1 - 7 March 2013 | Vol 16 Issue 9 Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk

UNEDUCATED young people will be the most a� ected by the government’s reform of the least generous unemployment

bene� t, kontanthjælp.� e government hopes to � nd sav-

ings in the kontanthjælp system that can be passed along to fund a reduced cor-porate tax as part of the government’s growth and jobs bill (see story to right).

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

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

Instead, Frederiksen’s reform fo-cused on strengthening initiatives that will ensure people are better equipped to � nd work.

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

Frederiksen announced back in Janu-ary that she preferred increasing the edu-cational level of young people rather than cutting the generosity of kontanthjælp.

Her position is supported by the

THE BIG BANG COMETH

Kontanthjælp continues on page 6

North Sea oil deal won’t change for 30 years

Landmark League Cup win for legend Laudrup

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INSIDE: Education Guide 2013

‘Kontanthjælp’ reform: Government to force young people to take an education while reducing unemployment bene� ts for under-30s who are eligible to enter the labour market

PETER STANNERS

InOut

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

G2

NEWS

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

4

Carbon support

5

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

Killer on the loose?

10

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

9 771398 100009

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INSIDE: Education

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Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

“I have really benefited from the programme’s condensed curriculum and the fact that it is rich in tools.”

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

THE COPENHAGEN MBAINTERNATIONAL NETWORK. TRIPLE-ACCREDITED PROGRAMME.

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

PETER STANNERS

T HE FINAL piece of the ‘Big Bang’ reforms was presented on Tuesday in the form of a growth and jobs plan entitled ‘Vækst-

plan DK’ (Growth Plan DK) that prom-ises “stronger businesses and more jobs”.

� e highly-anticipated plan uses savings made by cutting the least gen-erous unemployment bene� t, kontan-thjælp (see story to left), and the student grant system, SU, in order to pay for lower taxes and levies on businesses.

� e full catalogue of proposals in-cludes several additional sources of � -nancing that will pay for a reduction of

taxes and levies on businesses and an in-crease in public investment worth a total of ten billion kroner in 2014. � e cost of the growth plan is expected to rise to 15 billion by 2020 and result in an ad-ditional 150,000 jobs.

In the plan, released by the Finance Ministry on Tuesday, the government states: “� e initiatives will make it no-ticeably more attractive to invest in Danish businesses both now and in the coming years. We will also increase pub-lic investment and ensure improved lev-els of education.”

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

In the plan, the government ex-

Growth bill continues on page 6

2 1 - 7 March 2013The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dkWeek in revieW

Hospitals across the nation were packed full of too many patients last year. The Jyllands-posten survey showed that every third medical department was over capacity throughout 2012. Constantly operating above ca-pacity has prompted patients, doctors and nurses to demand action. according to patient ad-

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

CopenHagen police have arrested 28 people accused of manufacturing cannabis joints in the Copenhagen area, accord-ing to a department press release. some 31 addresses were raided throughout the city. Those ar-rested are scheduled to appear before the court within the next few days. police targeted a

32-year-old man from amager thought to be the ringleader of the group involved in making joints intended for pusher street in Christiania. police say the man contributed to the manu-facture, production and distri-bution of more than 250,000 joints worth approximately 13.5 million kroner.

THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

An EU without Danes?

Arabic man accuses free speech group of hypocrisy

PM: Immigrant women must contribute

America hungry for Danish model

Police try to get to the bottom of rash of gang shootings

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New addition

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

Too fullJoint bust

a nuMBeR of upper-second-ary schools in Denmark attract students to their schools by of-fering them study trips abroad, while students who can’t afford to go are excluded. Jyllands-posten newspaper investigated more than 100 upper-secondary schools across the country, and about 40 of them offer interna-

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

Go if you can

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visitationszone (noun) – Stop-and-search zone. Where you heard it: Police extended their stop-and-zone ordi-nance until March in reaction to gang violence (see page 4) and have been using the tactic around ChristianiaCPH POST WORD Of THE WEEK:

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

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

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

fROM OUR ARCHIVES

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4 1 - 7 March 2013The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dkNews

The CiTy Council is set to begin the construction of a bi-cycle path at one of the most dangerous intersections for cy-clists in the city. heading from Vesterbro, on the far left corner of the second body of water, at the intersection of Åboulevar-den and Rosenørs Allé, cyclists are forced to dismount and push their bikes the final metres from Peblinge Dosseringen to

Åboulevarden. “This intersec-tion has been a great annoyance to the thousands of cyclists that travel through town every day. We will also cater to the numer-ous joggers and pedestrians who use the lakes as a recreational area every day,” the deputy mayor for technical and envi-ronmental affairs, Ayfer Baykal (Socialistisk Folkeparti), told Politiken newspaper.

City to get critical bicycle lane

Online this week

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

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

Criticism of immigration service waits, but no actionThe AnTi-MUSliM or-ganisation Stop islamisation of Denmark (SiAD) held a march on Saturday morning in support of the city’s Jewish population, which has reported increasing levels of discrimination. While only a few dozen SiAD sup-porters attended, hundreds of demonstrators from anti-fas-cist networks turned out for a counter-demonstration against SiAD, who they accuse of capi-talising on the discrimination of

Jews in order to promote a rac-ist agenda. Participants in the counter-demonstration attempt-ed to approach the SiAD demo, which caused police to block off Dronning louises Bridge and Frederiksborggade. Some of the counter demonstrators fired off maroons and roman candles, and 32 of them were arrested. SiAD and left-wing protesters have faced off before, including at last March’s european Counter-Jihad Meeting in Aarhus.

Duelling demonstrations lead to arrests

ReaD these stORies anD mORe at CphpOst.Dk

increased gang activity keeps police busy

C oPenhAgen Police are investigating a shoot-ing that took place on Finsensvej in Frederiks-

berg last week on Wednesday. Two shots were fired at the vic-tim at close quarters and hit him in the chest. The victim, who has been identified as 27-year-old Zaid Mohammed Al-Kayssi, died the following morning at Rigshospitalet.

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

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

ed incident. “he is a 19-year-old man

who is already known to the police,” ole nielsen, the deputy assistant commissioner of West-ern Copenhagen Police, told TV2 news.

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

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

including these incidents, there have been a total of ten

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

Sigrid Neergaard

registered shootings within the past six weeks. All of them are suspected to be disputes be-tween VhK and the gang loyal To Familia (lTF). Police suspect that the disputes involve the cannabis trade.

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

tures of him with gang mem-bers from VhK, and his friends list includes members of VhK and hells Angels.

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

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

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

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

stop-and-search zones prolonged again

in ReSPonSe to last week’s shootings, Copenhagen Police have extended their stop-and-search zone.

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

more time to March 12.Under a stop-and-search

zone, police can stop anyone they want and search them for weapons or contraband, with-out even having any reasonable cause. Police say it is to secure the safety of city residents.

“luckily no innocent people have been killed, but it could happen, and that is why we are trying to be as visible as pos-sible in those areas [the gangs] are seen in. But it is difficult to stop,” chief superintendant Mi-chael Ask told TV2 news.

The police assess that, de-spite seeing a decrease in the number of gang members over the past years, the gangs have be-come more violent.

“We have had some inci-dents of gang members shooting in all directions,” said Ask.

Police in Copenhagen’s Vestegn area – which includes the western suburban councils of Albertslund, Brøndby, glostrup and ishøj, among others – also extended a stop-and-search zone until March 12.

the MiliTARy has rec-ommended that five bar-racks be closed in order to

help find 2.7 billion kroner of savings in its annual budget.

The barracks slated for clo-sure are the Bülows barracks in Fredericia, Almegård on Born-holm, and barracks in Sønder-borg, haderslev and either høvelte or Vordingborg.

The military’s chief of com-mand, general Peter Bartram, announced the news on the military’s website.

“i have handed in my rec-ommendations to the Ministry of Defence, which will be in-cluded in the further political process,” Bartram wrote. “My recommendations only take military conditions into con-sideration. My co-workers and i therefore expect that other aspects will be included in the final political decision, which may deviate from my recom-mendation.”

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

haderslev’s mayor, Christian gjesing (Socialdemokraterne), told Jyllands-Posten newspaper that southern Jutland, where two barracks have been recom-mended for closure, will be hit hardest by the proposed clo-sures. he added that the region would lose an important histori-cal connection to the army if the barracks were to close.

“i have a hard time imagin-ing a Danish army that is not represented in southern Jut-land,” gjesing said. “My neigh-bours and my wife’s colleagues have all sent their sons to fight in Afghanistan. if the barracks are closed, an important con-nection between the military and civil society in the entire region will be severed.”

gjesing also feared the eco-nomic consequences for the re-gion if the haderslev barracks closed.

“We will lose between 350 and 400 jobs,” gjesing said. “We already lost around 800 jobs when our hospital was

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

Bornholm’s mayor, Winni grosbøll (Socialdemokraterne), said that closing the Almegård barracks would have a tremen-dous impact on the isolated island.

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

in november, all of the po-litical parties with the exception of enhedslisten approved a new defence bill calling for 2.7 billion kroner to be cut from the mili-tary’s annual budget by 2017.

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

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

the neW freedom of information law, offent-lighedslov, has its first read-

ing in parliament on Wednes-day, but opposition parties and the media have been left in the dark as to how the new more restrictive law ended up finding the backing of parliament’s five principal parties.

earlier in February, infor-mation newspaper submitted a freedom of information request for documents detailing the drafting process of the law, but the Justice Ministry has refused to hand over the documents un-til April, long after the new law comes into effect.

Three parliamentary parties that don’t tend to supply min-isters to coalition governments – Dansk Folkeparti (DF), end-hedslisten (el) and liberal Alli-ance (lA) – were all left out of the negotiations for the new law

and are all set to vote against it.MP Pia Adelsteen (DF)

stated earlier this month that it was no surprise that the law was written and supported by the five parties that normally supply ministers to governments.

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

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

had the law already been in place, they argue, many scan-dals, including the infamous Taxgate affair, would never have been uncovered.

earlier in February, the jus-tice minister, Morten Bødskov

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

“Politicians need to have the opportunity to try out ideas and get feedback during the leg-islative process that we are con-stantly working on,” Bødskov told Politiken newspaper. “in general, i don’t think that the public affects the legislative pro-cess. But both our proposal and the former government’s pro-posal are built upon recommen-dations made by the Freedom of information Committee and strike a balance between more openness on the one hand, and introducing some limitations on the other.”

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

little insight into how the new controversial freedom of information law was drafted

newspaper denied access to freedom of information law documents

Police are looking for connections between three recent shootings

51 - 7 March 2013 The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dk News

The EU’s initial target to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 percent in 2020 have almost already been reached

The government finally came out in sup-port of a plan to save the european carbon trading

market (etS) last week after be-ing accused of dragging its feet.

The european Commission is attempting to address the low price of carbon emission per-mits, which have dropped from about 140 kroner per tonne of Co2 in 2008 to around 50 kro-ner per tonne today.

An oversupply of carbon emission permits is being blamed for the price decrease, and the commission has therefore pro-posed ‘backloading’, or with-drawing, 900 million tonnes of Co2 from the market in order to stimulate the price. The price increases are seen as necessary if there is to be any incentive for businesses to transition to more renewable energy sources.

The Danish government has been under pressure to support the proposal, which is seen as the last chance to save the ailing etS market. Last week, the cli-mate minister, martin Lidegaard (radikale) finally stated that Denmark was onboard.

“europe needs a stable car-bon market that supports the

transition to renewable energy,” Lidegaard said. “The commis-sion’s proposal is the first step. But it is very important that a plan is soon presented that will ensure the fundamental stability of the carbon market.”

Lidegaard stressed that the backloading proposal was only a short-term fix for the etS. In the long term, the government wants the eU to implement a binding 30 percent emission re-duction target for 2020, up from the current 20 percent target.

The government also stated that it would lobby to en-sure that the 900 million permits are not reintro-duced into the market in 2015 as had been planned, arguing that they should instead be permanently removed as flooding the market with the permits could lead to another massive devaluation.

Carbon trading markets are not uncontroversial, and over 90 organisations have so far signed a joint declaration entitled ‘It is time to Scrap the etS’. The declaration identifies several structural flaws within the car-bon market that undermine its ability to reduce eU carbon emissions.

For example, they claim that the market enables european businesses to offset their emission reductions by paying for projects in another country – usually in the southern hemisphere – that will reduce carbon emissions for them so they don’t have to.

