DK DIPLOMAT For The Modern Diplomat
April Issue - 2015
Danish
Train Travel
What’s
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Preface
Contents
One important goal for us at DK Diplomat is to make information more accessible to our readers. There is a lot of information that you don’t have access to because of the language barrier, or maybe because it’s not easily attainable. With DK Diplomat seminars & workshops, we collaborate with embassies, danish institutions and organizations to build a platform, where you as a diplomat can receive the necessary tools, and contacts that will be helpful to your professional career, during your posting in Copenhagen.
Page 06 Ambassador’s View H.E. Mr. José Ignacio Madrazo Bolívar
Page 20 JustCleaners online dry-cleaning service
Page 10 The Danish Train Travel 10 Simple Step to Mastering the Danish Train System
Page 21 Micro Aggressions and Stranger Danes
We held our first seminar Wednesday March 18th, where ADVODAN - Lyngby held a presentation and a Q&A on danish criminal laws. We are aiming at holding one seminar every month. If you’re interested in receiving information on future events please send us an e-mail at info@dkdiplomat.dk. We would be very pleased to receive any suggestions that could assist us with the next events.”
Page 12 Back to Basics Page 13 Event Gallery
Page 23 Upcoming National day: April Page 26 Expat Tales Interview with Diplomat
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AMBASSADOR’S VIEW
INTRO :
Mexico officially the United Mexican States is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area, with an estimated population of over 113 million, it is the eleventh most populous and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. Mexico has one of the world’s largest economies, it is the tenth largest oil producer in the world, the largest silver producer in the world and is considered both a regional power and middle power. Diplomatic relations between Mexico and Denmark commenced in 1827 with a Treaty of Friendship, Trade and Navigation and a commercial treaty based on the treaty Porfirio Díaz had signed with England. Danish companies that have invested in Mexico include: Maersk, Grundfos, Lego, Danisco, Novo Nordisk, FLSmidth and Danfoss. Grundfos and Palsgaard have their factories in San Luis Potosí. For this Ambassador view, we have had the pleasure of interviewing the ambassador of Mexico in Denmark Mr José Ignacio Madrazo Bolívar.
Thank you for having us Mr. Ambassador, Can you tell us what influenced you to pursue a diplomatic career? A: Well I have always been interested in what was happening in the world. Mexico is a country that is particularly connected to the world because of it’s geographical position. Our coast border with the pacific and atlantic ocean, and we have a very long shared border with the U.S.A. We’re part of latin America but also a part of North America. We have had very important historical context with europe. And also very important trade and relations with asia. Mexico is open and well connected to the world. I have been since a very young age interested in what the world could mean for Mexico. And I like to travel, all those reasons made me want to start studying international relations and work for my government in the foreign service. M: What were some of the challenges you had to overcome? A: Well we have a very small foreign service in Mexico, ressources are scarce so we’re only a small number of diplomats. The mexican foreign service is very competitive, we have a strict system of promotion through yearly exams where there are a number of postings where you have to apply with an exam and only a reduced number of people can be promoted. M: How many people pass this exam? A: There are different exams for different levels, so it depends, the foreign service, thousands of people apply it depends each year but only around 30-40 enters. It depends of how many people are in your rank
and how many openings there are for each rank. Short number of opening but a large group of people who wants the promotion. M: What was your previous posting before Copenhagen, and what did you learn from that experience? A: Just before Copenhagen I was in Mexico I was the director general for european affairs at the foreign ministry, I was there for 6 years and it was a fantastic experience. You learn a lot about what is going on in europe, a very good starting point to acquire useful knowledge. M: How come Mexico is so well connected? A: As a said first, geographically we are in the center of many things. We are neighboors to the richest and most powerful country in the world but also with the emerging economies. Mexico realised many years ago that you have to look outside you cannot develop with your own resources only, so therefor we have a free trade agreements with more than 40 countries, beside with the EU, and off course the U.S and Canada. We have also with Japan, Israel and we’re negotiating right now one with Korea and Turkey. M: What are the most pressing elements of an ambassador’s job in 2014? A: It depends on where you are and which country you represent, talking about my job then Mexico is an important country to Denmark and vice versa, we have a lot of different context and relations. Mexico have an important investment in Danmark. Denmark has more than 2 billion dollars in investments in Mexico. We have a important trade
DK DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE
that has grown in the last year. More than 50 of the biggest companies in Denmark are in Mexico like Mærsk, Lego, Arla FL Schmidt. Lego has its largest plant in Mexico. The largest number of lego employees after danish are mexicans. The challenge is to make our economic relations more close than it is, we would love to have more mexican investmenet here (DK), they are companies who only sell products in Mexico but we would like them to manufacture also as well. They create job, that’s an important challenge. We have a large community here, compared to mexican communities in other countries. We have more than 1.000 mexicans here, we have to provide services to them and protect them. The political relations are very important, because mexico and denmark have very similar position regarding important issues, like climate change, UN issues etc. Politically we have very good relations, and other issues like the health issue, we have a very good corporation in the health sector, Novo nordisk is very important in Mexico because the diabetes problem is very serious in Mexico. Next week we have a large health delegation from the most important public health institutions in Mexico coming to dk, they will meet with their counterparts and visit different research centers and the city of Copenhagen. M: Which steps are you taking to strenghten those bi-lateral relations?
A: As you may know, Mexico have been going through very big structural reforms, there have been changes in our labor law, education but also in terms of the economic development we have had very important fiscal reform. And also communication reform and energy reform. This gives us a very good opportunity because Denmark is a leader in terms of renewal energy, in terms of green energy, this is important for us because we are an oil power but at the same time we are very conscious of the importance of fighting climate change and preserving the environment. We are trying to develop wind energy and solar energy etc. And we are looking to Denmark for best practices on those issues and for training on the services they provide in the wind industry. M: You talked about the reforms that was recently implemented in Mexico, has those reform in any way affected your job in Denmark? A: Yes off course it has helped my job, because some of those reforms means good opportunities for other countries that want to be involved in Mexicos development, so my job is to explain those reforms and try to convice people here that those reforms means good opportunity for companies looking to invest in Mexico. So yes they helped my job a lot, it’s my job to explain them. M: How do you anticipate working together with your country’s communi-
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ty residing in Denmark/Scandinavia. A: Well it’s a very dynamic community and we have no mexicans here that are in trouble, I mean in prison or living in denmark without papers and legal status, most of them are students, employee at mexican companies or mexican married to a dane. Studying and working here. So it’s a well prepared community and they are very involved in danish life, as i said my job at the embassy is to provide services to them, issue passports to register new borns, to give them different documents they might need. M: Do you have a presence on social media as an ambassador? A: Yes we have both a facebook page and a twitter, I personally i have both. I think social media is very important to get people to understand why diplomacy is important and what we do is very important, so you have to share that information and show people that embassy is still very useful and necessary. M: Do you have any hobbies?if yes what are they? A: I like to travel and to read. I like to walk that’s why I like living in Copenhagen, because there are beautiful parks. We have three dogs so me and my family takes advantages of this city’s parks and routes and we visit many things. M . Thank you very much for taking your time Mr. Ambassador it was a pleasure interviewing you.
Mexico realised many years ago that you have to look outside you cannot develop with your own resources only, so therefor we have a free trade agreements with more than 40 countries, beside with the EU, and off course the U.S and Canada.
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The Danish Train Travel
10 Simple Step to Mastering the Danish Train System Article Source: Charlie Petersen
The Copenhagen train system is known as the S-Tog. Most of the trains on the system now are new and very sleek red carriages. In order to enjoy the experience, than mastering Danish train travel is vital to traveling with confidence. Here are 10 simple steps.
Farum, you know that the train is on the line that goes from your station towards Farum. If it says Solrod Strand the train is travelling towards that station. If in doubt, which is usually the case for first timers, just ask another passenger on the platform, who will gladly help.
1. The S-Tog or S-Train and runs along 6 lines - A, B, C, E, F and H. Each line runs north and south from Copenhagen Main Train Station. except for the F line. At each station you will find a map of the various lines. You now find out which station you want to get off at and than get on that line. 2. Zones: The train system is broken into zones and it is vital to understand how many zones you will travel through. On the train maps, the various zones are divided into zones. Each zone is divided into colors and also has a number attached. The most popular zones are 1 and 2. Zone 1 is must of metropolitan Copenhagen; Zone 2 is the outlying suburbs to the north and west of the city. 3. Tickets are necessary for all train travel, so you must either pick up a ticket at one of the ticket automats at the stations or get a klippekort from the kiosk to punch. At the automat you just follow the instructions for buying a ticket. You check your route from your starting station and than how many zones are you travelling through including your starting and ending zones. If you start in Zone 1 and end up in Zone 31, you will have travelled in zone 1,2 and 31, so that would be 3 zones. You will need a 3-zone ticket. 4. Finding the right train. Each train will have the line number displayed on the front and side of the train, but since each line goes in two directions, how do you know which one to take. Here you need to look at the line map and look at the last station. If the last stop is
There is no need to push any stop button, like on the buses, in order to get off.
5. Boarding the train. This may not be problem if there are others around, but sometimes you are the only person boarding. To open the door, there are two round buttons on the outside doors. Just push the button and the doors will open automatically. Always let people exiting the train get off, before you get on. 6. Seating: All S-Tog trains have open seating. You can sit anywhere you like. The only exception is that some of the carriages only have seats along the way and have a large open area in the middle. This carriage is to accommodate people travelling with bikes and baby carriages. You should try to avoid using these places during busy times.
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7. Navigating the train: You will be surprised how many people get frustrated trying to get into a carriage. There are glass doors between carriages and there are no handles. To open these doors, just wave your hand directly in front of the door. There is an electric eye directly above the door, which activates the door. At other times, there may be a small circle near the middle of the doors - where the two sliding doors meet- just push one of those buttons. 8. Your ticket may or may not be checked, depending if there is a conductor on your train. If a conductor comes by, just show him your ticket and do not give it him. Conductors do not wear uniforms anymore, so the person asking for your ticket could be someone trying to steal
it. Conductors only need to look at your ticket, unless it is a special rail pass that needs to be clipped. 9. Each ticket has a time restriction, so make sure that you complete your travel within the time period or you will be liable to a fine. 10. Getting off the train: There is no need to push any stop button, like on the buses, in order to get off. Trains will stop at all their scheduled stops. You only have to open the door. Again you push the round button on the door and wait for it to open. Riding the trains in Denmark is not a difficult thing to master, if you just take the time to learn the basics. Once you figure out how to read the maps, understand how the city is
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divided into zones, you will be able to get on and off any train and soon you will be zooming around Copenhagen like a native. Remember, if you are ever confused or not sure, ask a fellow traveler. Most Danes love to help and understand the confusion for first time travelers. Mastering the Danish Train travel is one of the most efficient ways of getting around Copenhagen quickly. If you would like to learn more about klippekorts, planning your trip, learning how to read train schedules and figuring out the zones and route lines, there is more detailed information at http://www.fyidenmark.com/ train_travel.html including information on Copenhagen and Denmark.
