Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Wednesday
Legal gender reassignment for Danish children, a possible cap on visas for Russian tourists, and 'accidental' 6,000 kroner cheques are among the top news stories in Denmark on Wednesday.
Russian tourists have flocked to Denmark. Ukraine wants us to cut them off.
In the first months of 2022, Denmark issued three times as many tourist visas to Russians than in the previous year, newspaper Politiken reported Monday. But now, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking western leaders to close the door on Russian tourists, according to newswire Ritzau.
Vladimir Barbin, Russian ambassador to Denmark, sees potential travel restrictions as an attack on human rights. "In short, human rights in the West are apparently only remembered when it is beneficial, and they are forgotten without remorse when it comes to Russians," Barbin wrote to Ritzau. In the same statement, he described Russia's invasion as a "special military operation."
Denmark's minister of immigration plans to wait for a broader EU solution. "It is clear that if there is just one country in Europe where Russians can enter, then in principle you can enter the entire Schengen area," Kaare Dybvad told Politiken. "Therefore, it is the EU framework in which it must be done."
READ MORE: Who visits Denmark in the summer and where do tourists go?
Government proposes removing age limit for legal gender change
The government's LGBTQ+ plan, presented Monday, includes a proposal to expand access to legal gender change to all children regardless of age.
Currently, only after the age of 18 can people apply to legally change their gender marker on government documents.
The new plan would strike that age cap, but children 15 years of age or younger would need the consent of their parents or guardians. It's the second time the Social Democrats have proposed the change — it failed to garner enough support among other government parties two years ago.
The Danish Parliament consulted with the Ethics Council on the issue of appropriate ages for legal gender change, which proposed lowering the age limit to 10-12 years old.
Bank error in your favor! Some received heating subsidy in error
When the 6,000 kroner cheques went out to households heated by gas boilers, some households with different heating systems received a happy surprise.
The government used a municipal system called the Building and Housing Register (abbreviated BBR in Danish) to determine who should receive the cheques — if you make any changes to your home, including replacing a boiler or building a tool shed, you're supposed to inform the municipality. The problem is that many people aren't aware of this or believe it's included in the permitting information contractors file with authorities.
A provision in the legislation authorising the 'heat cheques' says that if a cheque is sent due to government error, the recipient isn't required to return the money. (In fact, you can't even if you want to — authorities are asking accidental recipients not to contact them.)
READ MORE: Denmark boosts heating bill help and will give it to more households
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Russian tourists have flocked to Denmark. Ukraine wants us to cut them off.
In the first months of 2022, Denmark issued three times as many tourist visas to Russians than in the previous year, newspaper Politiken reported Monday. But now, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking western leaders to close the door on Russian tourists, according to newswire Ritzau.
Vladimir Barbin, Russian ambassador to Denmark, sees potential travel restrictions as an attack on human rights. "In short, human rights in the West are apparently only remembered when it is beneficial, and they are forgotten without remorse when it comes to Russians," Barbin wrote to Ritzau. In the same statement, he described Russia's invasion as a "special military operation."
Denmark's minister of immigration plans to wait for a broader EU solution. "It is clear that if there is just one country in Europe where Russians can enter, then in principle you can enter the entire Schengen area," Kaare Dybvad told Politiken. "Therefore, it is the EU framework in which it must be done."
READ MORE: Who visits Denmark in the summer and where do tourists go?
Government proposes removing age limit for legal gender change
The government's LGBTQ+ plan, presented Monday, includes a proposal to expand access to legal gender change to all children regardless of age.
Currently, only after the age of 18 can people apply to legally change their gender marker on government documents.
The new plan would strike that age cap, but children 15 years of age or younger would need the consent of their parents or guardians. It's the second time the Social Democrats have proposed the change — it failed to garner enough support among other government parties two years ago.
The Danish Parliament consulted with the Ethics Council on the issue of appropriate ages for legal gender change, which proposed lowering the age limit to 10-12 years old.
Bank error in your favor! Some received heating subsidy in error
When the 6,000 kroner cheques went out to households heated by gas boilers, some households with different heating systems received a happy surprise.
The government used a municipal system called the Building and Housing Register (abbreviated BBR in Danish) to determine who should receive the cheques — if you make any changes to your home, including replacing a boiler or building a tool shed, you're supposed to inform the municipality. The problem is that many people aren't aware of this or believe it's included in the permitting information contractors file with authorities.
A provision in the legislation authorising the 'heat cheques' says that if a cheque is sent due to government error, the recipient isn't required to return the money. (In fact, you can't even if you want to — authorities are asking accidental recipients not to contact them.)
READ MORE: Denmark boosts heating bill help and will give it to more households
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