Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Copenhagen University breaks off talks with Gaza protesters, support for Liberal Party hits record low, Denmark could build new naval vessels by 2028, and other news from Denmark on Tuesday.
Copenhagen University breaks off talks with Gaza protesters
The leadership of Copenhagen University has declared that it is "breaking off all further dialogue" with the students camping in the grounds in protest at Israel's attack on the Gaza strip. "The university cannot and must not be taken hostage by individual groups," they wrote in a press release.
The university management did, however, agree to one of the students' demands, saying it was "completely reasonable", "that the university population has insight into what the university's funds are invested in".
It would, it said, "endeavor" to make its investment portfolio publicly available, and would endeavour not have investments that can be "considered as conflicting with Danish foreign policy".
The protesters, calling themselves Students against the Occupation, have called on the university to "recognise and condemn the ongoing genocide", as well as to reveal its investments.
Danish vocabulary: fuldstændigt rimeligt - completely reasonable
Support for Denmark's Liberal party hits record low in new poll
Support for Denmark's Liberal Party has hit the lowest level recorded since the polling company Voxmeter started carrying out political polls in 2001.
Just 7.7 percent of respondents said they intended to vote for the party, showing the party's support almost halved since the 2022 election, which it received 13.3 percent of the vote. In the run-up to the 2015 general election, the party received the support of 22 percent of voters in one Voxmeter poll.
The Liberals have been struggling in recent years, with the party's former leader, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, leaving and launching the rival Moderate party, and the party's former immigration minister, Inger Støjberg, launching the Denmark Democrats after being expelled from the party.
The libertarian Liberal Alliance party, as the only centre-right party in opposition, now has 16 percent of the vote. The Social Democrats were the largest party, with 20.9 percent, followed by the Socialist Left party with 13.7 percent.
Danish vocabulary: en meningsmåling - an opinion poll
Denmark could build a naval vessel as early as 2028
Denmark could complete the construction of a new warship at Danish shipyards as early as 2028, Anne H Steffensen, chief executive of the trade body Danish Shipping, has told a press conference held to announce the conclusions of a new report on public private partnerships for defence in the maritime industry.
"It will require huge investments if we are to build warships in Denmark, and the industry must be involved in the planning," Steffensen said.
The report identified three shipyards which could be converted to construct naval vessels, Karstensen Shipyard in Skagen, which today builds up to six fishing trawlers a year, Orskov Yard in Frederikshavn, which repairs the Navy's ships, and Fayard, the old Lindøværft on Funen, which is also a repair yard.
Many of the vessels in today's Danish navy were built at Odense Steel Shipyard, part of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group, which closed in 2012.
Danish vocabulary: dank skibsbygningskapacitet - Danish ship building capacity
Denmark may bring in differentiated VAT: minister
Denmark's tax minister has said the goverment is considering moving Denmark to the European norm and bringing in differentiated VAT, where the government tries to steer consumption by having a higher sales tax on things the government wants people to buy less of, like sugar for example, and a lower sales tax on goods they want them to buy more of, like vegetables for fruit.
"There is potential in looking at whether you can differentiate VAT on some goods that we would like people to buy more of. It could, for example, be fruit and vegetables," Jeppe Bruus told the Politiken newspaper in an interview.
In Denmark, practically all goods are subject to 25 percent VAT, whereas in most European countries VAT is differentiated.
Danish vocabulary: differentieret moms - differentiated VAT
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Copenhagen University breaks off talks with Gaza protesters
The leadership of Copenhagen University has declared that it is "breaking off all further dialogue" with the students camping in the grounds in protest at Israel's attack on the Gaza strip. "The university cannot and must not be taken hostage by individual groups," they wrote in a press release.
The university management did, however, agree to one of the students' demands, saying it was "completely reasonable", "that the university population has insight into what the university's funds are invested in".
It would, it said, "endeavor" to make its investment portfolio publicly available, and would endeavour not have investments that can be "considered as conflicting with Danish foreign policy".
The protesters, calling themselves Students against the Occupation, have called on the university to "recognise and condemn the ongoing genocide", as well as to reveal its investments.
Danish vocabulary: fuldstændigt rimeligt - completely reasonable
Support for Denmark's Liberal party hits record low in new poll
Support for Denmark's Liberal Party has hit the lowest level recorded since the polling company Voxmeter started carrying out political polls in 2001.
Just 7.7 percent of respondents said they intended to vote for the party, showing the party's support almost halved since the 2022 election, which it received 13.3 percent of the vote. In the run-up to the 2015 general election, the party received the support of 22 percent of voters in one Voxmeter poll.
The Liberals have been struggling in recent years, with the party's former leader, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, leaving and launching the rival Moderate party, and the party's former immigration minister, Inger Støjberg, launching the Denmark Democrats after being expelled from the party.
The libertarian Liberal Alliance party, as the only centre-right party in opposition, now has 16 percent of the vote. The Social Democrats were the largest party, with 20.9 percent, followed by the Socialist Left party with 13.7 percent.
Danish vocabulary: en meningsmåling - an opinion poll
Denmark could build a naval vessel as early as 2028
Denmark could complete the construction of a new warship at Danish shipyards as early as 2028, Anne H Steffensen, chief executive of the trade body Danish Shipping, has told a press conference held to announce the conclusions of a new report on public private partnerships for defence in the maritime industry.
"It will require huge investments if we are to build warships in Denmark, and the industry must be involved in the planning," Steffensen said.
The report identified three shipyards which could be converted to construct naval vessels, Karstensen Shipyard in Skagen, which today builds up to six fishing trawlers a year, Orskov Yard in Frederikshavn, which repairs the Navy's ships, and Fayard, the old Lindøværft on Funen, which is also a repair yard.
Many of the vessels in today's Danish navy were built at Odense Steel Shipyard, part of the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group, which closed in 2012.
Danish vocabulary: dank skibsbygningskapacitet - Danish ship building capacity
Denmark may bring in differentiated VAT: minister
Denmark's tax minister has said the goverment is considering moving Denmark to the European norm and bringing in differentiated VAT, where the government tries to steer consumption by having a higher sales tax on things the government wants people to buy less of, like sugar for example, and a lower sales tax on goods they want them to buy more of, like vegetables for fruit.
"There is potential in looking at whether you can differentiate VAT on some goods that we would like people to buy more of. It could, for example, be fruit and vegetables," Jeppe Bruus told the Politiken newspaper in an interview.
In Denmark, practically all goods are subject to 25 percent VAT, whereas in most European countries VAT is differentiated.
Danish vocabulary: differentieret moms - differentiated VAT
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