According to Danish envi-ronmental think-tank Concito, however, the vast majority of the eU’s Co2 reductions have all taken place within europe and only a small fraction have been achieved through offsetting.

Concito managing director Thomas Færge-man told The C o p e n h a g e n Post that he sup-ports the govern-ment’s decision to back the back-loading proposal. Færgeman even argued that the low price of car-bon permits may actually be a sign that the etS and

eU’s emissions targets have been successful.

“You can argue the market has worked,” Færgeman said. “The eU’s initial target to reduce Co2 emissions by 20 percent in 2020 have almost already been reached. That, combined with the economic crisis, is part of the reason the price has already gone down so much.”

The backloading proposal will increase demand on the re-

Carbon market revival receives Danish backing

None oF the 357 Danes who took the last eU staffing test passed, mean-

ing that no Danes will be up for consideration for posts within eU institutions this year.

The poor performance by Danish applicants disappointed the minister for european af-fairs, nicolai Wammen (Social-demokraterne), who has now launched a task force to tackle the problem and improve the chances of Danes looking to find employment with the eU.

“It is vital that we have centrally-placed civil servants [in eU institutions] who know Denmark and understand our causes,” Wammen said. “one of the ways to gain influence is to have Danes placed within eU institutions [which is] why it is worrying that it is difficult to at-tract clever young Danes.”

All permanent staff em-ployed by eU institutions are found through an open compe-tition known as the Concours that is held about once a year.

Danes make up 1.6 percent of the staff employed at eU in-stitutions – a figure which is cal-culated based on the size of the Danish population, voting weight in the european Council of min-isters and the number of Danes in

the european Parliament.But according to Wammen,

about 15 to 20 percent of the 600 Danish civil servants em-ployed by the eU are retiring over the coming years, and Den-mark risks losing influence in the eU if they cannot be replaced, especially given Denmark’s poor performance at the Concours.

Wammen travelled to Brus-sels last week to discuss the level of Danish staffing within the eU with administration commission-er marcos Sefcovic and Danes employed in eU institutions.

mariann Fischer Boel, a former eU commissioner and member of opposition party venstre, has agreed to help him with his new task force, which will also include representatives of other ministries, the industry lobby group Dansk Industri and the lawyers’ association DJØF.

marlene Wind, an eU pro-fessor at the University of Co-penhagen, told Politiken news-paper that Wammen also needs to push for a new way of testing candidates if more Danes are to make it through.

“[Danes] find the test old-fashioned and drawn-out and the ability to rote learn [memorise], which is being tested, does not appeal to them,” Wind said. “I think they need to do something about the way they recruit, oth-erwise the best candidates won’t make it inside the eU system, which is neither in Denmark nor the eU’s best interest.” (PS)

An EU without Danes?A task force will examine ways to increase the number of Danes who find employment in the EU following dismal test results

maining permits, which would hopefully raise their price. This will encourage energy compa-nies to invest more in natural gas power plants than coal, for example. Burning coal releases almost twice as much Co2 as burning gas, but the low car-bon price has meant there is lit-tle incentive to transition to the cleaner fuel.

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

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

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

“It won’t have a positive ef-fect on the climate, and it will result in additional yearly costs for Danish companies of about 300 million kroner,” DI manag-ing director tine roed told The Copenhagen Post.

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

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

Peter StannerS

6 1 - 7 March 2013The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dkCover Story

The traditional political alignment in the hallways of parliament is being severely tested fol-

lowing the government’s latest reform of the welfare state.

The Socialdemokraterne-So-cialistisk Folkeparti-radikale (S-SF-r) government has been ac-cused of pursuing liberal politics after announcing that it plans to use welfare cuts to pay for a reduction of taxes and levies on businesses, leading to uproar from the political left.

Far-left support party en-hedslisten (el) has been particu-larly vehement in its reaction to the news and has urged danes to meet up and demonstrate against the government.

“[There area] tax exemp-tions for businesses with record profits paid for by the unem-ployed and students through such things as the kontanthjælp reform, which means that un-employed parents under 30 lose thousands of kroner every month,” Johanne Schmidt-nielsen, el’s political spokes-person, wrote on Facebook.

Criticism from within

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

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

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

SF’s leader, annette Vilhelm-

sen, who is also the business and growth minister, was oddly absent from the growth bill press con-ference on tuesday, which could indicate considerable internal conflict within the ranks of one of the government’s most important coalition parties.

in PM helle Thorning-Schmidt’s own party, S, mem-bers have expressed everything from mild disbelief to outrage at what they see as a total reversal of S’s core values.

even before the package was revealed, two of S’s top politicians, em-ployment Minister Mette Frederiksen and henrik Sass larsen, were forced to come out in support of the package de-spite having indicated that they did not support it. Frederikson was unhappy that her kontan-thjælp reform package was tied so closely to, and essentially sunk by, the reduction in corporate taxes. The PM was reportedly

Ray WeaveR & ChRistian Wenande

Coalition parties on the brink of mutiny as government is seen as catering to the opposition

Government’s Big Bang reforms lead to political chaos

Split it to save it

sF’s best move is to withdraw from the government Editorial, page 8

I have a very, very hard time recognising my party

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

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

to address this, the govern-ment is making it more attrac-tive to run a business by lowering taxes and costs on production.

Secondly, the new genera-tion of danes aren’t as competi-

tively educated on the world stage as they once were, while the overall productivity of den-mark remains lower than in oth-er countries.

Government reforms, in-cluding the recent proposed re-forms of kontanthjælp and Su, are hoped to both increase edu-cational levels while also getting more workers into the labour market.

Thirdly, denmark spends the greatest proportion of its GdP on public spending of all the oeCd countries. The gov-ernment therefore wants to limit the growth of public spending in the coming years, which means that improving public services will have to depend on increased effectivisation and modernisa-tion, as well as an increased role for the private sector.

low educational level of young people who receive kontanthjælp. Some 50,000 of the 135,000 people currently receiving kont-anthjælp are under the age of 30, and 90 percent of them do not have any post-secondary edu-cation. Three-quarters of them only completed public school.

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

however, those who are not considered ready to take an edu-cation will continue to receive kontanthjælp at the current rate as long as they take steps to pre-pare for an education.

educated under-30s who are able to work will also continue to receive kontanthjælp while they look for work, but at a lower rate also equivalent to Su.

The government’s reform is also bad news for unmar-ried couples who live together, as they will now be treated like married couples. if one earns over a certain income threshold, their unemployed partner loses the right to receive kontanthjælp.

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

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

Single parents are also a vul-nerable group that risk remain-ing unemployed for long periods while they bring up their child. The government has promised extra resources to get single par-ents into education and work.

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

furious when reports of Frederik-sen’s and Sass’s mutinous behav-iour surfaced in the press.

“People can say what they want,” Thorning-Schmidt told Jyllands-Posten. “This is good policy. [Copenhagen mayor Frank] Jensen supports it, as do other mayors. The plan is a big bouquet; it would be a surprise if

there were no thorns.” The prime minis-

ter said that a healthy private sector would revitalise the public sector, and that those whose towns and live-lihoods depended on business were in favour of the plan. Thorning-Schmidt went on to say that both Frederik-

sen and Sass were both now back in the fold and speaking publicly in favour of the growth package.

Meanwhile, local S leaders also questioned the reforms.

“They have apparently found it necessary to do things they have previously spoken against,” herlev mayor Thomas Gyldal Petersen told Jyllands-

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

Copenhagen’s deputy mayor for children and young people, anne Vang (S), appeared bewil-dered by the government’s plan.

“i have a very, very hard time recognising my party. i am ex-tremely disappointed,” she told Politiken.

Praise from without

thorninG-Schmidt’s em-battled government did find praise from opposition parties and traditional nemeses, Vens-tre and Konservative, who have long been a driving force behind a political ideology that has cen-tred on reducing corporate taxes in denmark in order to increase competitiveness.

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

the reforms, shortened the un-employment benefit period and are aiming at further ambitious structural reforms,” Jakob engel-Schmidt, a Venstre spokesperson, told Politiken newspaper.

and while the government reforms also yielded some posi-tive words from think-tank Ce-pos for reducing growth in the public sector next year to the benefit of lower corporate taxes, liberal alliance (la) main-tained that the government’s re-forms lacked courage.

“The proposals are guarded.

They are just more of the same. a number of small initiatives that move a minimal number of kontanthjælp recipients into the employment ranks,” Joachim B olsen, the employment spokes-person for la, said on the party’s website. “The government admits that financial incentives play a role, but they don’t dare to reduce benefits so it will be less attractive to receive social benefits.”

Kontanthjælpcontinued from front page

Growth billcontinued from front page

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

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

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

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

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

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

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71 - 7 March 2013 The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dk Cover Story

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

the city of copenhagen would like to invite you and your family to this year’s Welcome reception at the city hall

Tuesday the 5th of March 2013 at 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

· meet representatives from different culture and leisure activities in copenhagen and hear about evening classes, sports, family friendly events and activities, and much more.· taste the famous copenhagen city hall pancakes.· Welcome speech by the mayor of culture and Leisure administration, pia allerslev.

please register for free at www.kk.dk/english

We look forward to seeing you!

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

InvItatIon

The City of Copenhagen would like to invite you to a Welcome

Reception at the City Hall, Tuesday the 6th of March 2012 from

5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

· Head of Business Affairs Jakob Brandt from Copenhagen

Business Service would like to officially welcome you to

Copenhagen

· Introduction to the city through interesting glimpse and stories

presented by Jakob Parby from The Copenhagen Museum

· Taste the famous Copenhagen City Hall pancakes whilst having

the opportunity to meet representatives from different culture

and leisure activities and ‘visit’ the human library.

Please register through www.kk.dk/english

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

Just the facts: ‘Kontanthjælp’ reform and growth billKontanthjælp: What is it?

• Kontanthjælp is the least gen-erous unemployment benefit and is guaranteed to all Danish residents according to the con-stitution.• Individuals cannot have sav-ings of more than 10,000 kroner in order to accept kontanthjælp. Recipients are often asked to sell their assets, including vehi-cles and property, before being granted kontanthjælp.• Married couples have a duty to provide for each other. If one partner earns over a cer-tain threshold, the other cannot claim kontanthjælp.• Under-25s normally receive a maximum 6,767kr per month before tax, whereas over-25s normally receive a maximum 10,500kr a month before tax.• Those who are pregnant, have children or suffer from mental illness can receive higher rates, while under-25s still living at home receive a lower rate.• Under-25s without an educa-tion can be forced to take an education in exchange for re-ceiving kontanthjælp.• Kontanthjælp recipients are di-vided into three tiers. Individu-als on the first tier are considered ready for the labour market and

are forced to search for work and take work that becomes avail-able. The second two tiers are considered unprepared for the labour market and make up the vast majority of kontanthjælp re-cipients. Much less is demanded of these two groups.• 135,000 people receive kontan-thjælp. 50,000 are aged under 30 and 90 percent of these have no post-secondary education. Kontanthjælp reform: What will change? • Under-30s with an education will receive a lower rate of kont-anthjælp equivalent to the stu-

dent grant SU (5,753kr a month before tax). Those without an education will lose their kont-anthjælp and be forced to take an education. They will receive a benefit equivalent to SU.• Under-30s not ready to take an education will continue to receive kontanthjælp as long as they con-tinue to take steps bringing them-selves closer to an education.• The expectations and duties for all kontanthjælp recipients will be increased, and the three-tiered system will be abolished. Those who can work will be made to take community service work until they find work.• Unmarried couples living to-

Growth bill: Key elements

• Gradual reduction of corporate tax from 25 percent to 22 per-cent, except for banks and com-panies drilling for North Sea oil (see story on page 15). Cost: 1.2 billion kroner• Reduced energy levies on busi-nesses. Cost: 1.8 billion kroner• Abolishment of the mileage tax for lorries and increased support for railway freight. Cost: 1.5 bil-lion (in 2020)• Increased tax credits for research and education and reduction of VAT on hotels. Cost: 700 million• Initiatives to improve growth and attract highly-qualified for-eign workers. Cost: 100 million• Increases in public investment. Cost: 2 billion• Reintroduction of the income tax deduction for home renova-tions. Cost: 1.5 billion• Increased investment in reno-vation of public housing. Cost: 2.3 billion• Increased adult training and re-education together with the private sector. Cost: 1 billion (be-tween 2014 and 2017)

Growth bill: How to pay for it?

