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KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in October 2021

The Local Denmark
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in October 2021
(ARKIV) En kortege af køreskolebiler kørte torsdag middag rundt i Aalborg-Nørresundby området. Formålet med demonstrationen var, ifølge Kørelærerforeningsformand Jens Madsen Aalborg, at gøre opmærksom på at der nu er flere ugers ventetid på at få eleverne til køreprøve den 5. juni 2008. Der er meget stor forskel på, hvor ofte køreprøvesagkyndige lader elever bestå - også inden for samme politikreds. Det skriver Ritzau, mandag den 4. marts 2019.. (Foto: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix)

Here's what changes in Denmark in October and how it could affect you.

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New parliamentary year: Budget and parental leave high on agenda

The new parliamentary year begins on October 1st, meaning Danish lawmakers resume voting on and discussing law proposals in parliament.

Parliament is traditionally opened with a speech given by the prime minister – somewhat comparable to a US State of the Union speech – in which the PM gives her or his assessment of the situation of the Scandinavian nation as the new political year begins.

The speech is usually attended by the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family, who watch from the Folketinget parliament’s Royal Box.

High on the agenda for politicians this autumn will be discussion of the budget proposal put forward by the government in late August. Following debates over the budget last month, a bill will be tabled this month to begin its passage through parliament. All bills must pass through the chamber three times before a final vote, according to Danish law.

The budget is usually finally passed at the beginning of December.

You can read more about the proposed budget for 2022 here.

Another issue set for discussion is reforms to parental leave rules, which could see more of the statutory parental leave tagged to individual parents, making it impossible for only one parent to take the vast majority of leave without any being forfeited.

The plan has elicited a divided response since its announcement last week, with backers saying they promote equality and critics saying they interfere with childcare decisions in the private sphere.

READ ALSO: Parental leave: How new agreement could change rules in Denmark

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Banks and lenders required to include a standardised summary in mortgage offers

The new summaries which lenders will be required to provide will include five key metrics which customers will be able to use as a basis for comparison.

The Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen), a government agency, said that the purpose of the new requirement is to make it easier for consumers to compare offers and thereby increase competition on the housing market.

READ ALSO: New Danish rules make it easier to compare mortgages

Price of driving test increases

The price for taking a driving test will increase as of October 1st, from the current 600 kroner to 800 kroner.

Last November, a directive restricting changes in fees related to traffic laws was lifted, enabling the hike to driving test fees now about to take effect.

No other driving licence-related fees will change, however. You can see a full list (including for replacing lost licences) on the Danish Road Traffic Authority website. The agency takes over responsibility for conducting driving tests from the police as of October 1st.

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HBO Max launches

If you want to avoid the autumn weather, you’re free to visit museums, cafes and bars across the country, given that all domestic coronavirus-related restrictions were lifted in September.

Alternatively, you could channel the lockdown spirit by staying in and watching content not previously available in Denmark.

Streaming service HBO Max will launch and replace the existing HBO Nordic platform. In addition, the whole WarnerMedia catalogue will be available on the platform, which launches on October 26th. 

Brits in Denmark born between 1985-1989 should apply for permanent residency 

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration has advised Brits living in Denmark who were born between 1985 and 1989 to send in their applications for post-Brexit permanent residency status during October.

The agency said in an open letter published in December that it wanted to stagger the applications to avoid a surge which would overwhelm its staff. However, the dates given were only a request and British residents who have applied ahead of the recommended time have had their applications handled as normal

You apply for residency at the New in Denmark page. 

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New rules for lawsuit court fees 

A law modernising the system used to determine fees charged by courts for lawsuits comes into effect on October 1st. The law, passed by parliament earlier this year, replaces existing legislation from 2019.

The new rules replace a percentage-based system with set fees. This means that court fees for civil cases of significant value is likely to decrease. The fee for filing a suit will be less, with the main part of the fee payable when the case is processed.

According to an explanation published by law firm Bech Bruun, law suits worth 7 million kroner will cost 1,500 kroner to file and 160,000 for the court process. The current system would cost 75,000 kroner for each of those stages.

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