Tuesday was marked by the annual Opening of Folketinget, the Danish Parliament, which takes place every year on the second Tuesday of October.
After church and the election of the Presidium of Folketinget, the next order of the day is a speech by the Prime Minister. In this tradition-rich speech, the PM speaks on the state of the Kingdom and sets out her agenda for the coming parliamentary year.
Mette Frederiksen delivered her speech, which lasted roughly an hour, in which she addressed many different political issues.
Agriculture
In her speech, Frederiksen highlighted the historic significance of the agricultural sector in Denmark.She began by saying that she has “the deepest admiration for the many farmers who work hard, among other things, by reducing the environmental impact. They invest in new technology that lowers the climate footprint.”
However, she then went on to highlight several key issues in the Danish agricultural sector, including with regard to pesticides in drinking water and the number of piglet deaths in the Danish pork industry.
She reiterated the government’s plans for a national pesticide ban in places where it can affect drinking water and for the quadripartite agreement on the pork industry.
She noted, “We must find our way through this. Together. For the sake of the rural areas. For the sake of agriculture. And for the sake of our children and grandchildren.”
The urban-rural divide
One of the other big topics in her speech was the urban-rural divide in Denmark, which has featured heavily in recent years’ political discourse.
Here she commented, “If you live in a small village, free school meals may not be the most important thing in the world. Because in some places, the question is whether the school will even still be there next year.”
She went on to say, “It must be possible to live and make a life for yourself anywhere in Denmark.
“When you call the doctor, someone must pick up the phone. There must be good daycare, schools, and leisure activities for your children. And there must be education for young people.”
Here the Prime Minister proposed more leeway for local communities that want to initiate new projects, where national legislation and regulation could otherwise get in the way.
She said, “If a municipal council has a strong desire to pursue policies that can create local activity and jobs, the state’s answer should not simply be no.
“Nature and neighbours must of course still be taken into account. But from now on, the answer should far more often be: How do we make it happen?”
Immigration toughening
In the speech, Frederiksen also announced a change for the much-discussed deportation centre Kærshovedgård near Ikast.
She announced that the government would introduce a prison unit as part of Kærshovedgård for deportation-sentenced residents of the centre who are sentenced to prison, for example due to breaking rules regarding their duty to report.
Also announced on the topic of immigration, she emphasised the government’s support for deportation centres outside the EU, highlighting that this is something the Danish government has led on.
As part of the section on immigration and integration, Frederiksen also confirmed that the government intends to ban cousin marriages in Denmark, as well as ban conversion therapy for sexual orientation and gender identity.
Cost of living
Another topic she also spoke on is the cost of living. She noted the significance that international factors play in this. However, she also highlighted the differentiated sales tax initiative the government is taking.
Here, the government plans to remove all sales tax on fruit and vegetables, and cut the sales tax on all foodstuffs in half.
She said in her speech, “Will it be felt in a family’s finances? Yes, it will. Because breakfast will get cheaper too. Packed lunches will get cheaper. And so will Sunday lunch with the family.
“And even if you sometimes get the impression, when you open the newspaper and see the criticism of our plan to cut sales tax on food, it has never actually been a law of nature that Denmark should have some of the highest taxes on food in the entire EU.
“We are going to change that.”
Free dentistry
One of the big announcements when this new government was formed was that it would work towards making dentistry free to use. She also spoke about this in her speech.
She noted that, “If you break an arm or need a new hip, skilled nurses and doctors are ready to help. Free of charge. That is simply not the case when it comes to our teeth. If you get a cavity, you have to pay out of your own pocket.”
She went on to say, “I believe many Danes dread their next visit to the dentist. Because a bridge, a crown, or an implant is so expensive that it can quite simply blow the entire budget.
“That uncertainty, and that inequality, we want to put an end to. That is why we have an ambition, as one of the first countries in the world, to introduce free dental care for everyone.”
Housing
Frederiksen also announced that the government would introduce a new type of subsidised housing for police officers, child carers, and nurses, so these groups can continue affording to live in cities.
She said, “There is a need for more homes that can be paid for on an ordinary wage. So that childcare workers, nurses and police officers can afford to live in the city where they work.
“That is why the government will work for a new type of welfare housing. Where municipalities and regions will have better opportunities to offer publicly subsidized service housing to selected groups of employees.”
The Kingdom of Denmark
The Prime Minister also, of course, spoke about Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
On Greenland, she touted the trilateral agreement between the United States, Greenland, and Denmark from last month. Here, she also personally thanked the civil servants who had worked to finalise the agreement.
She turned her attention to Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the Prime Minister of Greenland, of whom she said to Greenlanders, “You have chosen a leader you can be proud of. Jens-Frederik Nielsen is wise, forward-looking, and capable.”
She turned her attention to Nielsen, saying, “I would like to thank you for our close cooperation. I am impressed and grateful.”
On the Faroe Islands, she noted that they “have imposed sanctions on Russia. Agreed to a military air-surveillance radar. And taken part in exercises with allies in and around the Faroe Islands.”
Russia
Frederiksen also spoke on Russia and its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Here, she emphasised Denmark’s continued support of Ukraine.
She also warned that, “The Danish Defence Intelligence Service assesses that, in the coming months, Russia will escalate its hybrid war against NATO and the West.
“That there is a low but increasing risk that Russia will carry out a limited military attack on one or more NATO countries bordering Russia, even as the war in Ukraine continues.
“And although the intelligence service considers it unlikely, it can no longer rule out that Russia will attempt an actual military invasion of a NATO country.”
In the speech she also warned that, “Russia will try to sow division among us, as it does all across Europe. And it will try to frighten us with assassination attempts, sabotage, and troll armies on social media.
“It will either directly, or indirectly, by getting European politicians and opinion-makers to do it, put forward a series of arguments aimed at weakening us.”
She emphasised that Danes should trust authorities and should avoid relying on social media for their information.
Businesses and taxes
She also briefly touched on the topic of innovation, businesses, and taxation. Here she pledged to cut bureaucracy by 25% by 2035 and to reduce the business tax by 3 percentage points over the next three years.
As part of her argumentation for doing this, she noted that, “Global competition has become tougher. Much tougher. I mentioned earlier the Danish wind success story.
“For many years, Denmark was the world champion of wind power. But last year, eight of the ten largest wind-energy producers in the world were Chinese.”
Artificial intelligence
She also spoke briefly on artificial intelligence, where she said, “In a joint statement with other heads of state and government, we have made clear that artificial intelligence must remain under human direction, oversight, and control. And that it must be developed and used in accordance with international law.”
Though she also went on to highlight a few areas where AI could be used to make businesses and the public sector more efficient.
Schools
The final topic she touched on during the speech was education. This came against the backdrop of historically poor PISA results for the country last month.
Frederiksen emphasised that the government would continue work on creating more freedom for teachers in the classroom and would continue pushing for their planned age restrictions on social media.
She also noted that, “I believe that we can only fix problems if parents support the teacher, and if the teacher has the necessary authority and training. Pupils have a responsibility for their own learning and for the community.
“And here in the Folketing, we must give schools proper funding and the best conditions so that, locally, they can teach, form, and broaden horizons.”