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

vices. Gain: 2 billion kroner• Reduce annual growth of pub-lic sector from the planned 0.8 percent to 0.4 percent in 2014. This will slowly rise to 0.75 per-cent in 2020. Gain: 1.9 billion kroner in 2014, rising to 4.2 bil-lion kroner a year by 2020.• Cuts to the student grant sys-tem, SU. Gain: 2 billion by 2020.• Cuts to kontanthjælp. Gain: 0.4 billion kroner in 2014• Temporary tax on capital pen-sions. Gain: 1 billion in 2014.• Reduce salary increase in public sector to match the lower wage increase in private sector. Gain: 1.5 billion a year from 2013.

Peter StannerS

gether will be treated like mar-ried couples and lose the right to kontanthjælp if one of the partners earns over 30,000kr a month before tax.• Increased focus on providing individually-catered solutions for all kontanthjælp recipients with special focus on single parents and those whose problems keep them out of the labour market.• With the reform, the govern-ment aims to save 368 million kroner in 2014 and one billion kroner by 2017. Some 2,500 people are expected to move into the labour market in 2014 due to the reform, and 1,000 more are expected to take an education.

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

EU verdict could sabotage SU reform

The eU CoURTs last week rejected a Danish ar-gument that students from

other EU countries who come to Denmark to work and later begin an education should not be eligible for the state-allocated student allowance, SU.

The decision, which comes after the govern-ment announced its SU reform plans, could have serious conse-quences for how many people that the Danish state is forced to support.

“Denmark has suffered a clear de-feat. The education minister will most likely be forced to share the edu-cation allowance funds with more people than he would like to,” Peter Pagh, a professor who re-searches EU law at the Univer-sity of Copenhagen, told Poli-tiken newspaper.

The legal issue revolves around an EU citizen’s inten-tions when initially coming to Denmark. Danish law states that as an employee, an EU citi-

zen should not face discrimina-tory treatment and has the same access rights to social benefits as Danish citizens. But the rules are different for students, and as a benchmark, citizens from oth-er EU nations are not permitted to receive SU when studying in Denmark.

But in the particular case of an individual identified as LN, who was denied SU because he had originally come to Denmark to work before deciding to study at Copenhagen Business School, the EU court ruled against the Danish state.

Pagh said that the verdict opens up the possibility of other EU citi-zens becoming eligible for SU by coming to Denmark to work for a cou-ple of months before begin-ning their SU-granted studies.

“If you are a parent in Romania, some sound advice to your

child would be to work a few months in Tivoli before starting to study,” Pagh said.

The decision comes just days after the education minister, Morten Østergaard (Radikale), rolled out the government’s SU reform, from which they expect to save two billion kroner by 2020, by cutting down on the

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

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

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

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

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

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

SU costs the state an esti-mated 17 billion kroner a year.

ChriStian Wenande

Majority of Danes support the SU reform, but an EU verdict means that the Danish authorities may have to provide more financial support to foreign students

If you are a parent in Romania, some sound advice to your child would be to work a few months in Tivoli before starting to study

Various criticisms have been levelled at the govern-ment’s growth and jobs plan.

First are accusations that reducing corporate tax will have little effect on stimulat-ing the economy or creating jobs. Many agree that reduc-ing levies on business will encourage more production, but others argue that taxes on waste water and Co2 are needed to reduce consump-tion and pollution.

read the story, ‘Govern-ment’s growth bill under scru-tiny’, at cphpost.dk.

Will it work?

8 1 - 7 March 2013THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DKOPINION

drones – and the data they pro-duce – can be used.

Denmark needs to take a stance

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

Firstly, we have seen a new set of voices expressing concerns and critique of how the US has deployed drones to carry out tar-geted killings of terror suspects in places such as Yemen and Pa-kistan – places in which the US is not even at war. Notably, the United Nations has recently an-nounced an initiative to under-take an investigation of the legal-ity of the use of armed drones. Although it is still too early to say whether the UN report that will come out of this might have any signi� cant implications, it is still noteworthy as an illustration of how international organisations have begun to voice critique of the contemporary use of drones by the US. As such, these are ar-guably critical voices that Dan-ish policy-makers need to decide how to relate to, certainly if they are critical of the US use of drone technology that Denmark has otherwise largely been uncritical – sometimes even supportive – of.

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

of drones in surveillance will be, but also how to manage the data they collect and how to protect this data, e.g from unauthor-ised access. Transmissions from drones are not encrypted and occasionally drones have been hacked and information stolen. It has also been suggested that hijacking a drone and using it for acts of terrorism or other crimes would not be impossible.

A critical aspect of recent debates concerns the issue of in-telligence-sharing that blurs this distinction. Notably, the alleged Danish involvement in supply-ing the intelligence for the US drone attack on al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen in 2011 sparked public debate over the legality and morality of Dan-ish support for the US use of drones in the killing of suspected terrorists. Yet this did not lead to any clari� cation of the political stance towards the use of drones. Similarly, the Danish government announced in 2012 that it would rejoin the high-pro� le NATO smart defence Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme and, furthermore, Danish pen-sion funds have invested in drone development programmes since such investments o� er substantial returns for their clients.

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

DRONE TECHNOL-OGY has been debated in the Danish media for quite some time already.

Although the focus has primarily been on ‘armed drones’, the pos-sibilities o� ered by ‘surveillance drones’ has also been mentioned. Yet, as recent debates demonstrate, this distinction is not as simple as is sometimes made out to be. Moreover, two features are argu-ably contributing to changing the terms of debate about drones in Denmark. Finally, broader ques-tions concerning the global politi-cal context have arguably received unhelpfully little attention.

Armed drones in Denmark: Where are we?

THE FIRST distinction that must be made concerning drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles) is the distinction between the use of this technology for surveil-lance or armed purposes. � e use of armed drones is by far the most controversial and most de-bated. However, the application of drones as a tool in intelligence gathering is not without its own inherent issues. ‘Surveillance drones’ produce large amounts of data, such as images and elec-tronic intelligence and can be used to track movements not only in military con� icts, but also in policing and political ac-tivities. � e question in this re-gard is not only what the e� ect

The drone debate in Denmark: We need to take a stance

Arabic man accuses free speech group of hypocrisy

Free speech is always subversive, because it’s freedom, even for people you might not like or even agree with. Even if they are non-ethnic Danes with funny names, this august association seems to � nd it extremely o� en-sive and threatening not to have the proper name and ethnicity. Mr Taha has not threatened any-one in his life, and according to him, his record is exemplary. If that’s true and a person with no spot on his record has a right to the bene� t of doubt, there’s no reason to exclude him. Check on him all you like. It’s true that a private association has the right to arbitrarily decide who comes to their meetings and who does not. However, one would think that the commitment to free speech would put some ethical constraints on that.Loroferoz By website

Marginalised immigrant wom-en on near-permanent welfare

I think that this actually might prove to be a good thing. � e Danes have become so accus-tomed to living as parasites, that they will never change the system unless they realise that foreigners can exploit it too!DanDansen By website

Once more my iron law of im-migration is con� rmed. If you invite a bunch of people from a culture where women are strongly discouraged from any life role be-sides wife and mother, then don’t be surprised if they are unwilling or unable (it doesn’t matter which, really) to � nd employment and pull their weight economically.Cli� Arroyo By website

� is whole kontanthjælp system is bullshit. � ere needs to be a limit on how long one can use this scheme. If you don’t have a limit,

they will ride the bus as long as they can. � at’s a fact.ziggedwhenishouldazagged by website

Trial to grade kids at an earlier age supported by opposition

� ere is value in knowing that you are not as strong, or are stronger. It helps to set realistic expectations in life and allows one to respon-sibly pursue that of which they are capable. � e Danish attitude inhibits learning this very critical personal skill that pays o� later in life. I also completely disagree with the comment that there is no evidence that giving grades improves student’s competencies. How can a Danish educator even make this kind of statement? � ey have no valid data from which to draw that conclusion! � ese Dan-ish educators are not doing Den-mark any favours from a global competitiveness perspective.Tom By website

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

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

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

Indicative of larger questions

ARGUABLY, THE relevance of the drone debate lies not only in the speci� cs of the technol-ogy but also, and perhaps more importantly, in how drones are used within a broader political environment that continues to deploy the ‘War on Terror’ as legitimate. In this context, a cru-cial question that is sometimes neglected in current debates is the question of the extent to which this rhetoric and the ‘ex-ceptional’ measures that it legiti-mises are still acceptable more than ten years after 9/11 and nearly two years after the kill-ing of Osama bin Laden. Even if legal frameworks were to be de-� ned for the use of drone tech-nology, one could worry that, for as long as a ‘War on Terror’ rhetoric is evoked to legitimate exceptional measure, such legal frameworks will be of little use. � is aspect has arguably received too little attention in current de-bates about drone technology.

� e authors are researchers at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

KATJA LINDSKOV JACOBSEN & CHRISTA MOESGAARD

Shake up or ship out

I F THERE IS something worse in politics than not agree-ing it is disagreeing. Case in point: the current government. When it came to power in 2011, it was clear that the three

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

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

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

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

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

� e reward to SF for its move would be to win back many of the voters it lost during its drift toward the centre and, critics argue, away from its socialist roots. � e bene� t for the govern-ment would be less internal divisions and an ally that had the self-con� dence to prioritise its convictions over cabinet seats.

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

The only way to save this government might be to split it apart

91 - 7 March 2013 THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK OPINION

NEXT WEEK IN 2 WEEKS IN 3 WEEKS IN 4 WEEKS

Sarita RajivTHE BALANCING ACT

Özcan Arjulovski Stuart LynchTHE WORDS OF ÖZ THE LYNCH REPORT

You’re Still Here?BY KELLY DRAPER

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

Born in 1942 on the Isle of Wight, Englishman Frank Theakston has been in Copenhagen 32 years and is on his second marriage, this time to a Dane. Frank comes from a di� erent time and a di� erent culture – which values are the right ones today?

To Be Perfectly FrankBY FRANK THEAKSTON

CPH POST VOICES

IMMIGRATION is a di� cult process, bureaucratically speaking. Proper checks must be made and that takes time. It is reasonable,

immediately after a major rule change, if there are long waiting times as sta� get to grips with new systems. But re-ally though, what’s going on at the Im-migration Service?

Young people turning 18 who came to Denmark as refugees in childhood have the opportunity to seek citizen-ship. � ere are many hoops to jump through, however, and they do not au-tomatically have the right to a Danish passport. � is year’s cohorts, who have done everything the Danish govern-ment has asked of them, are facing wait-ing times of more than a year for their citizenship paperwork and passports.

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

they would like to visit. When is a Dane not a Dane? To be-

come a Danish citizen is no mean feat. � ere are language and culture tests as well as rules about what you can and cannot do for a decade before you apply. � e Danish government is saying that these young people are Danish and have Danish citizenship, but yet may not have the same opportunities as someone who became a citizen by virtue of their parents. � e EU rules of free move-ment and agreements Denmark has made with non-European countries do not apply to Danish citizens while they hover in bureaucratic limbo.

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

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

Meanwhile, those immigrants that the Danish state makes a big song and dance about desiring face similar prob-lems. You read about these in the me-dia intermittently. � e waiting times, the loss of essential paperwork (a hint to Immigration Services: buy paper-clips), and the letter that basically says “We have not looked at your applica-tion yet, despite having it for several months. When we get around to it, you will de� nitely hear from us at least seven months afterwards.” I paraphrase.

One of the biggest problems for everyone dealing with the immigra-tion authorities is the variety of ‘advice’ you can get. If you check its website in Danish, the information can be di� er-ent from what it is in English. If you ring Mette at 11am, she might give you di� erent information than Jens at 2pm. You might ring several times, just to make sure that you are doing the right thing. � en when you get to the o� ce, Pernille tells you that the rules simply do not allow the thing both Mette and Jens said was possible when you rang

Immigration process needs less bureaucracy, more accountabilitytwice the day before.

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

What needs to change, which is co-incidentally the thing least likely to hap-pen, is greater accountability. If Pernille, Jens and Mette felt that they might get in trouble for their incorrect interpreta-tion of the rules or for not taking care of paperwork in a timely manner, wouldn’t they take more care over their work? Each applicant should have a named caseworker (and perhaps a spare for holi-day periods). � is caseworker should be the only one to respond to queries about the rules. � is caseworker should per-sonally check the paperwork and ensure that nothing gets lost. � is caseworker should be personally responsible for the time between receipt and decision. If this means that there needs to be more case-workers, then so be it.

I KNEW it was bound to happen sooner or later: I’ve start getting comments to the e� ect that my continual banging on about every-

thing that’s wrong about Denmark has worn a bit thin. It reminds me of that 1960s ad for a certain deodorant: “BO [body odour] – what even your best friend won’t tell you.” So when your best friends do start telling you that you’re becoming just as boorish as the people you write about, then it’s time to do something. Or at least think about doing something.

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

I try very hard to convince my crit-ics that I’m not against Denmark and everything Danish. It’s just that I live here, and I like to kick up a bit of dust. If I lived anywhere else I like to think I’d be just as critical, although there might be some places where I wouldn’t get the same satisfaction in doing so. And there are probably places where it might be downright dangerous to do so. So that’s maybe the answer – I’m a bit of a cow-ard but know I’ll be safe practising my grumpy skills in Denmark because I get absolutely no reaction. Any foreigner daring to do the same in, for example, most places in the States would prob-ably risk ending up in the foundations of the latest casino in Las Vegas.

Indeed, a lot of the reaction seems to come from Americans who have chosen to settle here in preference to the land of their birth. And when you come to think of it, that’s quite a life-determining deci-sion to take. � e contrast in social phi-losophy could hardly be greater, at least within what we call the ‘Western world’. It’s not so culturally di� cult as a Brit to move around in western Europe – the va-

riety of languages just adds a little spice to the adventure. So the relatively small things that I � nd it amusing to criti-cise should be almost insurmountable obstacles to an American. But appar-ently that’s just the point. Whereas I’m not aware of any books written by Brits about living in Denmark, there are cer-tainly such books written by Americans. Because for them it really is something to write about!

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

Yup, looks like I was booring you!book, entitled ‘Americans in Denmark’ by F Richard � omas. It’s from 1990 but still very relevant regarding the ba-sic reasons why people who espouse a very di� erent set of values would ap-pear to want to give that all up. I use the phrase ‘appear to’ judiciously, as it’s not the values that they shun, but the way of life that goes with it: the endless pressure to achieve, the violence that often goes with it, and the heightened sense of guilt or shame that goes with not living up to the ‘dream’.

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

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

Stephanie Brickman Tendai TagariraBRICK BY BRICK GRAIN OF SAND

Christian WenandeCHRISTIAN VALUES

I’m a grumpy old man and I’ve cultivated that image very carefully over my advancing years

If you ring Mette at 11am, she might give you di� erent information than Jens at 2pm

Justin Cremer Vivienne McKeeSTILL ADJUSTING CRAZIER THAN CHRISTMAS

10 1 - 7 March 2013The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dkNews

A large number of Danes are growing their own can-nabis plants at home, ac-

cording to a new investigation by drug researcher Helle Dahl.

Dahl, a researcher at the Centre for alcohol and Drug research at aarhus University, said that her investigation sug-gested that there were at least 1,200 Danes who grow cannabis plants in their homes, but that many grow the plants for a rea-son other than getting high.

“There are a number of peo-ple who self-medicate against aDHD, as is the case with can-cer and aIDS patients who also benefit from [cannabis],” Dahl told P3 radio station.

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

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

just under one fifth of the total amount of cannabis confiscated in Denmark in 2011, according to a publication from last year entitled ‘Cannabis – forbrug, in-terventioner og markeder i Dan-mark’ (Cannabis – consump-tion, interventions and markets in Denmark) by the Centre for alcohol and Drug research.

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

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

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

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

More grow their own pot

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

The horsemeaT scandal has now reached IKea.

after Czech authorities revealed that horsemeat was found in packs of frozen meat-balls made in sweden and shipped to Czech stores, IKea stores in Denmark have decided to stop selling the meatballs.

according to the associated Press, an IKea spokesperson said that the same meat stopped by the Czech authorities was sent to IKea stores in 13 euro-

pean countries: Britain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, the Czech republic, Belgium, spain, slovakia, hungary, Cy-prus, Ireland, Greece and Italy.

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

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

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

IKea has also stopped sell-ing hot dogs in some countries, but not in Denmark. (JC)

IKEA to stop selling meatballs after horsemeat discovery

I t’S OFFICIal: the Danes are crazy about Facebook. Usage is amongst the high-est in the world and nearly

90 percent of Danish social media interactions take place within Facebook’s walled gar-den. But what do these simple facts tell us about Danes?

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

But just how open and connected are the Danes when it comes to social media? al-though many event descrip-tions were in english, a sneaky language icon at the side con-firmed that most were in Dan-ish. also, there were mutterings that the events attracted the same people having the same discussions – a magic circle of cliques and agencies that can be hard to break into.

a story from one of the events in english, featuring NBC’s richard lui, illustrated a common problem for interna-

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

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

Social media event shows that Danes love Facebook but lag behind on Twitter

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

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

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

looking further afield, Den-mark’s social media usage is al-most the mirror image of Japan’s – where Danes use Facebook, the Japanese take to twitter.

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

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

some of the sights at the #sMwCPH eventso

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HårBy Slagtehus, a slaughterhouse in the Jutland town of Skander-

borg, was expecting to learn it had been reported to the police by the nation’s food authorities, Fødevarestyrelsen, this week for its role in the horsemeat scandal that has spread across europe.

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

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

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

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

ter, Mette gjerskov (Social-demokraterne), told Dr News.

gjerskov added that her ad-ministration has made the horse-meat scandal a top priority.

as the horsemeat plot con-tinues to thicken, the Danish red Cross has suggested that all the horsemeat meals being de-stroyed should instead be given to the poor and needy.

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

outs,” anders ladekarl, the gen-eral secretary at the Danish red Cross, told Dr News. “If we have good food that can be eaten, then we shouldn’t be destroying it.”

ladekarl suggested that the food be sent to Spain, greece and eastern european countries, but said that the people there must be told what is in the meat.

His suggestion was echoed by the german food minister, Dirk Niebel, who said it was ir-responsible to be throwing away edible food. (CW)

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

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

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Farmers afraid of the big bad wolf after sheep attacks

ON MONDay, Sven Joens-en, a farmer from Harrild Held in mid-Jutland awoke

to find that eight of his 330 sheep were missing. He immediately suspected a wolf, as just days earlier, a wolf was photographed three kilometres away.

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

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

“My colleague is of Swedish

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

The case has been reported to the police, and Joensen has contacted state game rangers to clarify the cause of death. al-though farmers have to pay a de-ductible for insurance for animal attacks, Joensen stresses that he is not opposed to wolves return-ing to the Danish countryside. But he hopes that there will be greater awareness about the ef-fects of their return.

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

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

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

AnnA ACkermAn

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

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111 - 7 March 2013 THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK LIFESTYLE: SPRING FOOD

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So close you can almost taste it

HOW ARE YOU guys making it through winter? As I’m writ-ing this, the snow is ankle-high, the sun is shining and big parts

of the sky are the brightest blue. And even though the weather makes it a bit of a challenge to cycle around, I’m re-ally grateful to enjoy such lovely winter days. And furthermore, I get to write my column, looking ahead to spring! I’m doubled up with excitement.

� e � rst signs of spring

NOW I REALLY don’t know anybody who’s not excited and happy about spring coming. And what’s not to get excited about after a long, cold and dark winter. � e weather gets warmer, the days get longer, nature’s blooming, people tend to fall in love, and at the � rst sight of the sun you’ll start see-ing the Danes outside, curled up in a blanket and most likely freezing their behinds o� . � at’s right! � at’s ex-actly how much we yearn for the sun, warmth and light. A month of transition

MARCH IS A month of transition. � e trees are starting to blossom again as they feel the warm sun beams, while the veggies are slowly starting to take on a spring feeling. Still, a lot of them remain the same as the previous winter months. Expect plenty of carrots, Jeru-salem artichokes, potatoes, celeriac, on-

ions, parsnips, Hamburg parsley, leeks, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, kale and ap-ples.

� e herbs of hope

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

Awesome April

IT’S TIME TO say a grateful goodbye to the root veggies (I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve had more than enough of them at this point) and hello to the true spring sensation. Besides what March o� ered us, a large variation of lettuces are now in season, including babyleaves and rocket. And baby spinach is also coming along. If we’re lucky, and the weather has been warm and the sun’s been out, you’ll even get the � rst rhubarb now. And � nally, here’s a small April shout out for the forgotten ramson (wild garlic). � is herb is having a revival these years, and it will grant you the tastiest and craziest bright green pesto. Try it!

May you spring with health

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

Keeping it seasonal is key

IN OUR global society, you can get most veggies and fruits throughout the year, but if you eat according to the season, I’m sure you’ll get a dif-ferent experience. � e � avours are more in-tense, and the vitamin/

mineral content is higher – which of course means it’s better for you. And in a bigger perspective, it’s so much bet-ter for our planet and environment to eat local food. So give your taste buds the thrill of trying some of the season veggies – preferably the organic version.

It’s been my pleasure writing these col-umns over the last year. Now complet-ed, they truly are a plan for all seasons. Hope they’ve been useful – or at least amusing if nothing else. Here’s wishing you a great spring.

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A plan for all seasonsBY DITTEMARIA SØNDERGAARD

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

Food

Sport

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

Next week

Garden

Health

12 1 - 7 March 2013THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DKCOMMUNITY

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

DATING THE DANES

One game you won’t win

D ANISH MEN know how to play the game. While they may not be compet-

ing in the traditional dating game as such, they’ve created a much more sinister, craftier, slyer version – I’ll call it ‘slym-ing’. And sadly, this is one game where participation isn’t option-al if you intend to get close to any Danish guy.

Rule number one in slym-ing is to keep your options open for as looooooooong as possible. Why commit to one girl when an even hotter, funnier, sweeter one could be just around the corner? A far cry from a NZ man’s approach where � irting takes so much e� ort that by the time they nab one girl, they’re far too exhausted to try it on another. (In this regard, Danish men know that slyming is about working smarter, not harder.)

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

stead of misleading or cuddly instead of � irtatious.

No joke – I’ve had the fol-lowing lines said to me in the name of ‘friendship’.

“I just like being close to my female friends, and spoon-ing is a part of that.”

And “I don’t like that I have to tone down my a� ec-tionate words for a girl just because she’s my friend.”

Now some Danish guys are slymers for life. But some just enter the game as bench play-ers for a quarter. However, by the time they come o� the � eld, they’ve already solidi� ed their reputation, making the transi-tion from slymer to good guy a very hard one to make.

Take the latest guy I recent-ly liked – I genuinely thought of him as a great guy, but that came into question when I felt I had been slymed. Now, I really thought he was into me – he emailed often, he was � irty, he was attentive, he told me I had

to meet his family and he even texted me ‘princess’. So I was completely shocked when I got the “Oh, I think we’re just good friends” line. What?!

It’s at times like that when I crave a NZ farmer and purely for one reason – they’re hon-

est. � ey don’t slyme and, come to think of it, they wouldn’t actu-ally know how to.

As I see it, the Danish men I’ve encoun-tered are good men ... but boy

do they know how to pull a line, lay on the charm and � irt.

� ose things in themselves are not bad, but if they’re not done with intention, then they just come o� as deceitful.

As a New Zealander, it’s impossible to win this game. It’s not in our DNA to slyme, nor do we have any experience in it. So we either have to be bench-warmers or enter at our own peril.

I’m a person ... not a game. Don’t play me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I don’t like that I have to tone down my a� ectionate words for a girl just because she’s my friend

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131 - 7 March 2013 THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK COMMUNITY

COMING UP SOONExpat Spouse: Driving family force or drifting talent?Books & Company, So� evej 1; Hellerup; March 6, 09:00-11:00; 50kr; email signup@booksand-company.dk to sign up� is workshop covers the latest perspectives on expat partner talent.

Women’s BrunchKvinde til Kvinde meet-up, loca-tion given to registered attendees; March 9, 11:00-13:30; tick-ets 100kr, 75kr reduced; www.kvindetilkvinde.dk/shop/kvinde-brunch-100kr/Kvinde til Kvinde (Women to Women) o� ers a Saturday brunch for women to meet and enjoy a morning of food, friends and an inspiring speaker.

Seminar on Modern Danish HistoryAlexandersalen, University of Co-penhagen, Bispetorvet 1-3, Cph K; March 13, 19:00-21:30; free adm, register at http://goo.gl/A8IL4 For such a small country, Den-mark has quite a history – span-ning thousands of years from the Vikings to Afghanistan. Once a great regional power in Europe, the Danish democracy has devel-oped after dozens of defeats over several hundred years and devel-oped into a modern democracy. � is seminar will examine the impact of the country’s unique history and the challenges facing Denmark today.

