Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday
Diesel tax could go up in 2024, basic unemployment benefit cut for pre-2008 immigrants and evacuations from Israel scheduled. Here’s the news from Denmark this Friday.
Government could raise diesel tax from 2025
The government wants to raise the tax on diesel by 50 øre (0.5 kroner) from 2025, Minister for Climate Lars Aagaard confirmed yesterday after presenting the ambition to colleagues from other parties.
“We’ve listened to the wishes of the other parties. The diesel tax will play a larger role than it did in our original proposal,” Aagaard said.
The government estimates that the tax could cut CO2 emissions by 0.5 million tonnes.
Drivers of private vehicles will be compensated for the higher diesel tax through a reduction of the so-called udligningsafgift, an additional road tax paid by owners of diesel cars.
We’ll have more detail on this announcement in an article on our website this morning.
Vocabulary: afgift – tax/levy/tariff
Basic benefit cut for 10,000 unemployed immigrants
An agreement between the government and three right wing parties will cut a basic welfare payment for around 10,000 people who immigrated to Denmark before 2008 and are unemployed.
The so-called beskæftigelseskrav, which previously only applied to people who moved to Denmark after 2008, will now also apply to immigrants who arrived before that year, an additional 10,000 people, the Ministry of Employment said in a statement.
The rule states that a person must have worked full time for at least two and a half years, within the last 10 years, to be eligible for the basic unemployment benefit, kontanthjælp.
People who don’t meet this criteria (if they are not Danish nationals) can only receive the lower selvforsørgelses- og hjemrejsesydelse (literally: “self-support and return home benefit”), formerly known as integrationsydelse.
Vocabulary: ydelse – benefit payment
First Danish evacuation flight to leave Israel today
The first flight evacuating Danes and residents of Denmark from Israel and Palestine is scheduled to take off from Tel Aviv this afternoon, the foreign ministry has confirmed via a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Another flight is planned for Saturday.
“The Foreign Ministry is currently calling all people [who have registered as being in Israel and Palestine] who want to be evacuated. We are offering specific flight times and want confirmation as to whether the places will be taken,” the ministry said.
People who wish to be evacuated should contact the public service desk at the foreign ministry, Udenrigsministeriets Borgerservice.
READ ALSO: Denmark offers evacuation from Israel and Palestinian territories
Vocabulary: flyafgang – flight departure
Government announces plan to spend half a billion on mental health
The government wants to spend 567 million kroner on mental health services in 2024, it said yesterday as a major proposal on the area was presented.
The focus of the spending will be psychiatric services for children and young people; reducing waiting times, and more staff and resources for research, Health Minister Sophie Løhde said.
Løhde admitted at the briefing that the country’s mental health services are currently facing “great challenges”, saying that many young people are currently struggling with their mental wellbeing and that the impacts of this for them and their families are serious.
“Far too many are waiting far too long to be examined and treated,” the minister said.
“We must make sure we improve the quality of treatment for children and young people,” she said.
READ ALSO: Denmark's new 10-year-plan to improve mental health care (2022)
Vocabulary: en udfordring – a challenge/problem
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Government could raise diesel tax from 2025
The government wants to raise the tax on diesel by 50 øre (0.5 kroner) from 2025, Minister for Climate Lars Aagaard confirmed yesterday after presenting the ambition to colleagues from other parties.
“We’ve listened to the wishes of the other parties. The diesel tax will play a larger role than it did in our original proposal,” Aagaard said.
The government estimates that the tax could cut CO2 emissions by 0.5 million tonnes.
Drivers of private vehicles will be compensated for the higher diesel tax through a reduction of the so-called udligningsafgift, an additional road tax paid by owners of diesel cars.
We’ll have more detail on this announcement in an article on our website this morning.
Vocabulary: afgift – tax/levy/tariff
Basic benefit cut for 10,000 unemployed immigrants
An agreement between the government and three right wing parties will cut a basic welfare payment for around 10,000 people who immigrated to Denmark before 2008 and are unemployed.
The so-called beskæftigelseskrav, which previously only applied to people who moved to Denmark after 2008, will now also apply to immigrants who arrived before that year, an additional 10,000 people, the Ministry of Employment said in a statement.
The rule states that a person must have worked full time for at least two and a half years, within the last 10 years, to be eligible for the basic unemployment benefit, kontanthjælp.
People who don’t meet this criteria (if they are not Danish nationals) can only receive the lower selvforsørgelses- og hjemrejsesydelse (literally: “self-support and return home benefit”), formerly known as integrationsydelse.
Vocabulary: ydelse – benefit payment
First Danish evacuation flight to leave Israel today
The first flight evacuating Danes and residents of Denmark from Israel and Palestine is scheduled to take off from Tel Aviv this afternoon, the foreign ministry has confirmed via a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Another flight is planned for Saturday.
“The Foreign Ministry is currently calling all people [who have registered as being in Israel and Palestine] who want to be evacuated. We are offering specific flight times and want confirmation as to whether the places will be taken,” the ministry said.
People who wish to be evacuated should contact the public service desk at the foreign ministry, Udenrigsministeriets Borgerservice.
READ ALSO: Denmark offers evacuation from Israel and Palestinian territories
Vocabulary: flyafgang – flight departure
Government announces plan to spend half a billion on mental health
The government wants to spend 567 million kroner on mental health services in 2024, it said yesterday as a major proposal on the area was presented.
The focus of the spending will be psychiatric services for children and young people; reducing waiting times, and more staff and resources for research, Health Minister Sophie Løhde said.
Løhde admitted at the briefing that the country’s mental health services are currently facing “great challenges”, saying that many young people are currently struggling with their mental wellbeing and that the impacts of this for them and their families are serious.
“Far too many are waiting far too long to be examined and treated,” the minister said.
“We must make sure we improve the quality of treatment for children and young people,” she said.
READ ALSO: Denmark's new 10-year-plan to improve mental health care (2022)
Vocabulary: en udfordring – a challenge/problem
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