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WHAT CHANGES IN DENMARK

Everything that changes in Denmark in November 2023

A new leader for the Liberals, former spy chief and defence minister on trial, first estimates of new property tax, world handball championships, and the start of the build-up to Christmas.

Published: 25 October 2023 15:38 CEST
Updated: 31 October 2023 15:58 CET
Everything that changes in Denmark in November 2023
Christmas lights on Copenhagen's Strøget shopping street on December 1st in 2022. Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix

Liberal Party to vote in new leaders at annual congress

The ailing Liberal Party looks likely to get a new start at its annual congress November 18th, when party members are almost certain to back Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, as the party’s new leader along with Stephanie Lose as deputy leader. 

After becoming vice chair, Lose will join Denmark’s ruling coalition, probably retaking the role of Minister of Economic Affairs she held while the party’s former leader, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, was on sick leave between February and August this year. 

The trials of Denmark’s former spy chief and defence minister to start

The trial of Lars Findsen, former head of the Danish Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) will start at the District Court in Lyngby in the north of Copenhagen on November 28th, with the related trial of former defence minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen set to start at Copenhagen District Court on November 30th. 

The two men have been charged for disclosing state secrets to journalists, and others, with the alleged illegal disclosures apparently related to the 2014 leaks from the US whistleblower Edward Snowden about the DDIS’s agreement with the US National Security Agency to tap fibre-optic internet cables crossing Denmark. 

READ ALSO: Former head of Danish intelligence charged over leaks

 Women’s Handball World Championships and Euro 2024 qualifiers

The IHF World Women’s Handball Championship kicks off on November 30th, with this year’s competition hosted jointly by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Denmark’s first match will be held against Serbia in Herning on December 1st. 

There are also some big football games this month, Denmark’s national team taking on Slovenia at Copenhagen’s Parken stadium on November 17th in the second round of qualifier matches for next year’s UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. On November 20th, Denmark’s team take on Northern Ireland at Belfast’s Windsor Park stadium. You can find details of the matches here in Danish and here in English. 

Christmas is coming! 

Christmas doesn’t officially start until December this year, with the first Sunday in Advent falling on December 3rd, but Christmassy stuff will start happening from the start of November. 

On November 3rd, the first of Copenhagen’s Christmas markets open at Kongens Nytorv and Højbro Plads, with other Christmas markets opening one by one in Copenhagen, Aarhus and other towns over the rest of the month. 

Copenhagen’s Tivoli amusement park, which is in Halloween mode until the end of October, switches to a Christmas theme on November 19th, with glittering lights, reindeer, sleighs, and fake snow galore. Christmas kicks off at its Aarhus rival, Frihetens Tivoli, a day earlier on November 18th. 

Over in Odense, the Christmas tree gets lit on the central Flakhaven square on November 18th. 

The exact dates have yet to be announced, but you can expect Christmas lights to come on in shopping streets across Denmark between mid and late November.  

The Danish Tax Agency sends out preliminary income statements 

November is the month when the The Danish Tax Agency sends out the preliminary income statements, or forskudspgørelse, for 2024. 

This year, the forskudspgørelse is particularly important as it will mark the first time people in Denmark will see how much they are likely to owe under the new property tax which takes effect in 2024. 

You can view the assessment and make changes by logging onto your personal page on the tax agency’s website here. 

All Saints Day, or allehelgensdag 

Denmark marks All Saints on the first Sunday of November (November 5th). It’s a day to remember the dead, and many Danes visit cemeteries to visit family members’ or friends’ graves, care for the burial site, and bring extra decorations such as wreaths and, in particular, candles.

Many parish churches invite the relatives of those who have passed away during the year to a special commemoration service, with the names of the dead read out. 

Border controls with Germany to expire or be extended…again

The border controls in place between Germany and Denmark since 2016 are set to expire on November 11th, six months after they were extended in April. They are likely to be extended once again.  

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN DENMARK

KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in May 2024?

Sirens (including on smart phones) to be tested, deadline for tax returns, national holidays and a Copenhagen Marathon enjoying record popularity are among events and changes coming this month in Denmark.

Published: 29 April 2024 17:20 CEST
Updated: 1 May 2024 11:38 CEST
KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in May 2024?