Groups and Networks for ExpatsFrivilligcenter Gentofte, Smakkeg-årdsvej 71, Gentofte; � u March 7, 16:00-18:00; free adm, register at www.frivilligcentergentofte.dk; 3940 4648Enjoy giving back to the com-munity? Interested in meeting other expats who share the same passion? Come and get inspired and learn about volunteering opportunities in the Greater Co-penhagen area! � is workshop will introduce new IT-based tools to � nd social events and other internationals, and tips on how to start networks and groups and � nd like-minded friends. Co� ee will be provided.

Lunch with Stine BosseBritish Chamber of Commerce luncheon; Radisson Blu Royal Ho-tel, Hammerichsgade 1, Cph K, March 22, 11:45-13:00; mem-bers: free adm, non-members: 400kr; register at www.bbc.dkStine Bosse, the highest ranking female CEO in Denmark, was also appointed the 22nd most in� uential business woman in 2009 and 2010 by the Financial Times. At this luncheon, spon-sored by the British Chamber of Commerce, Bosse will dis-cuss her book ‘Det handler om at turde’ (it’s about daring) and her approach to no-nonsense communication and societal engagement. � e event will include welcome drinks and a bu� et lunch.

Job Search WorkshopNyropsgade 1, Cph V; March 5, 09:00-14:00; free adm; register at www.workindenmark.nem-tilmeld.dkAre you new to the job search in Denmark? Workindenmark wel-comes you to a free workshop where you will be introduced to the basics of Danish employers, tips for searching, motivation letters, CVs and interviews. Tea, co� ee and sandwiches are in-cluded.

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

Talk on Modern BuddhismSankt Joseph – Klærkesalen, Gri� -enfeldsgade 44, Cph N; free adm, register at http://talksonmodern-buddhism.org/copenhagenGen-la Kelsang Dekyong, the spiritual head of the New Kad-ampa Tradition, a global Bud-dhist organisation, will give a free talk on modern Buddhism in her � rst visit to Denmark. � e event will feature a guided meditation and will be held en-tirely in English.

JESSICA HANLEY

DAVE SMITH

OLA PUKKI, the head of studies at the Copenha-gen School of Design and

Technology (KEA), has predicted that teams taking part in a newly-launched case competition will have an advantage if they include international students.

� e case competition, which was o� cially launched last week on Friday by KEA and the Co-penhagen Cooperative Bank (Københavns Andelskasse), will see teams of students competing to create the best sales campaign for the bank.

“If the groups consist of both international and Danish

students, it will be a huge advan-tage,” contends Ola Pukki, the head of studies at KEA.

“International students will probably have a very di� erent approach to sales campaign than what we are used to in Den-mark, so their ideas will be fresh and new. Danish students have a good understanding of the Danish culture and can adapt the fresh ideas into a practical plan. In fact, the international students and Danish students will be quite dependant on each other in this competition.”

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

International bright young things

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

dents,” she said. “� is one is for all students with good ideas and the ability to make a solid plan. It’s not an academic assignment.”

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

“We have many ideas for di� erent case competitions. Our many teachers at the bank can help the school create an interest-ing and creative competition, and the bank is very willing to spon-sor with student-friendly prizes.”

� e case competition mentioned in this article is only for KEA students. Should your school be interested in running a case competition, contact Xinxin Gudbjörnsson at xg@kbh-andelskasse.dk.

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

T HIS TIME LAST year, the � ight � nder search engine Momondo was just another regular

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

“We would have loved to hire a foreign online marketing manager before,” the company’s international marketing manag-er, Kasper Hove, revealed. “But we thought it was impossible to � nd such a quali� ed specialist here in Copenhagen.”

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

Orzan’s Romanian herit-age paid immediate dividends. After just three months in the

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

“� is was due only to the fact that we had a Romanian-speaking person in our team in Copenhagen,” said Hove.

Armed with this resolve, Momondo, which has a presence in 25 foreign markets, decided to hire ten more international experts. � ey have been surpris-ingly easy to � nd.

“Before we hired Iuliana, we thought that to � nd the right

The trailblazer who helped the � ight � nder reach for the skyHow a language school’s jobs guide helped an international internet � rm to realise that hiring foreigners is the best way forward

ROUMIANA STEFANOVA

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

candidate, who also knows the foreign market and speaks for-eign languages, you should go to London, because you could not � nd people like this here in Co-penhagen,” said Hove.

“We thought the recruit-ment process would take a lot of time and money. But we now know that there are many for-eign candidates with very strong academic and professional back-grounds here in Copenhagen. We simply did not know how to � nd them.”

As well as using Jobpakken,

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

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

“While there is so much tal-

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

ent at online businesses in Den-mark and a willingness to ex-pand into new markets, the big problem is doing it and doing it in the right way,” he said.

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

way to start, but if you want to grow, then you need somebody with a local presence. It is about having the full package: adver-tising correctly, using the right promotional channels, knowing the local publishers and run-ning successfully social media. How can you do this, if you don’t have a person speaking the local language?”

Orzan is happy to have made a di� erence. Finding work at Momondo was the culmina-tion of a long arduous journey that began 18 months ago with her sending numerous applica-tions to mostly large companies – to no avail.

“I eventually came to the

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

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

Cordes was happy to oblige with the second part of the equa-tion, and he arranged an inter-view with Momondo and the rest is history.

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

� e Copenhagen Language Center runs regular Career Evenings, for both its students and international seeking work in Denmark, where they can � nd out more about its job � nders’ scheme, Jobpakken. � e next evening is at Flæsketor-vet 60 on April 24 at 17:00. Find out more at www.facebook.com/CareerEvenings and www.kbh-sprogcenter.dk/danish_and_work

14 1 - 7 March 2013The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dkSportS

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

JeSS THOrup, the current coach of Superliga Club esbjerg fB, which he guided to promo-tion last year after just one sea-son in charge, has announced his decision to quit at the end of the season to replace Morten Wieg-horst as manager of the under-21s. The 43-year-old, who will assume the reins in June, played club football in Germany, Aus-tria and norway, but never won a national call-up.

THere WAS disappointment for Olympic omnium champion Lasse norman Hansen in the Track Cycling World Champi-onships in Belarus on Saturday. Heading into the second day, Hansen trailed the Australian de-fending champion Glenn O’Shea by three points, but despite over-hauling him on Saturday, he was passed by another Antipodean, new Zealand’s Aaron Gate, who won two of the three events to

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

THOrBJørn Olesen failed to deliver on recent form, bow-ing out of the World Match play Championship in the sec-ond round in Arizona. A day after seeing off Jamie Donaldsen 3&2, he lost by the same mar-gin to South Africa’s Tim Clark. Thomas Bjørn, meanwhile, who like Olesen qualified courtesy of being one of the world’s top 64 golfers, lost 3&2 to Sweden’s peter Hanson in the first round.

CArOLIne Wozniacki has a new fan: Argentine football legend Diego Maradona. The unlikely pair caught up at the Dubai Duty free Champion-ships, which the Dane bowed out of in the semi-finals, los-ing to petra Kvitova, her fifth loss in eight against the Czech. “She came to me to say hello,” Maradona told Sport 360. “But actually it was me who wanted to come and say hello to her.”

Jannik’s jab punishedHardly a step-up for Thorup Is defeat in omnium an ominous sign?Arizona dream quashed Date with Diego in Dubai

SporTS newS In brIef

S unDAy WAS a spe-cial night all round for Michael Laudrup and Swansea City after they

romped to a 5-0 victory over Bradford City in the Capital One League Cup final, secur-ing the first major trophy of their 100-year existence.

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

Bradford’s goalkeeper, Matt Duke, was then sent off for foul-ing Jonathan De Guzman, who proceeded to score with the re-sulting penalty, much to the con-sternation of an angry Dyer who had hoped to secure his hat-trick. A graceful Laudrup took the blame for the mix-up that ensued following the awarding of what was, quite amazingly, Swansea’s first penalty of the season.

By then the party had already

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

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

for Laudrup, though, it was his greatest managerial triumph to date. In less than one magical sea-son in south Wales, he has man-aged to bring silverware to Swan-sea and accolades onto himself.

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

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

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

The League Cup triumph is the first time that Laudrup has won any sort of silverware outside Denmark as a manager. He won the Superliga once and the Danish Cup twice during his stint with Brøndby between 2002 and 2006. He did come close in 2008 with Getafe in Spain, but lost the Cope del rey final to Valencia.

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

According to a recent poll in Spanish sports newspaper AS, Laudrup is the real Ma-drid fans’ favourite to replace Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu. Of 40,000 voters, 78 percent wanted Laudrup ahead of other names such as rafael Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti.

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

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

“I’ll cope with it, and I’ll proba-bly have a lot of questions about this – probably every Thursday when I have a press conference – until the end of the season. But that’s a part of it. I’ve said I’d like to stay here, but again, even if you have a 10-year deal, there will always be rumours.

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

Christian Wenande

big-match experiences at Wem-bley stadium.

As a legendary player, La-udrup took part in two important matches at Wembley – well, actu-ally the old Wembley, but close enough – and won them both.

first he helped secure Den-mark’s first participation at a ma-jor football tournament (euro 1984) when he was in the team that beat england 1-0 at Wemb-ley thanks to an Allan Simonsen penalty. The second match was

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

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

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

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in 1992 when he and his Barce-lona teammates beat Sampdoria 1-0 in the european Cup final after a ronald Koeman free-kick in extra time.

Legends of the game like Hristo Stoichkov, raul, ro-mario, Andrés Iniesta and franz Beckenbauer have all called La-udrup the best player of his time. The cup win with Swansea could be his first real step towards be-coming a legendary manager as well. He already is in Swansea.

151 - 7 March 2013 The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dk Business

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BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

• official media partner

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

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

It’s about daring...Stine Bosse, has a Master of Law from the University of Copenhagen and before being appointed to Group CEO of TrygVesta A/S in 2001, she held various positions in Tryg which provided her with a unique, thorough and hands-on understanding of the day-to-day operations. She is widely known in the public for her direct and no-nonsense communication and is enthusiastically engaged in the societal debate for a better and safer world. She is a role model for many aspiring young people as the highest ranking female CEO in Denmark and was appointed the 22nd most influential business woman in the world in 2009 and 2010 by the Financial Times. Stine Bosse serves as chairman of Flügger Denmark, The Royal Danish Theatre, CONCITO, Børnefonden, and Copenhagen Art Festival. She is Danish member of ChildFund Alliance, and sits on the board of among others Nordea Bank A/S, TDC, Allianz and Aker ASA. Additionally, Stine Bosse is the former chairman of the supervisory board of the Danish Insurance Association (Forsikring & Pension), and former board member of Grundfos and Amlin plc. In the Spring 2010, Stine Bosse was appointed Advocate for the Millenium Development Goals by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to fight world hunger and poverty.Stine will talk about the essence of her book “Det handler om at turde”.

Programme: • 11.45: Registration and welcome drinks • 12.00: Welcome and introduction by Mariano A. Davies,

President, BCCD • 12.10: Guest speaker - Stine Bosse• 12.40: Questions and discussion • 12.55: Announcements by Penny Schmith, Executive Director,

BCCD • 13.00: Buffet lunch and networking

Date: Friday, 22 March 2013Venue: Conference Suite on 1st floorRadisson Blu Royal HotelHammerichsgade 1Copenhagen K

Sell 5.55 5.32 7.36 0.05 0.17 0.85 5.95 8.34 5.50

Buy 6.06 5.71 7.59 0.06 0.19 0.89 6.15 8.68 5.76

AustralianDollarsAUD

CanadaDollarsCAD

EuroEUR

JapanYenJPY

RussiaRublesRUB

SwedenKronor

SEK

SwitzerlandFrancsCHF

UKPoundsGBP

United StatesDollarsUSD

Exchange Rates

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency Date: 27 February 2013

The toy giant Lego re-leased its 2012 annual report last week, which re-

vealed that revenues rose for the fifth consecutive year.

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

The toymaker also saw its operating profit increase by 40 percent and its operating mar-gin increase by four percent. Its net profit for 2012 was 5.6 billion kroner, an improvement on 2011’s profit of 4.2 billion kroner.

“It is a highly satisfactory re-sult and better than we expected at the beginning of the year,” Jør-gen Vig Knudstorp, the Ceo of Lego Group, said in a statement. “This is due, first and foremost, to the fact that we were able to develop and launch products that children all over the world have put at the top of their wish lists in 2012.”

