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CROSS-BORDER WORKERS

Denmark-Sweden Öresund commutes hit record high but freight journeys down

The combined number of ferry and bridge journeys by private individuals across the Öresund between Denmark and Sweden hit a new record in 2023.

Published: 21 February 2024 14:25 CET
Denmark-Sweden Öresund commutes hit record high but freight journeys down
Commutes were up but freight down crossing the Öresund in 2023. Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash

Last year saw over 100,000 private trips over the crossing on average each day, according to a press statement from Øresundsbron, the operator of the Øresund Bridge.

Train travel saw the largest increase of any journey type, according to the statement.

Øresundsbron identified what it says are three key trends in traffic across the straits.

These are: a record number of private car and train journeys over the Öresund Bridge, as well as a record number of ferry trips between Helsingborg and Helsingør; an upward trend in commuters, but to a level still lower than in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic; and a slowdown in freight transport compared to 2022.

The fourth quarter of 2023 saw 19,351 journeys each day, the busiest quarter for the crossing in the period 2016-2023. The annual total remains four percent lower than in 2019.

“Commuting over the Öresund is one of the clearest indicators for integration across the Öresund, and the fourth quarter shows a clear positive trend,” Øresundsbron director of marketing Berit Vestergaard said in the statement.

“It’s now more attractive than ever for many Swedes to work in Denmark and for Danes to move to Sweden,” she said.

READ ALSO: Denmark open to Malmö metro link if Sweden foots the bill

Freight traffic over the Öresund was the only category which declined in 2023 with a six percent decrease in goods trains as well as lorries and commercial vans. The overall level of goods traffic was the same as in Covid-hit year 2020.

The data is drawn from Øresundsbron’s statistics bank, Øresundsindex.

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TRANSPORT

Denmark confirms latest extension of Germany border controls

Denmark’s temporary controls on the border with Germany have again been extended for a new six-month term.

Published: 12 April 2024 14:34 CEST
Denmark confirms latest extension of Germany border controls

The latest extension to the border controls was confirmed by Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard in a ministry press statement on Friday.

The existing borders controls would have expired in May had they not been extended.

“The safety and security of Danes is a core priority for the government. It is the view of the government that the current level of threat makes it necessary to retain the temporary border controls with Germany,” Hummelgaard said in the statement.

Although technically a temporary measure, the Danish border controls have been extended many times and have been in place in some form since 2016.

Although Denmark’s border controls have been continually extended, they were relaxed in May last year.

The relaxed rules mean that fewer motorists are now stopped for checks at the border when entering Denmark from Germany, compared to early 2023 and before. Instead, border controls are made in line with police assessments on where they are most needed.

Denmark’s repeated decisions to extend the controls have however raised concerns in the EU, which has initiated a review of whether the measure is legal.

Under the rules of the Schengen agreement, countries can place temporary border controls under exceptional circumstances. After a six-month period, the temporary checks must be renewed. 

Denmark initially introduced border checks with Germany in early 2016, citing the refugee crisis of late 2015 as justification. It later referred to a more general “security and migration situation” as cause for continually extending the controls, pointing to what it said was a threat of organised crime and terrorism.

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