Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday
Falling unemployment, the Danish government refusing to accept debt payments from citizens, and plans for a fully swimmable Copenhagen harbour are among the top news stories in Denmark on Friday.
Danish government returns debt payments from 138,000 people
Having a debt to the Danish public sector on your books can have serious financial consequences, including jeopardizing your eligibility to secure a mortgage. But from January to October 2022, 138,000 Danes trying to square their debts with the government were refused due to confusion about whether the Danish Debt Collection Agency actually has the right to receive it, newspaper Berlingske reports.
Data from the agency indicate the number of debts considered "not ready for recovery" has leapt 1.5 million this year alone. Half of those debts are connected to Danish tax agency, Skat.
According to Berlingske, the issues with 'unpayable' debts arose in 2015 when EFI, the IT system Skat used to collect debt, was shuttered.
Based on the scale of the problem, the government will have to consider cancelling some of the debts, Peter Bjerre Mortensen, professor of public administration at Aarhus University, tells Berlingske.
"They need to swallow some very big camels and/or simplify some legislation or forgive some debts, because right now it seems that things are still going the wrong way," Mortensen says.
READ MORE: 'Topskat': What is Denmark's high income tax bracket?
Politicians push for 'fully swimmable' Copenhagen harbour
Currently, swimming in Copenhagen's harbours is only allowed at 11 designated bathing zones — though that doesn't deter the estimated 200,000 people who take a dip elsewhere in the harbour yearly, risking fines. Now, Copenhagen mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen and other local politicians hope to flip the system on its head, making the vast majority of the harbour swimmable with a few 'no-go' zones.
City officials plan to mark certain areas — for instance, near wastewater outlets or sailboat traffic — with 'no swimming' signs.
READ MORE: Why the shocking cold of winter bathing is a Nordic favourite
Unemployment continues to fall in Denmark
October marked another record-breaking low for unemployment in Denmark, according to data from the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment and the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
Just 11,519 full-time workers were experiencing 'long-term unemployment' (meaning they had been unemployed for at least 80 percent of the previous year) in October. That's down from 12,400 in September, which was the lowest figure in 26 years, according to newswire Ritzau.
In March 2020, there were 22,000 long-term unemployment benefit recipients, which spiked to 40,000 in April 2021.
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Danish government returns debt payments from 138,000 people
Having a debt to the Danish public sector on your books can have serious financial consequences, including jeopardizing your eligibility to secure a mortgage. But from January to October 2022, 138,000 Danes trying to square their debts with the government were refused due to confusion about whether the Danish Debt Collection Agency actually has the right to receive it, newspaper Berlingske reports.
Data from the agency indicate the number of debts considered "not ready for recovery" has leapt 1.5 million this year alone. Half of those debts are connected to Danish tax agency, Skat.
According to Berlingske, the issues with 'unpayable' debts arose in 2015 when EFI, the IT system Skat used to collect debt, was shuttered.
Based on the scale of the problem, the government will have to consider cancelling some of the debts, Peter Bjerre Mortensen, professor of public administration at Aarhus University, tells Berlingske.
"They need to swallow some very big camels and/or simplify some legislation or forgive some debts, because right now it seems that things are still going the wrong way," Mortensen says.
READ MORE: 'Topskat': What is Denmark's high income tax bracket?
Politicians push for 'fully swimmable' Copenhagen harbour
Currently, swimming in Copenhagen's harbours is only allowed at 11 designated bathing zones — though that doesn't deter the estimated 200,000 people who take a dip elsewhere in the harbour yearly, risking fines. Now, Copenhagen mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen and other local politicians hope to flip the system on its head, making the vast majority of the harbour swimmable with a few 'no-go' zones.
City officials plan to mark certain areas — for instance, near wastewater outlets or sailboat traffic — with 'no swimming' signs.
READ MORE: Why the shocking cold of winter bathing is a Nordic favourite
Unemployment continues to fall in Denmark
October marked another record-breaking low for unemployment in Denmark, according to data from the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment and the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
Just 11,519 full-time workers were experiencing 'long-term unemployment' (meaning they had been unemployed for at least 80 percent of the previous year) in October. That's down from 12,400 in September, which was the lowest figure in 26 years, according to newswire Ritzau.
In March 2020, there were 22,000 long-term unemployment benefit recipients, which spiked to 40,000 in April 2021.
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