Government unveils budget plan as call for election approaches

Thorning-Schmidt expected to call for election later this week

Led by the prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the government today presented its budget plan looking ahead towards 2020.

The plan – which is entitled ‘Danmark på sikker vej – plan for et stærkere fællesskab’ (Denmark on its way – a plan for a stronger community) and hinges on the government’s re-election this year – consists of strengthening a number of areas in the public sector to the tune of 39 billion kroner.

“We’re not talking about luxury, but a plan that ensures we can maintain the Denmark we know,” Thorning-Schmidt said. “We’re not talking about uncontrolled spending in the public sector. It’s a tight budget.”

The 39 billion kroner will be allocated to: providing better healthcare for cancer patients, the elderly, the chronically ill (15 billion), increasing security for the socially vulnerable and unforeseen costs (15 billion), investing in children, education and social mobility (5 billion), and spending on research, green transition and growth (4 billion).

READ MORE: Election posters are ineffective, researcher claims

Timed to perfection
The government’s unveiling of its budget plan comes as Thorning-Schmidt is expected to call for an election later this week – likely to be set for June 16, according to experts.

And the timing is good for Thorning-Schmidt and company, who are expected to officially announce that Denmark has successfully stepped out of the darkness of the financial crisis that has hampered the nation since 2008.

An Epinion poll for DR Nyheder late last week revealed that the Danes saw Thorning-Schmidt as being a better politician, leader, Danish representative and ambassador abroad than Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the head of opposition party Venstre and the current government’s main opponent in the upcoming election.

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

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

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs