the smaller innovation-driven businesses. Copenhagen is known as the ideal hub of the innovation-driven fashion companies, which focus on producing innovative interpretations of times and trends with a strong individual profile.
In general, ‘Danish Design’ has become an effective label to distinguish brands from international mass production. The Designers Remix Collection label, which will be showing at London’s Fashion Week Spring 2011, is the best representative of the innovative design. Charlotte Eskildsen, designer and creative director of Designers Remix Collection,
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Football fan jailed for appearing near stadium
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20-year-old man this week became the country’s first person to be jailed for going to see a football match. The man is listed on the hooligan register, which means that he is not allowed to be within 500 metres of a major football ground. Last September he was twice caught together with members of FCK’s hooligan firm Copenhagen Casuals Youth Division in the vicinity of a football match, putting him in direct violation of the ban. The first time he was caught, he had to pay a 5,000 kroner fine. But that didn’t stop him. “We have now reached the point where a fine no longer does the trick,” prosecutor Søren Harbo said at the hearing
used such terms as sexy, avantgarde and “somewhat mysterious” to describe the brand. “My designs are for positive, sophisticated women with poise and power. I love to intermingle different design elements in a way that redefines femininity and gives women a new reason for feeling beautiful,” said Eskildsen. Over the past 10 years, fashion has become a priority industry, and the government and fashion business circles are striving to build Copenhagen as the next great fashion metropolis. The Copenhagen Fashion Week, the biggest fashion event in northern Europe today, which attracts great numbers of visitors from all over the world, is an imperative part of the promotion drive. “Copenhagen is just as qualified as any European metropolis to become the next international fashion hub,” said Eva Kruse, CEO of the Danish Fashion Institute. “What is unique about the Danish fashion industry is that it may not be large in scale but it has a broadness that is rarely seen anywhere else in the world, as it embraces everyone from small upcoming designers and burgeoning talent to big-price and trend-driven businesses with enormous turnover,” she said.
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To Enroll call: 3888 3233 Photo: Scanpix The registry was created to curb unruly behaviour at football matches
on Tuesday. The man was sentenced to ten days in prison. He was listed on the register back in April 2009 after having served an eight-month prison sentence for violence at a football game.
The hooligan register was established in April 2008 in response to increasing instances of violence at football matches. Last May the police said the register included 20 people, but that they keep an eye on an additional 200 people. (dv)
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COMMUNITY
the copenhagen post JANUARY 14 - 20
11
Start–up turns from dream to reality for expat By Victoria Steffensen
An american, Katie Gove, shares her experience of starting her own consulting company, Trellis, here in the city, and how’s she’s managing, with the help of her husband and some chocolate, to juggle this with her busy family life!
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tarting your own business is not for the feint-hearted, anyone could tell you that, but a husband and wife both starting up their own businesses – that must be really tough! Katie Gove has just done that. Originally from the US, Gove married a Dane, Thomas Snitker, in 2000. After her husband started several businesses, SnitkerGroup and FatDux among them, Gove also took the plunge and started her own business in 2008. Her business, Trellis, is a consulting company focused on helping companies to build strategies and operational environments to succeed when outsourcing. We met at her offices located at Nytorv in central Copenhagen. How did you come to the decision to start your own business? Well, it wasn’t easy to leave the safety net that a steady job provides, but I love the combination of business strategy and partnering/ outsourcing that we work with at Trellis. So, if I wanted to work with these two areas in a connected way, starting my own business was the next logical step. So here I am. That being said, I worked in venture capital for five years earlier on in my career; I have seen the dark underbelly of start-ups and
small companies so, truth be told, it wasn’t an easy decision. I knew well what the range of challenges would probably be. Even so, I was so interested in developing this area of business and knew that the market in Denmark was pretty unchartered. So, I felt that it was a reasonable risk to take.
in the United States (Boston and Georgetown Universities) I have gained more than 20 years of experience in strategy, innovation and change, in both the US and Denmark. I have worked in a broad range of industrial sectors, ranging from consumer products to pharmaceuticals to technology.
Do you think Danish business needs the skills your company offers?
What was it like starting a business in Denmark?
One of the best things about Danish companies is that their organisations are so flat: everyone addresses each other using their first names, and there are not many of the traditional hierarchies seen in many countries. This means that they often have a much better environment to have open discussion and information exchange. However, this operational advantage can also be one of their biggest disadvantages in working strategically, especially where outsourcing is concerned. Single departments may choose to outsource, like facilities outsourcing which is huge in Denmark – with companies such as Danish ISS reaping the benefits – but really this type of decision should be a strategic one, one which comes from the top. I don’t think we should be taking any decisions away from local department heads, but I do believe they should be measured and rewarded according to strategic goals. I strongly believe that outsourcing strategy must be built alongside their business strategy. What are your qualifications to advise on this subject? After
attending
university
Well, I haven’t started a business anywhere else, so I’ve nothing to compare it with. I also had the help of my husband Thomas. He could obviously give me a lot of advice based on his own experiences. Of course, it wasn’t ideal to start a business just when the financial crisis hit, but it was always going to be difficult at the start, and I’m not sure it was significantly worse because of the crisis. Denmark has one of the lowest ratios of women on the boards of companies. Do you think that, as some politicians have suggested, there should be a legal requirement for a ratio of women sitting on boards? I’m not entirely sure making it obligatory is the right way to go, though I certainly think it might help in the transitional period. I am on the board of an organisation that grapples with this issue and which includes a member of parliament, Pernille Vigsø Bagge, on the board. The organisation is an ‘aktionærforening’, which means that it buys (nominal) shares in companies that it wishes to influence. It’s a way of gaining a voice although I wouldn’t say that we’ve achieved a critical mass yet. Although this particular format may or may not be the best one, it’s clear that the position of
Gove´s five tips for starting a business in Denmark
• Use available resources for entrepreneurs. Start with startvaekst.dk. Basically everything you need to know and do is listed there. Virk.dk and Københavns Erhvervscenter are also great resources. • Be visible and become known • Focus on what you do best and find partners/vendors for the rest • Network, network, network • Be aware that Denmark is a fairly small and integrated market. It’s not six degrees of separation here: it’s more like three degrees.
Gove´s five tips for dealing with the Danes
• Networking via interest groups; there is a greater willingness to open up around a shared interest than in a more undefined social situation (for example, the average cocktail party in the US) • Expect to get down to business fairly quickly; come prepared to show what you can do • Don’t expect widespread after-work socialising; if you want to socialise more with the Danes, you should extend the invitation • Danes have very strong and very large social networks - it’s not unusual that adults have friends from primary school in their networks; it often seems as if they are ‘closed-for-business’ regarding making new friends. However, although they might not make many social acquaintances, if you put enough effort into it, you’ll make truly wonderful friends. • If you want to learn to speak Danish, insist upon using it. Danes excel at English and want to use it. It can be difficult for English-speaking natives to keep the conversation in Danish. Persist.
Katie Gove
woman in the Danish market and on Danish companies’ boards isn’t as strong as it could be, and for that matter, as strong as it needs to be for Danish companies to succeed in the global marketplace. You and your husband both have your own businesses, his two sons, and a daughter of eight years. How do you manage to fit all these things together?
Duct tape, my type-A behavior, Thomas’ big heart and Peter Beier chocoloate! Ha, ha! Both running our own businesses means that we have a greater understanding of the pressure this places on you. We take it in turns to drop and pick up Sofia from school, and if she needs to go to a dentist or doctor’s appointment we can see whose calendar this fits in best with. We also have two super 8th graders at Sortedamskolen,
Mille and Louise, who do a couple of pick-ups a week that allow us an extra couple of hours on Mondays and Tuesdays. Somehow we seem to work it out in a way that fits for us all.
If you’d like to find out more about Katie Gove or her business, check out her profile on LinkedIn or visit Trellis’ website at www.trellis.dk
COMING UP SOON... Fish and Chip night January-June 2011, the last Thursday of the month; pay up front – price will depend on the number of interested parties; contact benhamilton374@ gmail.com to find out more This takeaway offer comes courtesy of the fish shop Fisk & Færdigt at HC Ørsteds Vej 37B in Frederiksberg, at a location close to the Vesterbro side of the lakes. The chef is Englishman Simon Longhurst (who was featured in issue 1348 of The Copenhagen Post). As well as being an expert at sourcing, preparing and cooking fish, Simon works on the principle that the price should reflect how much the produce costs, so the price for the six fish suppers – which will be confirmed midJanuary – will be tremendous value for money. Meet the World Café – the world in Denmark – Denmark in the world Tivoli Hotel, Arni Magnussons Gade 2, Cph V; 17:00-19:00 on February 1; Free Adm, register by 12:00 on Jan 31 at info@ tivoli-cc.dk attention of AnneMette Bakkemose Hasse Ferrold, the president of International Club Copenhagen, invites the country’s international organisations and people of all backgrounds to attend a new networking platform, which following this first meeting will congregate at the hotel on the first Tuesday of every month.
Learn about how people have achieved success in foreign countries – from both expats in Denmark and Danes abroad. ‘Mingle, talk, get to know new people,’ enthuses Ferrold. The evening includes a performance by world-renowned violinist Michala Høj and pianist Andreas Flensted-Jensen, and an address by Ian Burns. The Copenhagen Adventurers Group www.meetup.com/ Copenhagen-Adventurers Adventurers should only apply, but there’s no need to be an Olympic athlete with top-end gear, this group loves beginners and those just looking for something new - unlike the more advanced groups they leave no man behind! Try your hand at climbing, kite-boarding, kayaking and everything in-between as you tackle all terrains. Whether it’s rock faces, the wilderness, rivers or (most importantly) the pub, you’re guaranteed to get your heart racing and your adrenalin pumping. So got some time off? Then leave the sofa and insert some excitement into your life; who knows, you might just have fun. Afternoon coffee meet up Konditori Antoinette, Østergade 24 B2, Cph K; Sat 14:00; sign up at www.meetup.com/brit250/calendar/15487167 A regular relaxing meeting for old friends and new friends. It
runs every month on the third Saturday of the month and although it isn’t essential to sign up, it’s advised. The event is all about people socialising and networking in a relaxing environment with a nice hot cup of coffee. Expat in Denmark - January Social Avenue Hotel, Åboulevard 29, Cph K; Thu 17:30-23:00; sign up at www.expatindenmark. com Drinks, food and socialising. These are the backbone of expats regular social. Sign up and feel free to bring a friend along to the festivities. The event gives expats a chance to meet with each other in a relaxed party atmosphere. Unwind with friends after the hectic Christmas season. LINK ladies in Denmark www.linkdenmark.com A group made exclusively for the fairer sex. Link, also known as Ladies’ International Network København, is designed to aid its members in developing a circle of friends. This involves regular activities such as tea tasting and inspirational talks from upstanding female figureheads. So if you’re a new expat and haven’t found your place in Copenhagen life (and of course are a lady), then fill out the online personality questionnaire. By James Honeyman-Wooler
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COMMUNITY
ABOUT TOWN
PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD (UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED)
Wicked news, or not so wicked if you can’t understand Danish because this country’s version of the smash hit musical ‘Wicked’, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz’, has finally opened at the Det Ny Teater
With no Dorothy or yappy dogs in sight, this is strictly a wicked witch show
Nikolaos Strangas has opened a fantastic new gourmet cake and pastry shop at Åboulevard 7 by Søpavillionen on the Lakes. Here the clearlyproud Greek cake maker shows off his sweets on opening day
Argentina’s ambassador Raúl Alberto Ricardes (centre) says a few words at the farewell reception of his embassy’s first secretary Georgina Fernandez Destefano, a former chargé d´affaires
The Iraqi ambassador, Dr Albert Issa, addresses those gathered to celebrate the inauguration of the Iraqi Embassy in Denmark and arrival of the first ever Iraqi ambassador to Denmark
Burkina Faso celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence with a concert, speeches and reception. Pictured here (left-right) are the country’s ambassador Monique Ilboudo, Thyge Christensen, the chairman of the Burkina Faso Friendship, and political and commercial counsellor Michel Somma
the copenhagen post JANUARY 14 - 20
An Actor’s Life A resident here since 1990, Ian Burns is the artistic director at That Theatre Company, and very possibly Copenhagen’s best known English language actor thanks to roles as diverse as Casonava, Oscar Wilde and Tony Hancock.