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

The line of toys, which is

aimed at young girls, came un-der criticism upon its release for encouraging gender stereotypes. Several online petitions popped up against the line, including one on the popular site Change.org that criticised the company for giving the toys sexist activi-ties including “lounging at the beach, brushing their hair in front of a vanity mirror, or shop-ping with their girlfriends”.

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

Lego’s chief marketing of-ficer, Mads Nipper, said that the company released the Friends

Pink is the colour of success for Lego

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

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

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

overall, the lines of toys that were most successful for the company were Lego Star Wars and Lego City, followed closely by Lego Ninjago.

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

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

Justin Cremer

A DeaL struck in 2003 between the Danish gov-ernment and oil compa-nies including Maersk

will not be altered for another 30 years despite the government’s previous calls to re-examine the arrangement.

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

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

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

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

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

“We have agreed to waive a corporate tax cut this time around,” Maersk oil Ceo Ja-kob Bo Thomason told Børsen financial daily. “But it is im-portant to emphasise that a tax burden on the North Sea has a direct impact on investment and activity maintenance.”

PM helle Thorning-Schmidt (Socialdemokraterne) insisted that the government “considered the background to the agreed economic condi-tions in the North Sea agree-ment to be balanced and sus-tainable” during the unveiling of the government’s growth plan on tuesday. Magnus heu-nicke, a spokesperson for Social-demokraterne, tweeted his satis-faction about the outcome.

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

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

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

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

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

Maersk’s oil deal to remain untouched until 2043

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

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ShIPPING and gas giant aP Moller-Maersk released its annual report last week,

revealing a pre-tax profit of 42.5 billion kroner for 2012, which represents a 16 percent decrease on the previous year. overall rev-enue, however, came in at 23.4 billion kroner, a 29 percent in-crease on 2011.

Nils andersen, the Ceo of Maersk Group, expressed sat-isfaction with the results, high-lighting the performance of its shipping business.

“after a difficult start, Mae-

Slow growth for Maersk, but hiring on the wayrsk Line improved its perfor-mance and the group achieved a result above last year’s, both in terms of net result and in under-lying performance,” andersen said in a press statement.

according to the company, higher freight rates and cost cut-ting measures were the primary reasons for the improvement.

In a press conference fol-lowing the annual report’s re-lease, andersen told reporters that Maersk expected to acquire four new triple e mega-ships, the largest in the shipping

branch, in 2013.The company also said it

would hire thousands of new em-ployees this year. Maersk Drill-ing, one of the company’s units, expects to hire 1,300 people this year as part of a plan to add 3,000 new workers by 2018.

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

BJarke smith-meyer

DuC will get complete support from the government in the north sea, but will in turn not receive any tax breaks

16 1 - 7 March 2013THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DKEMPLOYMENT

SPOUSE: Ylenia Fiorini FROM: ItalySEEKING WORK IN: CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: Post Graduate Master’s Degree in Peace Studies, Development Cooperation, International Mediation and Con� ict resolutionEXPERIENCE: I have ten years experience as social worker in Italy,and experience in various � elds, in the social and third sector and I feel that my educational background combined with my campaign assistant practice in the Ngo Burma Campaign, in Barcelona, has been an excellent preparation. In the same way also my job experiences in the social � eld made me open to di� erent situations and to see them as a source of knowledge.LOOKING FOR: Entry Level jobs in the third sector � eld, in international organization or NGO’sLANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian Mother tongue, � uent in Spanish, English, French, Swedish (basic)IT EXPERIENCE: Ms O� ce (Mac,Windows)CONTACT: ylenia� orini@yahoo.it

SPOUSE: Jik Boom FROM: The NetherlandsSEEKING WORK IN: CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: TeacherEXPERIENCE: CELTA (Cambridge Certi� cate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)see also Linkedin pro� le http://dk.linkedin.com/in/jikboom)LOOKING FOR: Work in the area of teaching (English), proofreading (English) and translation (English/Dutch - Dutch/English)LANGUAGE SKILLS: Dutch, English, French, German, DanishIT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce (Powerpoint, Word, Excel)CONTACT: jikboom@yahoo.com, Tel: +45 4212 9175

SPOUSE: Sucharita Reddy FROM: IndiaSEEKING WORK IN: Anywhere in DenmarkQUALIFICATION: Bachelor in Technology (Electrical Engineering)EXPERIENCE: 4+ years of professional experience in SAP ABAP & OO-ABAP programming for Material Management(MM), Plant Maintenance(PM), Document Management and Record Management System(DM/RM), Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), Sales and Distribution(SD) and Finance (FI) modules.LOOKING FOR: Job opportunities in IT (technical or Functional),Consulting,Management or Business Field.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Pro� cient in English & Hindi. Danish(learning Intensive course)IT EXPERIENCE: SAP ABAP/4 technical skills include ABAP Programs (Dialog Programming, Standard and Interactive Reports), ALV Reporting, Smartforms, User Exit and Field Exit Development, Interfacing Data with external systems, Data conversions, Programming using BDC, ABAP/4 Workbench, Data Dictionary, Batch Job management, Work� ows, Adobe Forms, Webdynpro, ABAP ObjectsCONTACT: sucharita17.reddy@gmail.com, Tel: +45 527 1184.

SPOUSE: Jennifer Bouma FROM: The NetherlandsSEEKING WORK IN: Egedal Kommune, Copenhagen 30 km.QUALIFICATION: Managers Secretary, hands on, reliable, structured, self reliant, social, team player).LOOKING FOR: Secretary job.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Dutch, Danish, English, German, French, Italian.IT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce ( Word, Excel), Outlook, SAP.CONTACT: jenniferbouma@ hotmail.com

SPOUSE: Anisha Kanjhlia FROM: IndiaSEEKING WORK IN: Arhus in Teaching/Training/Administration/Media/Public RelationsQUALIFICATION: Post Graduate in Advertising & Communication.EXPERIENCE: 6+ years of professional experience in Training, Customer Service, Promotions, Brand Marketing, Content Analysis and Team Management. Strong experience in planning and executing initiatives. Extensive training experience and in� uencing skills that will assist me in building a high potential, motivated and an e� ective 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. Pro� cient in analysing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision making and formulating training strategies.LOOKING FOR: Part time or full time in Aarhus.IT EXPERIENCE: Comfortable with all the basic computer knowledge like Excel, Word, Power Point, Internet browsing.CONTACT: anisha.feb@redi� mail.com, Tel: +45 2230 5837

SPOUSE: Debjani Nandy Biswas FROM: IndiaSEEKING WORK IN: Would like to join in kindergarten, School teacher in English, o� cial work in English.QUALIFICATION: B.A., M.A in English literature and language (American, European and Indian). EXPERIENCE: Temporary school teacher in Bongaon, India and involved in social work (handicapped society).LOOKING FOR: A possibility in getting practical experiences in kindergarten or any international school, o� cial work (administration) in English, voluntary work also.LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, little Danish (currently learning).IT EXPERIENCE: Diploma in basic computer applications.CONTACT: debjaninb@gmail.com, Tel: +45 5021 9942. SPOUSE: Ra� aele Menafra FROM: Italy

SEEKING WORK IN: CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: A degree as Prevention techniques in Work and Workplaces.EXPERIENCE: I worked 4 years in a rehabilitation clinic.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian (native), English, Danish (currently learning).IT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce.CONTACT: menafra1@yahoo.it

SPOUSE: S.M. Ariful Islam FROM: BangladeshSEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: PhD student (2nd year) in Language Policy and Practice in Aalborg University, MA in Bilingualism, MA in English Linguistics, BA in English.EXPERIENCE: 18 months as a University lecturer in English in Bangladesh. Taught advanced grammar, four skills (listening, speaking, reading & writing), ELT courses, Second Language theories, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics.LOOKING FOR: A position of English teacher/lecturer in English Medium Schools, Colleges and Universities.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Bengali (mother tongue), English (second language), Danish (� uent) Danske Uddannelse PD3, Hindi and Urdu (Spoken) and Swedish (basic).IT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce.CONTACT: ariful@id.aau.dk, arif401@yahoo.com, Tel: +45 4277 8296

SPOUSE: Chiara Rodighiero FROM: Siena, ItalySEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen or nearby areas, Greater CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: Ph.D. in Microbiology (Univeristy of Bristol, UK), Laurea (Degree) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (University of Padova, Italy), Project Manager Professional Certi� cation (George Washington University, School of Business).EXPERIENCE: 5 years as Senior Project Manager for Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. Responsibility for managing multiple global projects at various stages of Research and Development. Experience coordinating activities within cross-functional teams and ensuring that internal research activities are fully aligned with project goals. Experience also includes managing a team of scientists, controlling research budgets and resource allocation. Also have experience working for Biotech (in United Kingdom) and academia (Harvard Medical School).LOOKING FOR: Full time position in the Pharma/Biotech Industry in Research, Project Management or related � elds suiting my quali� cations and experience.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian mother tongue , very good command of English and a working knowledge of French. IT EXPERIENCE: Microsoft O� ce package. Excellent command of internet and ability to � nd information on the web. Excellent command of word-processor and spreadsheet applications. CONTACT: chiararodighiero@hotmail.com, Tel +39 348 790 7554

SPOUSE: Lynn Kim FROM: South KoreaSEEKING WORK IN: CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Science in Oceanography, Inha University, Incheon, Korea 2008. Studied Chinese in Yentai, Yentai University, Shandong, China Fall 2006. Complete a course in Korean Language Teacher’s training, 2012EXPERIENCE: Korea Coast Guard, Donghae; Pyongtaek, Police constable. Yeonsu Private Institute, Incheon, Teacher in Elementary, Middle School, and High School students in English. The Hankyoreh Newspaper Company, Seoul, Editorial bureau assistant. Weather and funeral column writing, Provide administrative support to the city desk. Inha University Newspaper, Incheon, Photo JournalistLOOKING FOR: Korean tutor as a part time job.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in English, intermediate Mandarin, Mongolian language, I’m learning Danish on Youtube.IT EXPERIENCE: MS o� ce tools(excel,powerpoint,word)CONTACT: amorphophallus@jinbo.net

SPOUSE: Momina Bashir Awan FROM: PakistanSEEKING WORK IN: All of DenmarkQUALIFICATION: MBA (Degrees Assessed by Danish Agency for International Education).EXPERIENCE: 4 years of wide experience as Human Resources Analyst in a USA based Pakistani.Organization. Involved in Recruitment of IT personnel for outsourcing, Compensation and bene� ts planning, Wage analysis, Conduct Training and Development Seminars and Team building. One year of Experience in Telesales of Citibank NA., 6 months of experience in Customer Services in Telecom sector.LOOKING FOR: Jobs in HR and Customer ServicesLANGUAGE SKILLS: English [Fluent], Urdu [Mother tongue], Hindi [Fluent], Danish [Beginner’s Level].CONTACT: mominabashir@msn.com, Tel: +45 7135 2387

SPOUSE: Heike Mehlhase FROM: Berlin, Tyskland SEEKING WORK IN: A job opportunity in Copenhagen (administrative position, research assistant or psychosocial care).QUALIFICATION: MPH, Master degree in Psychology, Lerntherapeutin.EXPERIENCE: Five years experience in psychological research and child psychology.LOOKING FOR: A position to expand my experience where I can use my excellent organisational, social and communication skills.LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English (� uent), Danish (Module 2).IT EXPERIENCE: I am pro� cient in software such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software and basic graphic editing programs (Microsoft O� ce, Open O� ce) plus statistical software (SPSS).CONTACT: heike@mehlhase.info

SPOUSE: Kamali Ganesan FROM: IndiaSEEKING WORK IN: Jylland, DenmarkQUALIFICATION: IT engineer.EXPERIENCE: IT Supporter,LEGO systems.LOOKING FOR: IT and Multimedia jobs.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Tamil, English and Danish.IT EXPERIENCE: 3 Years in LEGO systems.CONTACT: anbukamali@gmail.com

