Denmark and Sweden want to merge border controls

Move would drastically reduce travel time between Copenhagen and Malmö

Apr 18, 2016

In a bid to drastically reduce the travelling time between Denmark and Sweden, the two nations are looking into the possibility of merging their separate border controls.

The Danish justice minister, Søren Pind, met with his Swedish counterpart, Anders Ygeman, at Copenhagen Airport last week to discuss the option of having just one border control located at the airport. It won’t be an easy fix, however.

“There are a number of judicial problems associated with the Swedish police working on the Danish side, but we are looking into it,” Pind told DR Nyheder.

Waiting, waiting and waiting
The enhanced border controls, established in January in the wake of the refugee crisis, have extended travelling time between Denmark and Sweden by up to an hour.

Passengers taking the train from Denmark to Sweden are stopped three times on their trip. At Copenhagen Airport, everyone must get off the train to go through an ID control before taking another train to Sweden.

Across the Øresund in Hyllie, the Swedish border control then boards the train for another ID check and the train stops again when it reaches Malmö Central Station to wait a further 15 minutes for the next departure time to avoid delays spreading to the rest of the rail network.

Should an ID and border control be merged at Copenhagen Airport, the trains wouldn’t have to stop at Hyllie or Malmö, significantly shortening the journey.

According to a new report from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden (CCISS) last week, the border ordeal, which is in its fourth month, could end up costing society 1.2 billion kroner a year.

TOP STORIES

“Talents, start using AI tools now,” says Siri and Change.org founder

In an exclusive interview with The Copenhagen Post, the founder of Siri and Change.org, and currently VP of AI Experience at Airbnb, gives young talents advice on how to deal with the job market changed by artificial intelligence.
Testing free school meals for 20,000 kids and tax deduction for homeowners in 2025 Finance Act

The government has reached an agreement on next year’s Finance Act with SF and Radikale Venstre. A test on free school meals for a limited number of children will be introduced. Homeowners will get more options for deductions for home improvements
Make your voice heard as an expat

In my last op-ed, I made the case that we, expats living in Denmark, need to step up if we want to tackle the headaches that seem baked into expat life—e.g., counterintuitive laws and endless paperwork. With almost 16% of Denmark’s population made up of internationals, we actually have the numbers to influence real change. But after publishing the last op-ed, several readers contacted me and asked: Okay, but what can we actually do?
Danish politicians will double life science exports in a few years

“Strategy for life science” is a policy agreement to support the pharmaceutical industry’s opportunities to double exports to DKK 350 billion towards 2030
Royal House unveils new portraits of King Frederik and Queen Mary

Ten months after Frederik went from crown prince to king, new civil portraits of the new royal couple have been taken.
“Without internationals, we wouldn’t have the people we need,” says Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s Hillerød facility thrives with a diverse workforce, employing over 1,800 people from more than 65 nationalities. Morten Munk, Director of Global Alliance Management, highlights how the company’s rapid growth relies on attracting international talent due to Denmark’s limited pool of scientific professionals.

Connect club

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

5 Dec: A guided tour of Christiansborg

Career

“Talents, start using AI tools now,” says Siri and Change.org founder

In an exclusive interview with The Copenhagen Post, the founder of Siri and Change.org, and currently VP of AI Experience at Airbnb, gives young talents advice on how to deal with the job market changed by artificial intelligence.
“Without internationals, we wouldn’t have the people we need,” says Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s Hillerød facility thrives with a diverse workforce, employing over 1,800 people from more than 65 nationalities. Morten Munk, Director of Global Alliance Management, highlights how the company’s rapid growth relies on attracting international talent due to Denmark’s limited pool of scientific professionals.
“Now the biggest challenge is to retain internationals”, says Ferring

Mads Hougaard, senior HR director at the pharmaceutical company, explains that “it is also a challenge for society itself. I think collaboration between institutions, companies, and stakeholders could be beneficial.”

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Jobs