Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Thursday
Weather calms down a bit, incoming tax pushes up apartment prices in Copenhagen and popular Aarhus canal area gets safety fence. Here’s Thursday’s news from Denmark.
Today’s weather to be dry and calm
It may come as a relief that the weather today is expected to be fairly unremarkable, with dry and calm conditions forecast.
That comes after days of high winds and storms that have caused minor damage to property and traffic disruptions across Denmark.
Although the coasts could still get winds up to gale force today, the rest of the country will see mild winds.
There may also be some blue sky, especially this afternoon, and temperatures will be up to 19 degrees Celsius in the south and 17 elsewhere.
Vocabulary: tørt – dry
Apartment prices rise in cities with new property tax imminent
The sales price of apartments in cities rose for the fifth consecutive month in July, out of keeping with price trends in the rest of the housing market.
A likely reason for this is a change to property tax rules which takes effect next year. The new rules mean that more tax is likely to apply to apartments – hence increased interest among buyers in buying them this year, while the old rules still apply.
“Price increases in the expensive areas have been stronger in recent months. I think that is because some buyers are moving their purchases forward because of the new property taxes that take effect at the turn of the year,” economist Mathias Dollerup Sproegel of Sydbank told news wire Ritzau.
While apartment prices were unchanged on average nationally last month, they were up 7 percent in Copenhagen.
Vocabulary: boligskat – property tax
READ ALSO:
- What do homeowners need to know about new Danish property tax rules?
- EXPLAINED: Denmark’s new property tax rules from 2024
Aarhus installs canal-side fence to prevent drowning accidents
Authorities in Aarhus are to install a fence alongside the popular stretch of canal in the city centre, where many cafes and bars are located.
The decision has been made as a precaution against drowning accidents, Aarhus Municipality said in a press statement. 2022 was the first year in several in which there were no drowning accidents at the harbour or canal, the municipality said.
Temporary fences, rescue ladders and better lighting are among measures that have previously been tried in the area.
Construction workers from the municipality began on Monday fencing off the northern part of the Åboulevarden street, which runs alongside the canal.
“I am very happy and actually also relieved that the fence is going up in good time before the water becomes cold and dangerous in the winter,” city councillor Nicolaj Bang said in the statement.
Vocabulary: hegn – fence
Intensified border controls extended by another week
Tighter border controls introduced following recent protests involving Quran burnings have been extended, the justice ministry confirmed yesterday.
Denmark has stepped up security following the backlash in several Muslim countries in response to public desecrations of the Quran in Copenhagen.
The ministry said in a statement that police "found it necessary to maintain the temporarily intensified efforts at the internal Danish borders", citing a recommendation from the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET).
Originally scheduled for a week after being introduced on August 3rd, the random checks at the borders with Sweden and Germany are now due to remain in place until August 17th.
Vocabulary: forlænget – extended
Comments
See Also
Today’s weather to be dry and calm
It may come as a relief that the weather today is expected to be fairly unremarkable, with dry and calm conditions forecast.
That comes after days of high winds and storms that have caused minor damage to property and traffic disruptions across Denmark.
Although the coasts could still get winds up to gale force today, the rest of the country will see mild winds.
There may also be some blue sky, especially this afternoon, and temperatures will be up to 19 degrees Celsius in the south and 17 elsewhere.
Vocabulary: tørt – dry
Apartment prices rise in cities with new property tax imminent
The sales price of apartments in cities rose for the fifth consecutive month in July, out of keeping with price trends in the rest of the housing market.
A likely reason for this is a change to property tax rules which takes effect next year. The new rules mean that more tax is likely to apply to apartments – hence increased interest among buyers in buying them this year, while the old rules still apply.
“Price increases in the expensive areas have been stronger in recent months. I think that is because some buyers are moving their purchases forward because of the new property taxes that take effect at the turn of the year,” economist Mathias Dollerup Sproegel of Sydbank told news wire Ritzau.
While apartment prices were unchanged on average nationally last month, they were up 7 percent in Copenhagen.
Vocabulary: boligskat – property tax
READ ALSO:
- What do homeowners need to know about new Danish property tax rules?
- EXPLAINED: Denmark’s new property tax rules from 2024
Aarhus installs canal-side fence to prevent drowning accidents
Authorities in Aarhus are to install a fence alongside the popular stretch of canal in the city centre, where many cafes and bars are located.
The decision has been made as a precaution against drowning accidents, Aarhus Municipality said in a press statement. 2022 was the first year in several in which there were no drowning accidents at the harbour or canal, the municipality said.
Temporary fences, rescue ladders and better lighting are among measures that have previously been tried in the area.
Construction workers from the municipality began on Monday fencing off the northern part of the Åboulevarden street, which runs alongside the canal.
“I am very happy and actually also relieved that the fence is going up in good time before the water becomes cold and dangerous in the winter,” city councillor Nicolaj Bang said in the statement.
Vocabulary: hegn – fence
Intensified border controls extended by another week
Tighter border controls introduced following recent protests involving Quran burnings have been extended, the justice ministry confirmed yesterday.
Denmark has stepped up security following the backlash in several Muslim countries in response to public desecrations of the Quran in Copenhagen.
The ministry said in a statement that police "found it necessary to maintain the temporarily intensified efforts at the internal Danish borders", citing a recommendation from the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET).
Originally scheduled for a week after being introduced on August 3rd, the random checks at the borders with Sweden and Germany are now due to remain in place until August 17th.
Vocabulary: forlænget – extended
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.