Morning Briefing – Wednesday, July 24

The Copenhagen Post’s daily digest of what the Danish press is reporting

Petrol stations holding customer’s money too long

When a customer fills up at an unmanned petrol station using a debit card, the station often takes extra money out of the customer’s account as collateral. Some customers have had as much as 500 kroner put in reserve on a 100 kroner sale. Problems arise when the stations take as much as three weeks to put the money back into a customer’s account. The practice is under investigation by the consumer advocacy ombudsman, who said that it is wrong that customers have to wait so long to have access to their own money. The stations say that responsibility for the collateral practice lies with the digital payment service NETS. – TV2 News

Exports creating jobs at home and abroad

Danish export companies have become significantly more optimistic and are promising both more jobs and more investment in the near future. Companies are currently experiencing so much momentum that they are planning to add staff and make greater investments. The results of a Ramboll poll done for Jyllands-Posten newspaper are considerably more optimistic that those found in a similar poll taken just six months ago. One in five export companies say they will be adding staff abroad and 43 percent of the companies polled said that they plan to hire employees in Denmark in the coming year. – Jyllands-Posten

Council planned on having jobless tear down dangerous buildings

In an effort to save money, Glostrup Council intended to have 20 people on unemployment benefits placed in a work project involving the tearing down of two old daycare centres that are filled with dangerous materials such as asbestos and PCBs. Asbestosis, cancer and respiratory problems are just some of the risks associated with asbestos and the council's plan triggered fierce criticism from unions, employers and medical experts.The 20 potential workers were told that if they did not take the job, they would lose their benefits. Demolishing the daycare centres would have cost the council 1.5 million kroner, but the cheap labour would have nearly halved the price. The outcry has caused the council to put the project on hold until the legal and health ramifications can be fully assessed.  – Politiken

Productivity report filled with errors

A report on improving the efficiency of transport and postal services from the government's productivity commission, Produktivitetskommission, is riddled with factual errors. The commission is tasked with streamlining and cutting costs in the public sector, but correspondence between the Transport Ministry and the commission uncovered by Berlingske newspaper suggests that the report is so filled with errors and misinformation that any savings are hard to find. For example, the commission concluded that Danish railway charges for freight transport are twice as high as they are in Germany, when in fact they are half as much, according to the Transport Ministry. The commission also suggested that the government sell its interest in Post Denmark, apparently unaware that Post Denmark merged with Sweden’s Posten to create Post Nord in 2009. – Berlingske

Farm worker killed by tractor

A 55-year-old farm worker was killed when he was crushed between a tractor and baling wagon late yesterday. The accident happened while the man was working on a farm in Brovst in northern Jutland. “It appears that he may have been separating the wagon from the tractor when the tractor rolled back and pinned him against the baler,” said North Jutland Police spokesperson Aage Pedersen. A neighbouring farmer found the man and called paramedics, who tried in vain to revive him. The accident is being investigated  – DR News




  • Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    Young Copenhageners supply study grants by selling cocaine

    In recent years, the spread of cocaine has accelerated. The drug is easily accessible and not only reserved for wealthy party heads. Copenhagen Police have just arrested ten young people and charged them with reselling cocaine

  • 5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    5 Mistakes I Made When I Moved to Denmark

    Here are five mistakes I made that helped me understand that belonging isn’t a strategy—it’s a practice. This isn’t a story of struggle—it’s a reflection on growth, told through the lens of emotional intelligence.

  • Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Analysis shows that many students from Bangladesh are enrolled in Danish universities

    Earlier this year, the Danish government changed the law on access for people from third world countries to the Danish labor market. Yet, there may still be a shortcut that goes through universities

  • Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Danish Flower company accused of labor abuse in Türkiye

    Queen Company, a Denmark-origin flower producer with pristine sustainability credentials, is under fire for alleged labor rights violations at its Turkish operation, located in Dikili, İzmir. Workers in the large greenhouse facility have been calling decent work conditions for weeks. The Copenhagen Post gathered testimonies from the workers to better understand the situation

  • Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Advice for expats: Navigating Life as an International in Denmark

    Beginning this month, Expat Counselling will be contributing a monthly article to The Copenhagen Post, offering guidance, tools, and reflections on the emotional and social aspects of international life in Denmark. The first column is about Strategies for emotional resilience

  • New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    New agreement criticized for not attracting enough internationals

    Several mayors and business leaders across Denmark are not satisfied with the agreement that the government, the trade union movement and employers made last week. More internationals are needed than the agreement provides for

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system