I get on really well with my mother-in-law. Most of the time. She’s elegant and naturally beautiful. Coping more than admirably with the loss of her husband whom she was married to for over 50 years. When you meet the woman that you want to marry, I advise you to look at the mother to see what the future might have in store for you. One glance at my mother-inlaw assured me that my wife would not somehow turn into a female weightlifter with a beard after our first child. Indeed that glimpse into the crystal ball has proven to be spot on. My wife is as beautiful as her mum and Ian is a happy man. However, I said that I got on with my mum-in-law most of the time. There are moments when our relationship gets strained. One area of conflict centres around the kitchen whenever I’m cooking and she stands behind me saying: “Oh, you’re doing it that way!” And then there’s this other sentence that she reserves for me just before each general election: “Who are you going to vote for Ian? Oh I forget you can’t because you’re not Danish!” I still love her though, and I must stress that our relationship had no influence on my choice of ‘Oleanna’ as my next production, David Mamet’s
play about sexual harassment in early 1990s New York. Mamet is one of the most famous living writers in the US today. His works include film scripts such as ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ and ‘The Untouchables’, and in 1995 he received the Pulitzer Prize for his drama ‘The Cryptogram’. His style of dialogue is so distinctive that it’s become widely known as ‘Mamet Speak’ - an achievement similar to his close friend Harold Pinter. I promise you that it will be one of the most provocative and funny plays you’ll see this season. Are men and women different species? I know that we can get along, but in this play they do not. A professor is accused of sexual harassment by a female student who he’s actually trying to help. Miscommunication rules the roost and previous productions, for example on Broadway recently, have taken the battle of the sexes to fever pitch. As the PR says: “In a land not too far away there’s one man, one woman and two truths. Whatever side you take, you’re wrong.” Eight action-packed minutes beckon; rehearsals start in mid– January. Order your tickets via www.billetten.dk, 7020 9620 or www.that-theatre.com.
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The Copenhagen Post Quick Crossword
Across 6. 7. 9. 10. 12. 14. 18. 19. 21. 22.
The Korean ambassador Geun-hyeong Yim invited many, including representatives of Jutlandia Veterans, to attend a function at his embassy held in connection with the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War
Here Yim is pictured with heart specialist Dr Claus Jessen, the leader of Jutlandia Veterans who was in charge of the Hospital Ship Jutlandia for 18 months during the Korean War
Endanger (7) Coach (5) Smooth (5) Please (7) Disorder (11) Mercury (11) Accept (7) Hoard (5) Cut (5) Weakness (7)
No 333
Down 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 8. 11. 13. 15. 16. 17. 20.
Signify (5) Erase (6) Concealed (3) Habit (6) Enclose (7) Squirm (7) Inert (7) Calm (7) Gifted (6) Involve (6) Veracity (5) Weep (3)
Post Quick Crossword No 332 Across: 1 Legitimate; 7 Again; 8 Visited; 10 Treasure; 11 Flag; 13 Esteem; 15 Crayon; 17 Heap; 18 Metaphor; 21 Pattern; 22 Event; 23 Translates. Down: 1 Lease; 2 Gangster; 3 Tavern; 4 Muse; 5 Totally; 6 Battleship; 9 Degenerate; 12 Ornament; 14 Traitor; 16 Kennel; 19 Heeds; 20 Keen.
the copenhagen post JANUARY 14 - 20
COMMUNITY
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Queen’s ambassadorial greetings begins another year at court By Hasse Ferrold
Israeli ambassador Arthur Avnon (far left), Japanese ambassador Toshio Sano, Indian ambassador Ashok Kumar Attri, and Albanian ambassador Arben Cici were all in attendance
Queen Margrethe, royal consort Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Frederik were all on hand on January 4 to greet diplomats in the parliament building at Christiansborg Palace for the second of the Royal Family’s three annual New Year’s audiences.
Burkina Faso’s ambassador Monique Ilboudo
India’s ambassador Ashok Kumar Attri
Ukraine’s ambassador Mykhailo Skuratovskyi and China’s ambassador Xie Hangsheng enjoying the occasion.
Russia’s ambassador Teymuraz Ramishvili
American ambassador Laurie S Fulton was one of 70 foreign envoys to attend the event and receive the queen’s best wishes for 2011.
Here Fulton is clearly enjoying the occasion alongside South African ambassador Samkelisiswe Isabel Mhlanga.
Japanese ambassador Toshio Sano
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador Abdul Rahman S. Al Hadlg
The pomp and pageantry was out in full force. The queen was driven to and from the audience in a horse-drawn coach plated in 24-carat gold. Built in 1840, the coach is now used only during the New Year’s audience and other special occasions.
Morocco’s Ghannam
ambassador
Raja
THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE Miss Parminder Lally spouse: United Kingdom From: Seeking work in: Copenhagen in the Biotechnology industry, Patent Law (trainee position), Science communication, Physics tutor/teacher Qualification: Masters in Physics from Imperial College London. PhD in DNA Structural Nanotechnology from the University of Oxford (thesis to be submitted in Autumn 2010) Science and Engineering Ambassador in the UK – encouraging adults and Experience: children to take an interest in science by demonstrating scientific principals in fun and interactive ways. Tutor in undergraduate Physics at the University of Oxford, and some experience of teaching science in school. Language skills: English (native speaker), Panjabi (fluent), German (basic), Portuguese (basic), Danish (currently learning) IT experience: Familiarity with the Windows O/S and the MS Office and OpenOffice suites, MATLAB (for mathematical modelling), CorelDRAW graphics package and some basic C/C++ knowledge. parminder.lally@googlemail.com Contact:
Dr Bev Sithole. Spouse: Australia. From: Seeking work in: Social science research, project management, proposal writing and project evaluations. Qualification: PhD Applied Social Sciences; MSc Environmental Science; BA Hons Geography; Experiences in application of Participatory Approaches; Familiar with various project proposal writing frameworks. I am an experienced social scientist with interdisciplinary training and Experience: am also an experienced participatory research, planning and evaluation practitioner. I have worked on governance of natural resources and community development issues in southern Africa and Northern Australia for over 15 years. I have been team leader on a number of research and evaluation projects. I spent more than five years managing projects and writing project proposals involving many organizations [ in the Stockholm Environmental Institute, Sweden) and in the Center for International Forestry Research in Bogor, Indonesia and most recently at LIFE, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.]. I am an experienced communicator and facilitator. Short term or long term work in research, project management or proposal looking for writing. Can deliver training in participatory approaches. Language skills English. IT experience: Basic computer skills. Telephone. HP 27834333 Email: bev.sithole@gmail.com Address: Contact: Orslevunnderskovvej #2, Bringstrup, Ringsted 4100, Denmark
Chia-Pei CHEN spouse: Taiwan From: Seeking work in: Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching in corporations, institutions or International schools. Qualification: A certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language. A degree in Social Science discipline. Continuously participation in training program (organized by Beijing Hanban of CHINA and CBS) to teach Chinese to foreigners in western context. Enrolment to distance Chinese teaching education system that keeps professional Chinese teachers resourceful. I am a certified teacher of teaching Chinese as a second language to Experience: foreigners. And I have started teaching Chinese with English in my class for 2 years. I design suitable materials to teach Chinese with different phonetic systems (PinYin for China and HongKong, and Mandarin Phonetic Symbols for Taiwan) as well as to interpret differences between simplified and traditional Chinese characters. My past positions were Chinese languagerelated, such as: reporter, translator and social science researcher. Students who I taught before regard me as a sincere, discreet teacher who helps learners to progress in short time. Business Chinese/ Tutorial Chinese teaching looking for: language skills: Chinese (mother tongue), English (Fluent), French (basic), Danish (beginner) IT experience: Word Office, SPSS statistic software, Basic Video and Audio editing, Blog writing teacherchen@live.com, Tel: 25 81 65 18 Contact:
Francesco Grandesso spouse: Italy From: Seeking work in: Hovedstaden Qualification: Constructing architect 4 years at TFF Engineering 2005-2009 Experience: 3 years at ADproject 2002-2005 Language skills: English, Italian & Danish IT experience: AutoCAD 2011 grandessodk@gmail.com Mobile: 50110653 Contact:
PARTNERS:
Enikő Tóth spouse: Hungary From: Seeking work in: Psychology Qualification: Psychologist (MA), Teacher of English (BA) A beginner in psychology, 10 years of teaching experience Experience: A possibility in getting practical experience in clinical psychology, looking for: voluntary work also Language skills: English, Hungarian, elementary French and Danish IT experience: Basic computer skills tenila@gmail.com Contact:
Miss Eleonora Messali spouse: Italy From: Seeking work in: Greater Copenhagen in the Environmental, Oil &Gas and Energy industry. MSc. and BSc. in Environmental and Land Planning Engineering from Qualification: Politecnico di Milano In 2009-2010 Environmental consultant for a global company in Milan Experience: (remediation field). Main responsible of the HSE system management for a multinational Oil&Gas company. Experienced in the urban planning field. Research in the wind energy sector at University of New South Wales (Sydney) for 6 months in 2008-2009. Full time work as environmental /energy project engineer or consultant . looking for: Work in research. Language skills: Italian (native speaker), English (fluent), French (fluent), German (advanced knowledge), Spanish (basic), Danish (currently learning) IT experience: IT-experience: Windows MS Office (experienced), ESRI ArcGIS 9.2 (experienced) , Lyx (experienced), Matlab (good knowledge), C/ C++ (student level), specific softwares developed for Environmental Engineering topics (Monte Carlo Ranking, Aquatox) Contact: messali.eleonora@gmail.com, mobile: +45 50178670 Contact:
Dolon Roy spouse: India From: Seeking work in: Sjælland Qualification: Masters in Science(Chemistry), BEd.(Teacher training course) St. John Diocessan School February-May 2005, Kolkata, India. The Experience: Assembly of God Church School April-May 2006, Kolkata, India. Disari Public School June 2006-October 2007, India. Research project work Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Copenhagen University, MarchJuly 2009 Part time or full time work teaching in primary,secondary or higher school looking for: level (Chemistry, Mathematics, Science) Language skills: English, Hindi, Bengali, Danish (modul 3/modul 5) IT experience: Microsoft office dolonroy2005@yahoo.com. Mob: +45 60668239 Contact:
Anisha Kanjhlia spouse: India From: Seeking work in: Arhus in Teaching/Training/Administration/Media/Public Relations Qualification: Post Graduate in Advertising & Communication 6+ years of professional experience in Training, Customer Service, Experience: Promotions, Brand Marketing, Content Analysis and Team Management. Strong experience in planning and executing initiatives. Extensive training experience and influencing skills that will assist me in building a high potential, motivated and an effective team. Hands-on training in soft skills like crucial conversations and people management Branch Manager & Head of Training for Cosmo Aviation Training School in New Delhi, India. Proficient in analyzing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision making and formulating training strategies. Part time or full time in Aarhus looking for: IT experience: Comfortable with all the basic computer knowledge like Excel, Word, Power Point, Internet browsing… anisha.feb@rediffmail.com P: 4522305837 Contact:
Chao Wen spouse: China From: Seeking work in: Great Copenhagen Qualification: Language teacher (German, Chinese) Teaching Chinese as a foreign language by offering company-course for 2 Experience: years, in Germany; teaching Chinese to native speaker in private school for 4 years, in Germany; teaching German as a foreign language by offering private course; exhibition interpreter; translator. Part time or full time in Aarhus Language teacher, translator or interpreter looking for: language skills: Chinese, English, German, Danish IT experience: Windows, Open office, Powerpoint wenlily80@googlemail.com tel.: 48417526 Contact:
Ying Yuan spouse: China From: Seeking work in: Great Copenhagen Qualification: Medical Degree & Master in Human Nutrition Practiced medicine for 2 years China 2000-200. Conducted a clinical trial Experience: for ½ year England 2008 Work in nutrition, pharmaceutical industry, food industry and health sector Language skills: Chinese, English and Danish IT experience: I am experienced in Statistical software SPSS and MINITAB, Nutritional software NetWISP/WISP yuanying118@hotmail.com +45 31 36 92 58 Contact:
Laxmi Chawan spouse: India From: Seeking work in: Sjælland, as an architect/ interior designer or as a logistic co-ordinator. Qualification: Masters in Design Sciences and Sustainable Design, University of Sydney, Australia; Bachelors in Architecture, University of Mumbai, India Design development, Drafting, Working drawings, Planning and Experience: scheduling of projects, Report compilation, Invoicing and Administrative works. Part time /Fulltime work in Architecture/Construction /Interior Designing looking for: Firm or Supply chain management field. Language skills: English,Hindi IT experience: AutoCAD 2009, Adobe In Design, Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Project management softwares lchawan@gmail.com Mobile : +4552532498 Contact:
Debjani Nandy Biswas spouse: India From: Seeking work in: Would like to join in kindergarten, School teacher in English, official work in English. Qualification: B.A., M.A in English literature and language (American, European and Indian). Temporary school teacher in Bongaon, India and involved in social work Experience: (handicapped society). A possibility in getting practical experiences in kindergarten or any looking for: international school, official work (administration) in English, voluntary work also. Language skills: English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, little Danish (currently learning). IT experience: Diploma in basic computer applications. E-mail: debjaninb@gmail.com, Tel: +45 50219942. Contact:
Fernando Carlos Cardeira da Silva (Male) spouse: Portugal From: Seeking work in: Copenhagen Qualification: Accounting course from Danish Institution (Regnskabs medarbejder at Niels Brock), previous frequency of Accounting and Management courses in Portugal. I have more than 5 years of experience in accounting Experience: Job as accounting assistant looking for: language skills: I can read and write Danish, English, Portuguese, Spanish and French IT experience: IT-experience: Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and Power point) and accounting software such as Navision C5 fercardeira@gmail.com +45 50437588 Contact:
The Copenhagen Post Spouse employment page 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 peterk@cphpost.dk and we will post your profile on the spouse job page when possible.
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the copenhagen post january 14 - 20
chinese supplement 27 january 2011
Spring Festival, widely known as Chinese New Year, falls on the first day of the first lunar month (usually in late January or early February) according to the Chinese lunar calendar. It is the most important traditional festival in China and is celebrated grandly and extensively across the country. In 2011, Chinese New Year takes place on 3rd February.
list your event with us today!
The Copenhagen Post in partnership with the Chinese Embassy will produce a supplement on 27th January, with the main theme focused on the Chinese Spring Festival and the New Year.
limited spaces left! ad space available from only 500 dkk!
to advertise in the chinese embassy supplement - contact the sales team today on: 3336 3300!
wondercool Supplement 3 february 2011
Copenhagen Cooking
Copenhagen jazz week
frost festival
danish design Centre
in the summer, Copenhagen is always bustling with warmth and cultural things to do. winter however, is rather less warm. that is why five sucessful brands, along with a completely new rock festival, have come together to create wonderCool, a new Copenhagen festival. the five brands are Copenhagen jazz festival, the danish design Centre, Copenhagen fashion festival, Copenhagen Cooking and the new frost rock festival. the goals are clear - to bring more life and more tourists to the city during the winter months. it is the first time that the five large events are being brought together for a joint festival, which is planned to be an annual event every winter to bring some of the summer’s warmth into february. all the participants are working at full speed to plan exciting events, so the number of events and their scope are growing daily. the festival has been arranged in collaboration with hĂ˜s, the city’s hotel organisation. the Copenhagen post in conjunction with wonderCool will bring to our readers on the 3rd february everything you need to know about the wonderCool festival!
liSt your event with uS today!
limited SpaceS left! ad Space available from only 500 dkk!
Copenhagen fashion week
to advertiSe in the wondercool Supplement - contact the SaleS team today on: 3336 3300!
Life Sciences
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the copenhagen post January 14 - 20
Lundbeck’s new alcoholism DTU nets large grant from Novo Alliance aims to improve oil treatment shows promise By Anca Enache New drug will help heavy drinkers reduce the quantities they consume
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rug-making giant Lundbeck has recently completed successful trials on the beneficial effects on nalmefene, which helps individuals reduce their alcohol consumption. The trials were focused on the hort-term efficacy and long-term safety of the drug. The studies reveal nalmefene as a legitimate potential treatment alternative for people needing to reduce their total alcohol consumption. Conducted in Europe on about 1,300 patients with alcohol addiction, the trial studies also had a psychosocial component in the form of a brief, standardised programme focused on adherence and followup, without setting any abstinence treatment goals. Nalmefene, an opioid receptor antagonist, builds on a novel principle of treating alcohol dependence. It acts by blocking a mechanism in the brain that can cause a continuing and uncontrollable intake of alcohol. Unlike existing therapies, the treatment with nalmefene is not aimed at keeping the patients from drinking. Instead, the drug developed by Lundbeck helps to control and to limit the intake of alcohol. The reduction of alcohol consumption to less harmful levels is supported by specialists as a valuable treatment option to keep patients in treatment and to increase their willingness to initiate treatment. In addition, nalmefene is available as a tablet to be taken only according to need, whereas existing pharmaceuticals must be taken continuously over a longer period of time with the aim of maintaining abstinence. The most frequent side-effects of nalmefene included dizziness, insomnia and nausea.
Factfile | Nalmefene HO
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Nalmefene is an opioid receptor antagonist. The compound acts by blocking a mechanism in the brain that can cause a continuing and uncontrolled intake of alcohol. This helps to control and reduce alcohol intake. Lundbeck holds the global rights to the compound.
