Denmark may have attracted some criticism for its government’s actions during the ongoing refugee crisis, but compared to the rest of Europe, Denmark is one of the best countries to seek asylum in, according to a new report.
The report – created by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, which shows the amount of benefits received by those seeking asylum in each country – revealed that a single adult asylum-seeker receives 2,567 kroner per month while their case is being processed. Only Germany provided more in benefits.
“Generally speaking, Denmark is a really good country to seek asylum in compared to the rest of Europe,” Michala Bendixen, the head of the initiative Refugees Welcome, told Politiken newspaper.
“We are among the cream of the crop and it’s terrible that the government is trying to create an incorrect picture of Denmark being a poor asylum nation. It will also hurt the asylum-seekers who choose to live in a tent in Germany rather than an asylum centre in Denmark and wait a long time for their case to be processed.”
Germany tops Europe’s asylum benefit rankings with 2,640 kroner per month, but Denmark is ahead of the rest of the pack with considerably more to offer than nations like Sweden (1,700 kroner) and the UK (1,605 kroner).
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Things to change
And when it comes to the time the asylum-seekers wait for their cases to be processed, Denmark is ahead again. In Denmark, asylum-seekers wait on average 3-5 months to get their cases processed, compared to 7-8 months in Sweden and 8 months in Germany.
The quality of the refugee accommodation in Denmark is also considered to be better than, for instance, Germany, where many refugees find themselves living in tent camps.
But things could be about to change. The immigration and integration minister, Inger Støjberg, maintains that Denmark shouldn’t be a nation that sticks out when it comes to benefits and warned that more stringent legislation will be in place soon.