SPOUSE: Geet Shro� FROM: Bangalore, IndiaSEEKING WORK IN: Midtjylland/OdenseQUALIFICATION: Bachelor’s degree in Communicative English from Bangalore University, India.EXPERIENCE: 10 years of varied experience. Latest position held was that of a Communication Coordinator at BESTSELLER, Denmark. Prior positions held include that of a Senior Copy Writer, Assistant Manager – Marketing Communications, all in India. Through these years, I have developed content, handled complete marketing communications, organized numerous corporate (internal & external customer), private and institutional events and also handled special projects that have included training & internal communication campaigns.LOOKING FOR: A job in the � eld of Communication (open to internal, external, marketing or corporate) or that of a Copy Writer. Also open to a position at an event management company.LANGUAGE SKILLS: English, Danish (Beginner).IT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce, Adobe In Design CS3 (Basic).CONTACT: geet_shro� @yahoo.co.in, Tel: +45 5083 4024

SPOUSE: Clotilde IMBERT FROM: FranceSEEKING WORK IN: Greater CopenhagenQuali� cation: Master of town planning and development and master of urban geography (Paris IV-Sorbonne)EXPERIENCE: 5 years in � eld of town planning and development: Coordinator in urban project in a semi-public company: supervised a major urban project in Paris area (coordination of studies, acquisition of lands, worked with Planning Development of the Town Council, architects, developers to de� ne the master plan and implement the project); O� cer in research and consultancy � rm (urban diagnosis, environmental impact assessments, inhabitants consultation).LOOKING FOR: A job in urban project � eld: planning department of Town Council or consultancy � rm in town planning, environment and sustainable development, architecture � rm, real estate development company.LANGUAGE SKILLS: French (mother tongue), English (professional usage), Spanish (basic), Danish(In progress).IT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce, Abode Illustrator, AutoCad (basic), PC and Mac.CONTACT: clotilde.imbert@gmail.com

SPOUSE: Erik Metzger FROM: San Francisco, CA USASEEKING WORK IN: Drug & Alcohol CounsellingQUALIFICATION: Masters degree in addiction counselling from Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies; Currently preparing for the IC&RC counselling exam.EXPERIENCE: Drug & Alcohol Counsellor; Masters in Addiction Counselling from Hazelden Graduate School in Minnesota, USA, August 2012. Ten years of active work in various 12-step programs. I can meet with you and/or your family to develop a custom recovery plan; all ages welcome. Registered Yoga Teacher through: www.yogaalliance.org since July, 2010. I can supply yoga mats and supports; my apartment or yours! Teacher of business English with training from Berlitz, Virksomhedsskolen and Denmark’s Library School (Cand.scient.bibl., 2007). *All diploma’s and certi� cations available upon requestLOOKING FOR: Part/Full/Freelance/Volunteer work at treatment center and/or outpatient clinic.LANGUAGE SKILLS: English: Native; Danish: Fluent verbal skills and intermediate reading and writing.IT EXPERIENCE: PC and Mac – trained in many software packages and databases.CONTACT: erikmetz@gmail.com

SPOUSE: Debasmita Ghosh FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmachemistry specialization). EXPERIENCE: 4 years in Clinical Research (Pharmacovigilance/Safety and Medical Coding) in a leading CRO (Quintiles) and 6 months experience as a lecturer for bachelor degree students in Pharmacy College.LOOKING FOR: Job in pharmaceutical industry, CRO or any vocation suitable per quali� cation and experience.LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (� uent written and spoken), enrolled for Danish language classes, Indian Languages (Hindi, Bengali, Kannada).IT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce Applications i:e Microsoft o� ce word, excel, outlook, power point and tools, lotus notes, medical and drug softwares like micromedex and ISIS draw. CDM systems like ds Navigator-Medical coding tool and AERS database.CONTACT: ghoshdebasmita@gmail.com, Tel: +45 7148 8438

SPOUSE: Lillian Liu FROM: TaiwanSEEKING WORK IN: Marketing/Public Relations.QUALIFICATION: Bachelor of Foreign Language and Literature (Major in English, and minor in French)EXPERIENCE: 5+ years of professional experiences in Marketing and PR. I am a dynamic and creative marketing communications talent with substantial international working experience in large corporation and in agencies, possessing Integrated Marketing Communication ability. Pro� cient in analysing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision-making and formulating marketing communication strategies. Familiar with brand image build-up, channel marketing, media communication, issue management, etc. Possess in-depth understanding/knowledge of APAC market and Chinese culture.LOOKING FOR: Marketing jobs in Jylland.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Mandarin Chinese, English, Danish, French.IT EXPERIENCE: Familiar with Windows O/S and MS O� ce.CONTACT: sugarex@hotmail.com

SPOUSE: Simon Rigby FROM: United Kingdom (originally Scotland)SEEKING WORK IN: Jylland, Fyn or Sjælland (anywhere in Denmark).QUALIFICATION: Secondary High School - 8 ‘Ordinary’ levels & 3 ‘Advanced’ levels achieved.EXPERIENCE: Business Development, Sales & Marketing and Client Relationship Management specialist. 15+ years experience in securing ‘insurance and lifestyle bene� ts’ contracts with high volume and high consumer numbers within the A� nity Group Marketing sector from a wide variety of distribution channels including banks, � nancial institutions, large membership a� nity groups and employers, credit card issuers and insurers. Highly accomplished and skilled at ‘low cost, high perceived value’ large scale marketing to B2B and B2C target audiences through both on-line and other direct marketing channels. Entire career spent in the banking, � nance and insurance sectors the latter of which I have spent in the UK employment of 3 of the top 4 global insurance brokers. A team player and a ‘people person’ with the skills and abilities to easily and comfortably interact with individuals at all levels. Natural problem solver who sees opportunities rather than obstacles. Simplistic and structured approach to � nding straightforward and practical solutions to problems.LOOKING FOR: A job within an organisation (� nancial services or otherwise) where my Sales & Marketing and Key Account managerial skills and experience are fully utilised and where I can provide a sustainable and tangible long term contribution to my new employer as well as to my new country within which I have chosen to permanently live.LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (mother tongue); German (very good); French (good); Danish (basic, but currently enrolled on a ‘Danskuddannelse 3’ language course). IT EXPERIENCE: Word - Advanced user. Powerpoint - Pro� cient user. Excel - Basic. CONTACT: simon040561@hotmail.co.uk, Tel: +45 6016 8040.

SPOUSE: Malgorzata Tujakowska FROM: Poland SEEKING WORK IN: Aarhus and the surrounding areaQUALIFICATION: Masters in Ethnolinguistics with major in Chinese and English, Chinese HSK and Business Chinese Test certi� cates, 2-year long studies at Shanghai International Studies University and National Cheng Kung University,Taiwan.LOOKING FOR: Working for companies hiring Polish and Chinese employees, teaching Chinese, Polish, Business English, linguistics, translation and interpretation, proofreading, Chinese business and culture consulting, administrative work.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Polish (native speaker), Chinese – simpli� ed and traditional (� uent), English (� uent), German(intermediate), Danish (intermediate-currently learning).IT EXPERIENCE: MS O� ce.CONTACT: m.tujakowska@gmail.com, Tel: +45 2870 2377

PARTNERS: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 pro� le to The Copenhagen Post at aviaja@cphpost.dk and we will post your pro� le on the spouse job page when possible. Remember to get it removed in case of new job.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

SPOUSE: Tanzeel ur Rehman FROM: PakistanSEEKING WORK IN: Greater CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: Ms in Business administration from SwedenEXPERIENCE: 4+ years of experience as Customer Management and Pro� le Keeping in Telecom sector in Denmark. Implemented and follow Business Ethics in all the Marketing, promotional and branding activities throughout all the Denmark. Organized events for di� erent communities for 50-500 people. Worked in Banking sector as Business development Executive. LOOKING FOR: Full time or part time jobLANGUAGE SKILLS: English (� uent), Urdu(native), Punjabi (mother language), Danish (intermediate- currently learning)IT-EXPERIENCE: Bachelors in Computer ScienceCONTACT: EMAIL: tanzeel.lyca@gmail.com, Tel: +45 4223 8800

SPOUSE: Silvia Figueira FROM: PortugalSEEKING WORK IN: CopenhagenQUALIFICATION: Landscape Architect Degree at Lisbon Technical UniversityEXPERIENCE: 14+ years of professional experience in planning and developing Land Use, Urban Planning, and Landscaping projects, that include development of master plans, urban design/renewal, retail areas, leisure areas, schools, residential complexes and private housing. Experience in garden construction consultancy and maintenance schedules.LOOKING FOR: Part/Full/Freelance work as a Landscape Architect at Architecture/or Landscape o� ces.LANGUAGE SKILLS: Portuguese mother tongue. Fluent in English and Spanish. Basic knowledge of French. Starting Danish course.IT EXPERIENCE: Pro� cient in the use of AutoCAD and MS O� ce. Trained in Adobe Illustrator/ Photoshop and ArcGIS.CONTACT: silviam� gueira@gmail.com, Tel: +45 2237 4427

171 - 7 March 2013 THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK EMPLOYMENT

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Key Account Manager(maternity cover)

Page 10

Cheering a Muslim as we do a Murderer!

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Copenhagen Renaissance Music Festival Special advertising section INSIDE!

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COPENHAGEN RENAISSANCE

7 - 20 NOVEMBER 2011MUSIC FESTIVAL

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FROM SCHÜTZ TO GEISTEarly German Baroque Music 1600-1700In commemoration of Christian Geist (c.1650-1711)

SPORT

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

14

NEWS

Dane unable to obtain family reunifi cation for his � ai girlfriend says residency rules are a Catch-22

6

Exploiting ‘fat tax’

NEWS | 3

Supermarkets are scammingtheir customers under the guise of the new national ‘fat tax’

Warrior Jesus

HISTORY | 19

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

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Discovering Israel: Inside the Holy LandSpecial advertising section INSIDE!

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ILLUST

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C AN YOU HAVE your cake and eat it too? Conventional wisdom says no, but with their � rst budg-et plan since the shift of power,

the new Socialdemokraterne-Radikale-Socialistisk Folkeparti (SRSF) coalition appear to be giving it a shot.

Many of the elements of the new budget – which is expected to be re-leased in its entirety on � ursday – will increase state spending at a time when the budget de� cit has increased. But where the money would come from re-mained a mystery.

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

vious Venstre-Konservative (VK) govern-ment. Here are a few of the major points:

Families: VK limited the state’s monthly child support handouts (bør-necheck) to 35,000 kroner per fam-ily. � at limit has now been abolished, meaning that many families will get larger child bene� ts. � e government will also pay for fertility treatments and voluntary sterilisations.

Welfare: VK and Dansk Folkeparti (DF) introduced specialised welfare pro-grammes that reduced the cash bene� ts for new immigrants. � ose programmes have now been eliminated and going forward all residents in need of state support will receive the same welfare bene� ts.

Higher education and research: Universities will get an extra one billion kroner over two years to cover costs as-sociated with a predicted increase in

the number of students. Moreover, stu-dents will no longer pay administrative fees, and prospective Master’s students will have prerequisite course tuitions paid. � e government will also fund 1,500 more state-supported internship positions.

Infrastructure and job creation: Some 17.5 billion kroner will be in-vested over two years in infrastructure projects, such as a new rail line between Copenhagen and Ringsted, a project to widen the Holbæk motorway, erosion protection e� orts along Jutland’s west coast, and renovations to public hous-ing. Prime minister Helle � orning-Schmidt has said that these ‘kickstart’ projects will create 20,000 new jobs from 2012-2013. � e Danish Construc-tion Association predicts 10,000.

Tax break: � e unpopular ‘mul-timedia tax’ introduced by VK will be

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

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

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

A new budget to ‘kickstart’ the economySRSF’s � rst budget will spend 17.5 billion kroner on infrastructure and abolish previous taxes and restrictions

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FULL TIME MBA - INFORMATION MEETING

The one-year general management full-time MBA at CBS focuses on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Practical Business Skills.E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022 to sign up for the meeting.

Join Scandinavia’s most internationally diverse programThursday 17th November 17:30-19:00

Copenhagen Business SchoolPorcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksbergwww.cbs.dk/ftmba

The one-year general management full-time MBA at CBS focuses on leadership, entrepreneurship, and real-world experience. Organise a personal meeting and hear how the MBA can give your career a new dimension.

E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022 to organise a personal meeting.