“We are pleased that the data demonstrates that nalmefene is on track to become the first drug to make a difference for the many people in need of a reduction of their harmful alcohol consumption,” said executive vice president Anders Gersel Pedersen, head of drug development at Lundbeck. “We will now finalise the last efficacy study in the programme to assess the full data package in order for us to prepare the registration of nalmefene in Europe.” The study of nalmefene also includes two short-term efficacy trials, which included six months of treatment, and one long-term safety and tolerability trial, extended for a period of one year. The company will report the results of the second efficacy trial in the second quarter of 2011. It is estimated that 23 million Europeans – 5 percent of men and 1 percent of women are dependent on alcohol. While alcohol is the third-leading cause of ill health after smoking and hypertension, and there are more risks associated with alcohol than with elevated cholesterol levels and obesity, alcohol addiction remains a highly stigmatised, under-diagnosed and undertreated disease.
700 million kroner bolsters country’s position in global race for developing a bio-based industry
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historical grant of 700 million kroner from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to Denmark’s Technical University (DTU) is one of the recent steps taken by Denmark towards the goal of establishing a biobased industry. “If a small country like Denmark wants to ensure continued growth and future jobs, it will be decisive to strengthen its best research environments,” said the chairman of the Novo Nordisk Foundation board, Ulf J. Johansson. Plastic bags, toys, hospital equipment, cancer medicine, fuel, food ingredients and other commodities - which today are largely produced from chemical compounds based on crude oil or extracted from plants - will be produced in the future using biotechnological processes. In order to attain the goal of a bio-based industry, the research efforts will have to be intensive. With the grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, DTU will establish a research centre, ‘The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability’, staffed by leading and interna-
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DTU will research how to produce items such as plastic toys using biotechnological processes, rather than chemical compounds
tionally-renowned researchers. The centre’s focus will be on elucidating how to use bacteria and fungi to produce a wide variety of chemical compounds. The centre will also create knowledge on how surplus biomass and other waste can be used effectively in production – thus reducing the world’s dependency on oil converting the oil-based industry into a biobased industry. Danish research efforts in science and technology are already highly rated on an international scale, and biotechnological companies Carlsberg, Chr. Hansen, Danisco, Novozymes and Novo Nordisk – which are
each internationally dominant in their own field – are among DTU’s closest industrial research partners. The centre has international satellites with focal points in technology platforms at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg as well as the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Furthermore, strong competencies in the faculty of life sciences at the University of Copenhagen are included. The OECD estimates that biotechnology can help us to produce 80 percent of all pharmaceuticals and 35 percent of the total amount of chemical compounds. (ae)
Santaris Pharma hits the jackpot with Pfizer deal
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anish company Santaris Pharma has started 2011 with great gusto by extending its strategic alliance with Pfizer that focuses on the development of RNA-targeted medicines. The deal will bring in $14 million to Santaris Pharma and allow Pfizer to access its locked nucleic acid (LNA) drug platform to develop RNAtargeted drugs. Furthermore, the Danish company is eligible to receive milestone payments of up to $600 million, as well as royalties on sales of products that may be developed for up to ten new RNA targets selected by Pfizer. Santaris Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceuti-
cal company focused on the research and development of mRNA and microRNA-targeted therapies. The company formed a partnership with Wyeth in January 2009 and Pfizer later acquired Wyeth. The LNA drug platform is the only RNA technology with both mRNA and microRNAtargeted drugs in clinical trials, demonstrating the broad utility of the platform. The unique combination of small size and high affinity achievable with the LNA technology allows LNA-based drugs to potently and specifically inhibit RNA targets in different tissues without the need for complex delivery vehicles. The combination of the
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Santaris-developed drug discovery engine and the LNA platform will allow a rapid delivery of LNA-based drug candidates against mRNA and microRNA targets for a range of diseases that included metabolic disorders, infectious and inflammatory diseases, cancer, and rare genetic disorders. Santaris Pharma has exclusive worldwide rights to all therapeutic uses of LNA and has strategic partnerships with Shire plc, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, and others. The company was founded in 2003. It is headquartered in Denmark and it has operations in the United States. (ae)
iotechnology company Novozymes has joined forces with the Danish oil industry’s biggest players, Maersk Oil and Dong Energy, in an innovative project that will test the capacity of enzymes to extract more oil from underground reserves. Oil reserves in the North Sea have become increasingly difficult to exploit. With Novozymes on board, the chances that the two oil giants will manage to reduce the difficulties of oil extraction from the North Sea are considerably heightened. The company’s previous knowledge and research and development among different enzyme products could prove to be crucial for the project. “It’s quite unique that we can launch a project in which three strong companies are working together,” Erling Stenby, professor and director of the Center for Energy Resources at DTU, told Børsen newspaper. The project will take place over the next four years. The total budget allocated for the endeavour is 32.7 million kroner, of which 15 million kroner was provided by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation. As part of the project, the expensive and environmentallypolluting chemical substances currently being used will be replaced with micro-organisms and enzymes for oil production. The three companies will also look for ways to prevent pipes used for pumping from freezing. In mid-December, Dong drilling teams discovered oil in the westernmost part of the Danish North Sea in sandstone of the Paleocene age. The discovery was made at the Sara-1 exploration well and samples have been taken in order to establish whether the new oil resource can be exploited commercially. (ae)
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Business Analysis
the copenhagen post january 14 - 20
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Inflation threatens sales at home and abroad By Morten Sørensen
Factfile | Price gap
With some of the highest price increases in the EU, exporters are also feeling the effects of inflation
The price gap between Denmark and the rest of the EU has increased dramatically over the past five years. In 2005 the ‘household consumption price level’ in Denmark was 29 percent above the level in 15 other ‘old’ EU member states. In 2009, the price gap increased to 38 percent.