Sirens and mobile alert to be tested on May 1st

Each May, Denmark tests the sirens that authorities can use to warn the population if there is an emergency situation.

The 2024 test is scheduled to take place as usual at noon on the first Wednesday of the month – which this year also means the first day of the month, Wednesday May 1st.

A test of a digital warning system, first introduced last year, will also be tested in 2024. The digital system allows authorities to send siren sounds and warning messages to smartphones.

Last year’s version of the digital test did not reach everyone due to it only being compatible with certain phone updates. So you may find you receive this year even if you did not in 2023.

Anyone with a smart phone connected to the Danish network can expect to receive the test siren and message on their devices on May 3rd at 12pm.

The physical and digital test sirens are sent out by the Danish Emergency Management Agency (Beredskabsstyrelen or DEMA) and the Danish National Police. More information can be found in English (and 10 other languages) on the DEMA website.

Deadline for finalising tax returns

Denmark’s tax authority SKAT opened access to annual tax returns on March 11th.

Annual tax returns (årsopgørelser) in Denmark cover calendar years. They are released in March and finalised in late spring, meaning taxpayers have this period to correct the information on their tax returns from the previous calendar year.

The tax returns encompass income over the preceding tax year as well as deductions and subsidies.

Normally, around three in four people receive money back from the tax authorities once their return is finalised. The amount paid back varies and depends on individual circumstances, and others may owe money to the tax system.

Rebates from the tax system are sent from mid-April onwards but the final deadline for updating information on the returns is May 1st. This means that, at the time of writing, you still (just about) have time to check whether your return is correct and update any information.

READ ALSO: 

Public holidays and other days off in May

Great Prayer Day or Store Bededag is no longer a national holiday (and fell in April this year anyway) but there are still a few dates to highlight in the diary for time off work.

Ascension Day, Kristi Himmelfartsdag in Danish, is less than two weeks after Great Prayer Day on Thursday May 9th.

Many Danes take the Friday after Ascension Day as annual leave, giving them a four-day weekend at the cost of only one day of leave.

Then there’s Whitsunday and Whitmonday, known in Danish as Pinsedag and 2. Pinsedag. These fall on May 19th and 20th respectively, so that’s another three-day weekend in the middle of the month.

Meanwhile, Labour Day on May 1st is not a public holiday in Denmark – unlike in the other Nordic countries – but many of Denmark’s workers do have the day off (sometimes half a day), provided by their collective bargaining agreements.

READ ALSO: Why isn’t May 1st a public holiday in Denmark but is in Sweden and Norway?

Switch to summer tyres (if you haven’t already)

Alternating between winter and summer tyres is not a legal requirement in Denmark, but is broadly recommended, including by FDM, the Danish membership organisation for motorists.

Neighbouring Sweden, Norway and Germany – where many Danish residents head on skiing and other holidays during the colder months – all have rules requiring winter tyres, meanwhile, meaning the practice is common in Denmark, not least for those who may need to take their cars over the border.

Most people switch back to summer tyres at Easter, which this year fell on April 9th. But the weather was still quite wintry during the early part of April, so some car owners may have held out a little longer.

More about the practice of using winter and summer tyres in Denmark can be found in this article.

Copenhagen Marathon ready to go amid massive spike in interest

The Copenhagen Marathon takes place on Sunday May 7th, so if you’re planning to drive or take a bus through parts of the capital that day you should plan ahead to avoid disruption.

The 42.2-kilometre route through the city includes a start and finish area at Øster Allé near Fælledparken. It will take marathoners past Tivoli, Christiansborg and Kongens Nytorv, as well as the charred remains of the old stock exchange, Børsen.

The marathon takes in each of Copenhagen’s central districts: Vesterbro, the Inner City, Østerbro, Frederiksberg and Nørrebro.

There’s usually a great energy along the route, with Nørrebrogade near Dronning Louises Bro (Bridge) and much of Østerbro, particularly around the Trianglen junction, among good places to lend your support.

This year could be a classic edition of the event: there’s been a surge in interest in the sport in recent years, and this year’s Copenhagen Marathon has been sold out for months – something that has not previously happened in the event’s history.

READ ALSO: Why has the Copenhagen Marathon seen a jump in popularity?

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