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EVENT GALLERY 58 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
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EVENT GALLERY CONCERT - WORKS FOR DRUMS AND KEYBOARDS
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EVENT GALLERY DK DIPLOMAT SEMINAR MARCH 18TH
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EVENT GALLERY RESEARCHERS’ DAY AT ITALIAN AMBASSADOR’S MR. H.E. STEFANO QUEIRO
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EVENT GALLERY EXHIBICION DE LA PELICULA CHILENA BOMBAL
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MICRO AGGRESSIONS AND STRANGER DANES To preserve anonymity of the people I meet, I try not to tell stories that would give away individuals. I’ve had a few experiences in the last few weeks that I really wanted to talk about but there was no way to do so without invading the privacy of others. I don’t know what happened but I suddenly had a flood of invitations to events where I would be an unaccompanied foreigner to a group of people that do not know me or each other. A wedding, a party, a training event, that sort of thing. And I had to meet a LOT of stranger Danes. Here is my Ideal Stranger Dane, of which I met maybe half a dozen at these events. • Starts out with a question or a comment not about where I come from • Talks to me about something interesting that we can both get stuck into • Finds things in common • Makes jokes/laughs at my jokes • Is patient with my mistakes in pronunciation/word order/correct word usage Here are the things that are (more or less), involuntary that Stranger Danes sometimes do (and it gets on my nerves) • Shudders or pulls a face when they hear my accent • Keeps that expression on their face whenever I speak to them • Walks away/turns their back on me when I approach while they are on their own • Repeats everything I say back to me with a singy-songy voice as if teaching an infant how to speak
• Does not return my smile (or if they do, it doesn’t touch their eyes) • Only makes eye contact when talking about crime • Looks pissed off when I say Danish is not actually that hard for an English speaker (the hard thing only being that it must be perfect or ELSE) • Looks super pissed off when I say I have been in Denmark for 6 years Here are the things that are just thoughtless but are somewhat of a choice • Asks DURING Danish language conversations I am having with them, if I speak Danish • Asks after I have replied in the affirmative “But do you UNDERSTAND Danish?” • Tells me that I do not understand Danish, while I am listening • Goes on about how hard Danish must be for me • Only asks me about where I am from and why I came to Denmark • Ignores me after this information has been shared • Compares me pointedly with other people who are also learning Danish • Insists that if I have a problem with an activity it must be because of my shitty language skills • Tells me that I am not ‘integrating’ if I choose not to be ignored or patronised by choosing another activity or if everyone around me chooses to move away from me • Underestimates my intelligence vocally
Article provided by Adventures and Japes (adventuresandjapes.wordpress.com)
There are plenty of foreigners who can handle this or do not notice it. But it gets to me after a while. Especially since, if I bring this up, some people will jump on me to tell me all this stuff happens because I am a fucking bitch who deserved it. Well, it never happened in the UK and it never happened in France and it never happened in Germany. In the UK, I make friends super easily. In France and Germany, people are used to hearing their language being mauled and they’re cool with it. They just let you communicate and are more or less Ideal Strangers. In Denmark, people are not used to hearing their language mangled and they have been infected with the idea that foreigners are bad. Our badness stems from not wanting to be part of the group and not learning the language to perfection. Look at Prince Henri, he’s pretty much reviled and his Danish is perfect… he just has a French accent. That’s enough for Danish people to think that he is a stuck up prick. That’s all it took. Of course, none of the people who were less than Ideal were bad people. They are nice, decent, otherwise smart people. They just lack empathy, curiosity and self-awareness. So, those people didn’t get to find out about the things that we have in common or some awesome or interesting point of view that only I can share. They didn’t get to find out that I am funny. They didn’t get to hear what it is actually like to be foreign in their country. So. I guess I won that one?
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UPCOMING NATIONAL DAY
APRIL 4 April: Senegal Capital : Dakar
• Language : French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka • Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore. • Major trading partners: India, Mali, France, Nigeria, UK, China, Switzerland, Guinea
16 April: Denmark Birthday of H.M. Queen Margrethe II
• Capital: Copenhagen • Language: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (Inuit dialect), German; English is the predominant second language • Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, stone, gravel and sand. • Major trading partners: Germany, Sweden, UK, U.S., Netherlands, Norway, China
17 April: Syria Capital: Damascus
• Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood • Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower. • Major trading partners: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, China, Kuwait, Iran, UAE, Libya
18 April: Zimbabwe Capital : Harare
• Languages: English (official), Shona, Ndebele (Sindebele), numerous minor tribal dialects • Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals. • Major trading partners: South Africa, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy Botswana
19 April: Swaziland Capital : Mbabane
• Languages: English, siSwati (both official) • Natural resources: asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, talc. • Major trading partners: South Africa, EU, U.S., Mozambique, Japan, Singapore
24 April: Israel Capital: Jerusalem
• L anguages: Hebrew (official), Arabic, English • Natural resources: timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand. • Major trading partners: U.S., Belgium, Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland, UK, China
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26 April: Tanzania Capital: Dar Es Salaam
• Languages: Swahili, English (both official); Arabic; many local languages • Natural resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel. • Major trading partners: India, Japan, China, Kenya, South Africa, UAE, Germany
27 April: Netherlands Capital : Amsterdam
• Languages: Dutch (official) note: Frisian, Low Saxon, and Limburgish are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages • Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, arable land. • Major trading partners: Germany, Belgium, UK, France, Italy, U.S., Russia, China
27 April: Sierra Leone Capital : Freetown
• L anguages: English (official), Mende (southern vernacular), Temne (northern vernacular), Krio (lingua franca) • Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite. • Major trading partners: Belgium, U.S., UK, China, Japan, Turkey, South Africa, India
27 April: South Africa Capital: Cape town
• L anguages: IsiZulu 22.7%, IsiXhosa 16%, Afrikaans 13.5%, Sepedi 9.1%, English 9.6%, Setswana 8%, Sesotho 7.6%, Xitsonga 4.5%, siSwati 2.5%, Tshivenda 2.4%, isiNdebele 2.1%, other 1.6% • Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas. • Major trading partners: U.S., Japan, Germany, China, India, Saudi Arabia
27 April: Togo Capital: Lomé
• L anguages: French (official, commerce); Ewé, Mina (south); Kabyé, Dagomba (north) • Natural resources: phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land • Major trading partners: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Netherlands, Niger, China, India, France, Lebanon, UK
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EXPAT TALES
INTERVIEW WITH A DIPLOMAT Where are you originally from? I am originally from Istanbul, Turkey
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats? It was easy to meet with people and make friends, especially in office environment. Because I am working with many different nationalities everyday, everyone respects to each other, appreciate and enjoy the diversity. So this helped me a lot to adapt to new country and culture easily.
In which country and city are you living now? Wonderful Copenhagen, Denmark How long have you lived in Denmark and how long are you planning to stay? It has been 7 months here in Copenhagen, I plan to stay 1 year more. Why did you move to Denmark and what do you do? I am an HR professional and working as Global HR Partner to support HR operations of global commercial organization from the headquarter of my company in Copenhagen. I was working in Istanbul branch of the same company as HR manager, after 2 years I have been offered to my current job here. I said “Yes!� Because I always want to have experience in a different culture, be pushed out of my comfort zone. Did you bring family with you? Yes, my husband came with me. How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country? It was not a big challenge as we are quite familiar with European culture. The only challenge is constant grey sky in Copenhagen for us especially in winter period. When we arrived to Copenhagen at the middle of summer last year, it was quite good at that time. There were more sunny days. But winter time is depressive for people who are not used to have..
In the summer it is great to buy some take out beers and sit along the wall in Nyhavn (New Harbour) and enjoy the sun. It gets crowded and there is a great atmosphere as people kick back and relax after work.