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rices in Denmark have for years been increasing more than in the rest of the EU, and today are the highest consumer prices in Europe. However, this not only hurts our purse strings, noted the Danish Chamber of Commerce, pointing to data from the Economic Councils’ Simulation Model. It costs the state billions in revenue and thousands of jobs in Danish companies on the export market. “The high inflation rate erodes consumer purchasing power, and it isn’t looking good for corporate revenue in 2011. This year, households won’t come close to the gains in their disposable income as they did in 2010, when they had on average about six percent more to spend or save,” said Danish Chamber of Commerce economist, Bo Sandberg. Furthermore, despite having lower growth than in Germany, Sweden and Norway, Denmark’s inflation is significantly higher, added Sandberg. Over the past five years, the price gap between Denmark and the rest of the EU has been growing. “This picture is consistent with the fact that Danish wages have generally risen at a higher rate, while productivity had
In November 2010, the Danish inflation rate was 2.5 percent, while the EU level was 2.3 percent and the Eurozone inflation rate was only 1.9 percent. Denmark’s main trading partners – Germany and Sweden – had an inflation in November of 1.6 and 1.7 percent respectively.
Photo: Pamela Juhl
Danish consumers pay significantly more for goods than their counterparts in other EU countries
lower growth rates than in the rest of Europe. In recent years, the lax Danish fiscal policy has helped push wages and costs higher,” said John Smidt of the Economic Councils. According to the latest Statistics Denmark figures, inflation in November was running at 2.5 percent. Some 0.7 percent of that, a Danske Bank calculation found, was due to increased taxes and fees. But seen over the longer term, higher taxes cannot account for the growing price gap with other countries. German prices, for example, rose
Overview
TK on target Property developer TK Development has announced third quarter profits of 10 million kroner, and the company will have to intensify its efforts if the management’s year-end expectations are to be met. Based on the market conditions for the remaining period of the financial year 2010/11, and ongoing negotiations to sell more finished projects listed for 2010/11, the management expects to maintain its profit after tax in the area of 100 million kroner. Content on this page translated from Danish by Anca Enache
only modestly in 2007 compared with the rest of the EU, despite its VAT rising to 19 percent from 16 percent that year. According to the Competition and Consumer Authority’s 2009 Competition Report, a lack of competition is most likely to blame for high prices. Danish consumers pay significantly more for goods than Dutch, Germans or Finns. But companies, too, feel the impact when prices rise. “If the tax and general price level here rise by just a single percentage point more than in
neighbouring countries, our competitiveness weakens at an alarming rate,” said Sandberg. So far, the economy has fared surprisingly well, when you take into account the price handicap. Smidt suggests that the price and cost pressure have not yet led to serious problems with unemployment or the balance of payments. “So far, we’ve lived with the relatively high price levels. But you can ask whether this can continue. Is there a limit to how high the price of Danish goods on the export markets can go?”
Danish price increases outpacing Europe Price levels for household consumer items. Index: EU15=100 2009 2008 2007 2006 Denmark 138 136 131 129 Germany* 101 100 98 99 Holland 104 100 98 100 Finland 119 119 113 112 Note: * VAT rose to 19 percent from 16 percent in 2007 Source: Danmarks Statistik
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2005 129 101 101 117
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Danish analysts misfiring in investment opportunities, and getting beaten to the punch by foreigners
D
anish investment bank Danske Bank Equities came out on top in predicting movements on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 2010. But, in most cases, foreign analysts were far better at advising investors than Danish banks, not least when it came to the most successful C20 stocks, shows an Økonomisk Ugebrev survey. In the case of Novo Nordisk, which led the C20 with an 89 percent advance last year, the largest sellers were Danske Bank, Nordea, SEB Enskilda, Handelsbanken, ABG, Jyske Bank and Sydbank. Their combined net sales totalled 7.6 billion kroner, at a sale price some 40 percent lower than the current 650 kroner per share. Roughly speaking, their clients missed out on an extra three billion kroner in profits. Carnegie was the only Nordic finance house to benefit from Novo’s surge, scoring the largest net purchase of the year, 4.7 billion kroner. No Danish finance
houses were among the list of the largest net buyers. Similarly, foreign financial companies were significantly better at predicting the strong performance of Coloplast shares, which rose 60 percent in 2010. The largest purchases in Coloplast were made by eight foreign financial companies. Bad calls were made at the opposite end as well. While foreign investment banks were selling off shares of insurance group Tryg, which fell some 25 percent, Danish ones were busy buying them up. The largest net buyers, Nordea, Credit Suisse and SEB Enskilda, made net purchases of almost 750 million kroner. Calculated on an average decline of between 20 percent and 25 percent, the misjudgement cost over 150 million kroner. Off the C20 as well, foreign financial houses outperformed domestic ones. Royal Unibrew, with a share price growth of 138 percent, was an opportunity grabbed first by Carnegie, followed by Morgan Stanley, Societe Generale and Credit Suisse. Among the largest net sellers were Danske Bank and Sydbank.
Creating value through internal and external networks
Stock Barometer 1,5
Foreign analysts beat domestic investors
BRITISH CHAMBER OF OF BRITISH CHAMBER COMMERCE INDENMARK DENMARK COMMERCE
Facts and Figures
Brewery progresses Harboes Bryggeri has published its performance report for the first six months of the financial year, showing a great improvement for the company’s bottom line. Revenues for the first half increased to 830.3 million kroner, from 796.6 million in the same period last year. The company’s net sales for its beverage business rose by 2.8 percent, while their net sales in the food business rose by 13 percent. The company’s operating profits for the second half amounted to 60.3 million kroner, compared to 32.9 million in the same period last year.
Content on this page provided by
-1,6 Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 Source: AU professionel, AktieUgebrevet
Stock barometer: Composite measurement of four global indicators of the health of the stock markets, composed of: net purchase or sale of Danish shares by foreign professional investors; announced insider trading; the US Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) indicator of changes in the strength, direction, momentum, and duration of a trend in a stock’s price; sector rotation; S&P 500 volatility index (VIX) measuring investor nervousness, also known as the fear index.