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Free access to 65 museumsand attractions in the

entire metropolitan area

See more at copenhagencard.com

InOutThe CPH Post Entertainment Guide | 16 - 22 Sep

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BUSTER! THE CHILDREN’S MOVIE FEST IS HERE

page G9

KIDS ON FILM

COPENHAGENwww.copenhagenbluesfest iva l .dk

FESTIVALSEPT. 28 - OCT. 2 · 2011

BLUESS e e f u l l p r o g r a m m e : w w w . c o p e n h a g e n b l u e s f e s t i v a l . d k & w w w . k u l t u n a u t . d k

John Primer w. Nisse Thorbjorn Band [US/DK]Joe Louis Walker [US] | Holmes Brothers [US]

Mud Morganfield w. Peter Nande Band [US/DK]Louisiana Red & Paul Lamb [US/UK] | Janice

Harrington w. Kenn Lending Blues Band [US/DK]Keith Dunn Band [US/NL] | Johnny Max Band [CA]

Delta Blues Band | The Healers | Shades of BlueThorbjorn Risager | Troels Jensen | Alain ApalooH.P. Lange | Mike Andersen & Jens Kristian Dam

Tutweiler | Fried Okra Band | The Blues OverdriveBluesoul | Grahn & Malm | Ole Frimer | Paul Banks

Jacob Fischer Trio | Svante Sjöblom | Jes Holtsoe

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

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

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

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

We offer a flexible position and the opportunity to work according to your strengths. The position offers a monthly salary with commission and sales incentives.

For more information, please contact sales manager Mark Millen. Applications with CV should be sent to mark@cphpost.dk, writing Key Account Manager in the subject line.

Østerbro International School • Præstøgade 17 • 2100 Copenhagen Ø • Tel.: +45 70 20 63 68 • E-mail: info@oeis.dk

www.oEIS.dk

Østerbro International School is looking to employ a positive, energetic and well organised teacher to join our school to teach Language A English full time for the school year 2013-2014.

Østerbro International School was founded in 2009 by the initiative group to meet the needs of the International English-speaking community in Copenhagen. Østerbro International School is a IBMYP candidate school since May 2012.The role of the Language A English teacher would be to implement the programme, develop curricular and teach to the objectives of the subject. The position will require the candidate:

• To be a native of English with the relevant teaching qualifications and experience.• Knowledge of and a commitment to the educational philosophies of the• International Baccalaureate, specifically the Middle Years Programme• Teach 26 lessons, lasting 45 minutes per week.• Ability to plan, deliver and evaluate lessons which stimulate and motivate stu-

dents to learn• Grade, plan collaboratively, preparation of lessons.• Possibility of class teacher• Strong interpersonal skills• Understanding of and sensitivity to cultural variance

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

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

IB MYP TeACheR of englIsh(full TIMe, MATeRnITY CoVeR)

Biotech Job Vacancies

For more information, deadlines and other job vacancies visit our webpage www.cphpost.dk/jobvacancies

Novo Nordisk

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Organic Chemist

Regulatory Associate

Senior System Supporter

QA Chemist

Internal Control Advisor

Production Chemist

Associate Manager

VP cLEAN® Partner

Senior Test Engineer

CVP Assistant, Maternity Cover

Team Leader

Research Scientist

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Manager Epidemiology

Quality Data Analyst with a LEAN perspective

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Modelling Scientist

CDM Process Developer

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Director, Scientific Education

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Global Patient Solutions Manager – Psoriasis

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18 1 - 7 March 2013The Copenhagen posT CphposT.dkCulture

HHHHHH

Shakespeare’s Women

February 20 at Krudttønden

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

A comedian in politics – you’ve got to be kidding!No, and it’s been a laugh a min-ute since the start. It all began at the political group Sammenslut-ningen af Bevidst Arbejdssky Elementer (the confederation of intentionally work-shy ele-ments), which he helped found in 1979. The political group’s manifesto stated that everybody has the right to laziness, arguing that if work is healthy, why not give it to the sick? It predicted a future in which we would all be-come zombies feeding on work. Initially, it was incredibly popu-lar. But maybe this was due to the fact that everyone automati-cally became a member unless they clearly stated otherwise.

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

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

Now that’s funny! There’s room for humour in politics after all.That’s exactly what Haugaard said. And just in case they ever forget, his portrait oversees the goings-on of parliament to this day. According to the Chris-tiansborg comidian himself, it serves as a scary example that even foolish populists can end up in parliament.

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

Founded in 2004 as a one-off event, the festival has long been a creature of two parts, split into Puppet Junior for children and families, and the Copenha-gen Puppet Festival for adults. But while the junior version will continue to receive public finding, the adult festival won’t, starting with this year’s festival, which begins at selected venues in Copenhagen on Thursday and lasts until Sunday (see G8 in In-Out for more details).

Adult puppet theatre can often tell stories that other mediums cannot adequately cover, Leonardsen explained. He pointed to one of this year’s productions as an example: a piece entitled ‘Hooray for Hol-lywood’ set within the child pornography industry.

The main puppeteer, Raven Kaliana, was forced into pornog-raphy herself as a child and uses puppetry to communicate her own story in ‘Hooray for Hol-lywood’. The issues tackled in the production, Leonardsen rea-soned, would have been difficult to portray in another medium.

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

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

The once famed and wor-shipped Shakespeare only months earlier watched his career go down in flames, along with his beloved theatre. He now feels like one of the tragedies he was fa-mous for writing, tormented and bewildered, yet given the oppor-tunity to give life to an idea for a comedy, ‘The Jailer’s Daughter’. The story is brought to him by Fletcher, whom we never get to meet in person.

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

Jessica Hanley

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

T HE CIty’S puppets are no longer under the con-trol of the City Council.

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

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

“Now that we are a self-governing organisation, we have a greater opportunity for artistic freedoms,” explained Leonard-sen. “you can tell the stories that you really want to tell. There is also a greater freedom for spon-sorships and collaborations with private companies.”

Working as a separate organ-isation, he said, would allow the festival to focus more on com-plex themes and fully embrace its own identity.

“A lot of people misunder-stand the meaning of puppetry and assume that it’s all for chil-dren, that it isn’t grown up,”

It’S tHE opening night and the place is packed. Welcome drinks and laughter. The at-

mosphere is warm and friendly.Nurse Dugmore (Linda El-

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

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

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

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

IF ONLy tHE British newspa-per The Guardian chose who would win, then Denmark

would scoop the Oscar for best foreign language film every year.

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

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

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

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

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

Cutting its strings to tackle issues like child pornography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“As a part of the council, I always had in the back of my mind whether something we covered would be politically ap-proved,” Leonardsen went on. “I’d ask myself: ‘How will this look in the newspaper?’”

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

− like visions, speaking and sing-ing devotedly with glossy lips and goldilocks, to their creator to en-gage and inspire him in his deed.

Burns humbly takes owner-ship of the stage in his role as the darkened, tormented Shake-speare. He fills the role perfectly and so do his companions, the leading ladies. Elvira and Niels-en are clearly in their element, enjoying their multiple roles to the full.

They include Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Perdita (‘The Winter’s tale’), Ophelia, Cleopatra and towards the final part, Rosenk-rantz and Guildenstern (from ‘Hamlet’) wearing tricots that poke out revealingly. This is very funny: “Women are we my lord. But we appear to you in this mannish gear.”

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

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

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

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

“If we don’t find better funding in the next six months, there’s a possibility that we’ll have to shut down,” he said. “But if that does happen, we’ll know that Denmark wasn’t ready. This in itself is an experi-ment and quite a leap into the unknown.”

sigrid neergaard

191 - 7 March 2013 THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK DENMARK THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

MARK WALKER

How an apprentice greengrocer left his sprouts to bear fruit to this country’s � rst ever � lms

T HAT DENMARK is a cinema-producing coun-try of some standing is an undisputed fact. � anks

in large part to Lars von Trier, � omas Vinterberg and their clever branding of the Dogme movement, alongside the success of � lmmakers such as Billy Au-gust, Susanne Bier and Nicolas Winding Refn, the Danish foot-hold on the international stage is as strong as it has ever been − but where did it all begin? On the shoulders of which giants do today’s greatest Danes stand? � rough � e Looking Glass has previously explored the country’s golden age in silent cinema, in-cluding the global adoration of that period’s most beloved star, Valdemar Psilander, and the era that followed, featuring master � lmmaker Carl � eodor Dreyer and the ups and downs of Ole Oleson’s company Nordisk Film, which is, today, the world’s old-est � lm studio still in produc-tion. However, Denmark’s cine-matic roots go back even further than this.

Present at the birth

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

in Paris in December 1895 at the legendary � rst public screen-ing by the Lumière brothers at the Grand Café, where the pair unveiled ten � lms including the iconic ‘La Sortie des usines Lu-mière à Lyon’ (‘Workers Exiting � e Lumiére Factory in Lyon’). So taken with the screening was Peter Elfelt that he insisted on buying one of the Lumière cam-eras. � e brothers refused him, as they did the great Georges Méliès (who later made the iconic ‘Voyage to the Moon’ and is a character in the 2011 � lm ‘Hugo’), but the seed had been planted � rmly in the young Dane’s mind, and he returned to Denmark severely bitten by the cinema bug, determined to make the very � rst Danish � lm.

From radishes to the royals

BORN IN 1866 to a poor family in Helsingør, Elfelt was baptised Peter Lars Petersen. � e eldest of three brothers, he began an ap-prenticeship at the age of nine with a greengrocer in Hillerød, where his family had relocated

shortly after his birth. However, the hand of fate saw Elfelt, at the age of 13, swap his apprentice-ship to work under Karl Rath-sach, a photographer in the same town. � is led to contact with Jens Poul Anderson, a skilled craftsman and, crucially, a still-camera constructer. Once his apprenticeship was complete, Elfelt went to work as an assis-tant in Copenhagen for one of the leading photographers of the time, Johannes Petersen. From here, Elfelt began his own busi-ness venture with the Hillerød camera constructer Jens Poul Anderson. Anderson had devel-oped his own hand-made still-camera, the ‘Nellorødkamera’, and Elfelt began to distribute it.

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

photographer. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be this impressive acco-lade for which he would eventu-ally be best remembered ...

To the dogs … with success

BEFORE GAINING his royal post, Elfelt had attended the aforementioned Lumière screen-ings in Paris, and shortly after-wards, some short documentary � lms arrived on Danish shores from England, which were ex-hibited in June 1896. � ese were the � rst � lms to be seen in Denmark. By this time, Elfelt had returned from France to begin working diligently with his old friend Anderson on the construction of his own � lm camera. It was based on Jules Carpentier’s detailed designs for the manufacture of the Lumi-ere-invented camera he’d tried to purchase. In early 1897, he succeeded in making the his-tory books with the � rst Danish � lm, ‘Kørsel med Grønlandske Hunde’ (‘Travelling with Green-landic Dogs’). It’s a document-ing of a man called Johan Carl Joensen riding on a Greenlan-dic sledge with his dogs, barely one minute in length. Filmed in Fælledparken in Copenhagen, it’s a silent, one static shot or

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� e Lumiere brothers’ famous train: coming through a screen to you soon

Denmark’s � rst ever � lm: a white-knuckle ride ... through Fælledparken

A self-portrait of course

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

Posh frock docs

ELFELT MADE, over the next 15 years, more than 200 docu-mentary � lms of a similar nature. Elfelt travelled the country, pri-marily � lming royal occasions, but also everything from nurser-ies to funerals. � ese have come to be regarded as precious docu-ments of Danish life, many of which incredibly exist to this day, thanks to the e� orts of the Dan-ish Film Institute. Its Elfelt Col-lection holds more than 70 of his � lms, o� ering a unique view of life when the moving image was very much in its infancy.

Heritage of ‘� e Killing’

WRITING himself again into the history books, Elfelt was the � rst to make a Danish � c-tion � lm. Entitled ‘Henret-

telsen’ (‘Capital Execution’), the � lm used actors to portray the events of a real life case in which a French woman was executed for the murder of her own chil-dren. Elfelt was said to be dis-satis� ed with the � lm and pub-licly doubted his motivations for making the � lm, saying later that he had questioned the merit of his original idea. It’s unclear as to whether the � lm even received a public screening. Nevertheless, the following year, he went on to � lm the � rst Danish commercial − for Svendborg Brewery’s Bock Øl. And in 1901, he also opened one of the � rst cinemas, Kjøben-havns Kinoptikon, although it took � ve years before it became a � nancially viable undertaking.

Remembered today

REGARDLESS OF the reserva-tions he held about his � lm work and his relegation of it to second place under his ongoing still photography endeavours, Elfelt helped to popularise the moving image in Denmark immeasur-ably. He gave momentum to both an art form and a lucrative industry that thrives to this day, whilst allowing Denmark to lay claim to being one of the world’s � rst � lmmakers.

Illuminated by the Lumiéres, he lit up Denmark from his director’s chair

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