What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats? In summer time, I recommend to enjoy sunny weather at big parks and canal tours. It is really nice and clean city, Copenhagen has been selected as European Green Capital City for 2014. You can go to Tivoli which is a big, green amusement park to have fun with games, then have lunch or dinner and also enjoy some open air concerts or activities. In winter time, there are special events like jazz week, dining week, culture night in the city, so you can follow up and join to these social activities. But I recommend you to be proactive to
DK DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE
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search these things on internet in advance and take some advices from locals. What do you enjoy most about living in Denmark? It is difficult to say only one thing, generally I like fresh and clean air here, you feel this in every breath. I like to see people in cycling or running in the city. This gives energy to me and I feel happy to not stuck in traffic jam like I was in Istanbul. Lastly, I feel comfortable to live in this city where most of people can speak English well. How does the cost of living in Denmark compare to home? Woow..Here is quite expensive compared to Istanbul, I can say prices are almost double for everything here.
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to Denmark, what would it be? Have 3 things here : your bike, warm clothes and candles for winter :) What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far? The hardest thing is to learn local language here. Grammar somehow is easy to learn, but the pronounciation is really difficult. I went to course for 3 weeks, but then I gave up. Additionally, I also did not have high motivation to learn Danish as everyone can speak English very well. But my impression is when you do not understand local language, you do not get much closer to local culture. So no pain no gain ! What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps? 1. Be positive and open-minded. 2. Follow up and join to social events at city, be active! 3. Bring warm clothes. They say here that there is no cold weather, it depends to what you wear. 4. If possible, learn local language 5. Enjoy this unique experience. You may not have the same experience again in your life.
*Rugkanter indeholder min. 50% mindre fedt sammenlignet med KiMs traditionelle Snacks, fx Skruer. Rugkugler indeholder min. 60% mindre fedt sammenlignet med KiMs traditionelle Snacks, fx Skruer.
What negatives, if any, are there to living in Denmark? I would appreciate if there are more sunny days at this part of the world, but it is ok. Other than this, I see no negative side.
MINDRE FEDT*
peugeot.dk
NY PEUGEOT 308 PRIVATLEASING
UDBETALING KUN 2.995 KR.
PEUGEOT 308 ACTIVE 1.6 HDi 92 hk 5-dørs Udbetaling kun
2.995 kr.
Leasingydelse
2.995 kr./md.
Leasingydelse
2.795 kr./md.
18 måneder
18 måneder
Privatleasing via Peugeot Finans: Leasingperiode på 36 mdr. og 15.000 km. årlig kørsel. Fast leasingydelse udgør 18 mdr. á 2.995 kr. og efterfølgende 18 mdr. á 2.795 kr. Udbetaling 2.995 kr. Totalomkostninger i perioden 107.815 kr. inkl. afleveringsgebyr på 600 kr. Privatleasingaftalen er inkl. serviceaftale, finansierings- og leveringsomkostninger, men ekskl. grøn ejerafgift, forsikring, brændstof og dæk. Kaskoforsikring og betaling via NETS er påkrævet. Positiv kreditgodkendelse forudsættes. A+
Inklusive ACTIVE-udstyr
• 16" aluminiumsfælge • Bluetooth • Peugeot i-Cockpit • Klimaanlæg, bi-zone • Metallak • P-sensor, bag
27,8 km/l. CO2-emmission 93 g/km. Kampagnetilbuddet gælder, så længe lager haves.
Hører du til dem, der foretrækker at slippe for en høj udbetaling? Og som samtidig ønsker komplet overblik over din biløkonomi? Så er Peugeot Knækleasing lige noget for dig. Med Knækleasing kan du privatlease den stilrene Peugeot 308 Active for en uhørt lav udbetaling på kun 2.995 kr! Du betaler 2.995 kr. i månedlig leasingydelse de første 18 måneder. Og herefter falder din månedlige ydelse til kun 2.795 kr. de efterfølgende 18 måneder. Begge beløb er inkl. service og vedligeholdelse af bilen. På den måde undgår du uforudsete udgifter og får råd til mere af alt det sjove!
PEUGEOT 308 PRIVATLEASING
PEUGEOT KøbEnhavn nv Kim Ejlertsen Automobiler A/S Frederiksborgvej 59 • 2400 København NV Telefon 38 33 40 04 • www.peugeot-kbh.dk