Christopher Barrat is a leading international speaker and consultant, who has a lot of experience in the real world of business. Having been both a senior European sales manager and a director of purchasing he has a unique insight into ‘both sides of the table’. His style combines sharp insight, a wicked wit, and a great ability to engage with an audience. Christopher will both speak at and moderate this meeting on: • Networking internally in a company – by office, nationally or globally • Actively networking with the external network of a company both by management and other staff (degree to which this is encouraged?) • Networks as a business model? • Growing a network of businesses in a local area • Use of social media networks – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter? – experiences, advantages/disadvantages • A little about personal skills development for networking Time & Date: 16:30 - 19:30, 24 Jan 2011 Location: Rambøll, Hannemanns Allé 53, 2300 København S (Ørestad) Sign up: www.bccd.dk / event@bccd.dk See further details on www.bccd.dk or e-mail event@bccd.dk Non-members are welcome to learn more about us! • official media partner
Postscript Denmark through the looking glass
Nazi Germany to Danish Navy: “You sank my battleship” By Peter Sims Patriotic disobediance by a Danish vice admiral rendered 70 percent of the Danish fleet unusable
G
erman forces crossed the border into neutral Denmark on the morning of 9 April 1940, meaning the previous year’s nonaggression pact had gone the way of so many others the Nazi government made. In a remarkably gentle invasion, troops crossed easily into southern Jutland. Shortly afterwards, unarmoured German ships boldly docked in Copenhagen and began disembarking soldiers and equipment. The only resistance came in isolated pockets – skirmishes in Jutland and outside the final bastion of Danish sovereignty, Amalienborg Palace which only succeeded in prolonging Denmark’s official war with Germany to a grand total of two hours, at the cost of 16 soldiers killed in action. As with Holland, the fatal combination of flat geography and severely limited armed forces meant that resistance to the notoriously efficient German war machine was generally considered to be a pointless exercise. Although the government had in fact been forewarned by their intelligence of the impending invasion, they either failed or decided not to act. Combined with effective leafleting propaganda that threatened an aerial bombardment of Copenhagen, the fate of Denmark was quickly sealed. The amicable conclusion allied with the Nazi’s reverence for Germanic Scandinavians meant that Denmark got off pretty lightly when the Germans came to rolling out their imperial designs, claiming they would ‘respect Danish sovereignty and territorial integrity,
as well as neutrality’. In practise this fine example of Orwellian doublespeak meant that the Danish government was as free to govern itself only as far as it is possible for the client state of an imperialist superpower to be. Naturally the armed forces were largely demobilised; however the navy’s ships were still staffed by Danish sailors and even performed minesweeping operations, while the army was allowed to maintain 2,200 men and 1,100 auxiliary troops until August 1943. In keeping with the friendly accord, the Germans largely stopped short of actually acquiring the Danish war making apparatus, such as it was, but still demanded 12 torpedo boats in February 1941, which the Danish government agreed to, although only six were eventually delivered. By August 1943, resistance to the Germans became so blatant that they were left with no option but to declare martial law and dissolve the puppet regime. The troubled relationship had been souring for some time, with the population becoming steadily less accepting of the Germans, who complained that they found the population to be cold and distant. Although the Danish government had tried to prevent violence and sabotage, by late 1942 Germany declared Denmark to be ‘enemy territory’ for the first time. In late 1942 a diplomatic crisis arose between King Christian X – who had been left in place as head of state – and Hitler himself. Following a long and flattering telegram congratulating the king on his birthday, Hitler was infuriated to be snubbed by the curt reply: ‘Giving my best thanks. King Christian’. The response was a swift crackdown and the arrival of a new plenipotentiary (effective leader): Dr. Werner Best. Best allowed an election in March 1943 which, combined with a growing feeling of op-
Two of the soliders pictured here on the morning of 9 April 1940 were among the 16 killed in the two-hour war with Germany
“The Danish Navy has sunk with honour; long live the Danish Navy”
timism that Germany would be defeated, led to widespread strikes and protests throughout the summer of 1943, culminating a draconian ultimatum to the Danish government that sought to hammer the final few pieces of the totalitarian structure into place. Amongst other demands the Germans required the government to ban public assemblies and strikes and introduce a curfew and the death penalty for sabotage. The government refused, and martial law was declared on 29 August 1943. Knowing that the navy would now be fair game to the Germans, and useful to their war effort, one man acted quickly and decisively this time. Vice Admiral Aage Helgesen Vedel had resolved back in 1941 that
no more of his fleet would be allowed to fall into the hands of the enemy, and he secretly ordered the captains under his command to prepare scuttling charges. As the political standoff intensified leading up to the deadline of the ultimatum, the charges were checked and the 2,000 men at the Holmen naval facility put on alert against a potential German attack. When Vedel told the defence minister, Søren Brorsen, of his plans, the latter disagreed and instead instructed the order to be issued that the navy would be handed over intact, causing a crisis of conscience for Vedel, who was caught between obeying orders and performing his patriotic duty. His solution was to broadcast Brorsen’s orders to
Hitler’s own words were poorly translated into a broken mixture of Norwegian and Danish to warn against opposing the invasion
the respective captains with the added caveat: ‘In the circumstances, the ships can be sunk’. The anticipated German attack, ‘Operation Safari’, came on the morning of 29 August, but the Danish sentry guarding the bridge to the Holmen base conveniently lost the handle that lowered the bridge, delaying the 500 German soldiers long enough for 32 ships to be sunk where they lay. Four more ships reached the safety of neutral Sweden, while 14 were captured. Skirmishes with the occupying German forces here and in military installations across the country left 23 Danes dead, and the Germans were ultimately able to salvage and reuse 15 of the scuttled ships for residential and educational use. However,
none of the Danish submarines were used again. In a speech to the sailors after the actions, the head of the inshore fleet, Commander Paul Ipsen, said: “The Danish Navy has sunk with honour; long live the Danish Navy.” Two hours later the commander of the German naval forces in Denmark, Admiral Hans-Heinrich Wurmbach, paid his respect towards his captive Danish counterpart, Vice Admiral Vedel, with the words: “We’ve both done our duty.” Vedel was briefly detained for his efforts, but afterwards became a member of the government, while remaining in close contact with the resistance movement and helping to coordinate the illegal transfer of arms from Sweden.