Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Thursday
A review under 2018 law revokes citizenship of man who lied on application, Danske Bank cancels 650 million kroner in debts, rising unemployment, and other news in Denmark on Thursday.
Immigrant's Danish citizenship revoked as part of review of thousands
On Wednesday, Denmark saw the first fruits of a review process begun in 2018 to determine whether 21,000 immigrants who had been granted citizenship had done so by misrepresenting the truth, newswire Ritzau reports.
A 58-year-old man who was given citizenship in 2013 has been stripped of his Danish passport after a Viborg court found he had lied on his application when he said he hadn't committed any crimes. At the time, he had never been convicted or charged.
But the next year, the man was accused of having assaulted a minor repeatedly from 2006 onwards and was convicted in 2017.
As of May 1st this year, having provided incorrect information on your Danish citizenship application is grounds for a reversal — and the new policy applies retroactively. Of the 21,000 cases reviewed since 2018, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration has so far flagged seven cases that it believes should be brought to court, newspaper Politiken reports.
READ MORE: Denmark reverses residence decision for hundreds of Syrian refugees
Danske Bank wipes out debt for 90,000 customers
In 2004, Danske Bank adopted a new system to process debt collection cases. That system has caused such widespread issues — including pursuing and collecting debts that were already paid off — that one of Denmark's largest banks has chosen to wipe the slate clean for 90,000 customers and write off 650 million kroner in debt. (That's an average of 7,200 kroner per customer.)
You'll be contacted directly if your debt has been cleared, the bank says. Work is ongoing to identify customers that might have overpaid their debts due to errors with the system, but they will be compensated.
This isn't the first round of debt cancellations at Danske Bank as a result of the faulty system — 155,000 customers had previously gotten their debt erased.
Unemployment up for third month, but still low
The number of people out of work in the Danish labour market continues to creep upwards, and analysts say it can no longer be written off to the arrival of job-ready Ukrainian refugees.
According to data from Statistics Denmark, about 2,800 more people were unemployed in July than in June, while the number of unemployed Ukrainians increased by only 200.
"Companies have...quietly started to get out the redundancy notices," Sydbank chief economist Søren Kristensen told Ritzau.
However, overall unemployment remains low at 2.7 percent, or about 77,800 people out of work. The latest figures could indicate a healthy cooling of the red-hot Danish employment market, in which companies have struggled to fill open roles, Kristensen explained.
READ MORE: Danish businesses repeat call for foreign workers amid labour shortage
EU eliminates visa agreement with Russia
Leaders of the European Union have agreed to nix an agreement that's allowed Russian tourists to enter the bloc more easily since 2007. Now, Russian citizens will need to apply individually for a visa to the EU, and tourism won't be considered a valid reason.
While some countries pushed to lock out Russian entry altogether, Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod told Ritzau supports leaving the door slightly open. "We do not want a general ban, because there must be exceptions for vulnerable groups," Kofod says, such as critics of Putin who need to flee the country.
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Immigrant's Danish citizenship revoked as part of review of thousands
On Wednesday, Denmark saw the first fruits of a review process begun in 2018 to determine whether 21,000 immigrants who had been granted citizenship had done so by misrepresenting the truth, newswire Ritzau reports.
A 58-year-old man who was given citizenship in 2013 has been stripped of his Danish passport after a Viborg court found he had lied on his application when he said he hadn't committed any crimes. At the time, he had never been convicted or charged.
But the next year, the man was accused of having assaulted a minor repeatedly from 2006 onwards and was convicted in 2017.
As of May 1st this year, having provided incorrect information on your Danish citizenship application is grounds for a reversal — and the new policy applies retroactively. Of the 21,000 cases reviewed since 2018, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration has so far flagged seven cases that it believes should be brought to court, newspaper Politiken reports.
READ MORE: Denmark reverses residence decision for hundreds of Syrian refugees
Danske Bank wipes out debt for 90,000 customers
In 2004, Danske Bank adopted a new system to process debt collection cases. That system has caused such widespread issues — including pursuing and collecting debts that were already paid off — that one of Denmark's largest banks has chosen to wipe the slate clean for 90,000 customers and write off 650 million kroner in debt. (That's an average of 7,200 kroner per customer.)
You'll be contacted directly if your debt has been cleared, the bank says. Work is ongoing to identify customers that might have overpaid their debts due to errors with the system, but they will be compensated.
This isn't the first round of debt cancellations at Danske Bank as a result of the faulty system — 155,000 customers had previously gotten their debt erased.
Unemployment up for third month, but still low
The number of people out of work in the Danish labour market continues to creep upwards, and analysts say it can no longer be written off to the arrival of job-ready Ukrainian refugees.
According to data from Statistics Denmark, about 2,800 more people were unemployed in July than in June, while the number of unemployed Ukrainians increased by only 200.
"Companies have...quietly started to get out the redundancy notices," Sydbank chief economist Søren Kristensen told Ritzau.
However, overall unemployment remains low at 2.7 percent, or about 77,800 people out of work. The latest figures could indicate a healthy cooling of the red-hot Danish employment market, in which companies have struggled to fill open roles, Kristensen explained.
READ MORE: Danish businesses repeat call for foreign workers amid labour shortage
EU eliminates visa agreement with Russia
Leaders of the European Union have agreed to nix an agreement that's allowed Russian tourists to enter the bloc more easily since 2007. Now, Russian citizens will need to apply individually for a visa to the EU, and tourism won't be considered a valid reason.
While some countries pushed to lock out Russian entry altogether, Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod told Ritzau supports leaving the door slightly open. "We do not want a general ban, because there must be exceptions for vulnerable groups," Kofod says, such as critics of Putin who need to flee the country.
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