Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday
Find out what's going on in Denmark today with The Local's short roundup of the news in less than five minutes.
50 million kroner in humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine
While Denmark is involved in ongoing EU, US and UK talks over sanctions against Russia, the Danish government has decided to send 50 million kroner in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, international development minister Flemming Møller Mortensen told news wire Ritzau this morning.
“We must help the Ukrainian people who may unfortunately soon be in a serious humanitarian situation as a result of the Russian invasion,” Mortensen said.
30 million kroner will help finance the UN’s humanitarian work in Ukraine while 20 million will go to the Red Cross.
Over 100,000 Ukrainians have already fled their homes since the Russian invasion began on Thursday morning, according to the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR.
READ ALSO:
- ‘I fear my family will be killed’: Ukrainians across Europe react to Russia’s invasion
- OPINION: This is Russia’s war, but we Europeans need to learn fast from our mistakes
- EXPLAINED: How Denmark could be impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Parliament votes to increase Danish military contribution to NATO
A government amendment increasing the Danish military contribution to NATO was last night voted through by parliament. Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod confirmed the motion had been passed.
Kofod thanked parliament for backing what he called a “strong, important signal” following Russia’s “cold-blooded attack on Ukraine”. All parties were in favour with the exception of the Red Green Alliance (Enhedslisten). The left-wing party said it wanted to avoid “a direct confrontation between Nato and Russia”.
The increased contribution means Denmark will provide more troops to Nato and send 20 F-16 fighter aircraft to Poland, broadcaster DR reports.
Some Danish nationals still trying to leave Ukraine
A number of Danish nationals are still trying to leave Ukraine, according to the foreign ministry.
It will now take some time to leave the country with airspace closed, an official from the ministry’s citizens’ service said at a briefing yesterday.
“There are huge queues out of the cities and at borders. So you need supplies for a long journey, fuel but also food and drink,” the department’s director, Erik Brøgger said.
Brøgger also urged Danes leaving the country to bring all relevant identification papers.
Denmark takes ‘far too long’ to approve qualifications of foreign medics
In a report issued earlier this week, the ombudsman’s office at the Danish parliament issued a report which concluded that authorities take too long to approve qualifications and authorise foreign medics who are applying to work in Denmark.
An investigation by the ombudsman said that the processing time for applications had increased from 10 months to as much as 3 years since 2018.
“That is far too long,” the ombudsman’s office said as the report was released.
We’ll have more detail on this in an article on our website today.
READ ALSO: Why does Denmark take so long to authorise foreign medical professionals?
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50 million kroner in humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine
While Denmark is involved in ongoing EU, US and UK talks over sanctions against Russia, the Danish government has decided to send 50 million kroner in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, international development minister Flemming Møller Mortensen told news wire Ritzau this morning.
“We must help the Ukrainian people who may unfortunately soon be in a serious humanitarian situation as a result of the Russian invasion,” Mortensen said.
30 million kroner will help finance the UN’s humanitarian work in Ukraine while 20 million will go to the Red Cross.
Over 100,000 Ukrainians have already fled their homes since the Russian invasion began on Thursday morning, according to the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR.
READ ALSO:
- ‘I fear my family will be killed’: Ukrainians across Europe react to Russia’s invasion
- OPINION: This is Russia’s war, but we Europeans need to learn fast from our mistakes
- EXPLAINED: How Denmark could be impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Parliament votes to increase Danish military contribution to NATO
A government amendment increasing the Danish military contribution to NATO was last night voted through by parliament. Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod confirmed the motion had been passed.
Kofod thanked parliament for backing what he called a “strong, important signal” following Russia’s “cold-blooded attack on Ukraine”. All parties were in favour with the exception of the Red Green Alliance (Enhedslisten). The left-wing party said it wanted to avoid “a direct confrontation between Nato and Russia”.
The increased contribution means Denmark will provide more troops to Nato and send 20 F-16 fighter aircraft to Poland, broadcaster DR reports.
Some Danish nationals still trying to leave Ukraine
A number of Danish nationals are still trying to leave Ukraine, according to the foreign ministry.
It will now take some time to leave the country with airspace closed, an official from the ministry’s citizens’ service said at a briefing yesterday.
“There are huge queues out of the cities and at borders. So you need supplies for a long journey, fuel but also food and drink,” the department’s director, Erik Brøgger said.
Brøgger also urged Danes leaving the country to bring all relevant identification papers.
Denmark takes ‘far too long’ to approve qualifications of foreign medics
In a report issued earlier this week, the ombudsman’s office at the Danish parliament issued a report which concluded that authorities take too long to approve qualifications and authorise foreign medics who are applying to work in Denmark.
An investigation by the ombudsman said that the processing time for applications had increased from 10 months to as much as 3 years since 2018.
“That is far too long,” the ombudsman’s office said as the report was released.
We’ll have more detail on this in an article on our website today.
READ ALSO: Why does Denmark take so long to authorise foreign medical professionals?
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