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WORKING IN DENMARK

Denmark takes ‘far too long’ to approve qualifications of foreign medics

The Danish parliamentary ombudsman’s office has concluded that authorities take too long to approve qualifications and authorise foreign medical professionals who apply to work in Denmark.

Published: 25 February 2022 16:05 CET
hospital in denmark
Denmark's parliamentary watchdog says the country's Patient Afety Authority takes too long to process authorisation of foreign doctors. File photo: Asger Ladefoged/Ritzau Scanpix

A report by the ombudsman, which was released earlier this week, said that the processing time for applications had increased from 10 months in 2018 to as much as 3 years.

“That is far too long,” the ombudsman’s office said as the report was released.

“When a foreign doctor from a country outside of the EU or EEA applies for authorisation to work in Denmark, it takes around three years from when the Danish Patient Safety Authority receives the application to when the authority assesses whether the doctor’s training is suitable to be applied in practice,” it wrote.

That is despite the actual assessment of the application taking as little as “between two and five days”, the ombudsman wrote.

The report released by the parliamentary ombudsman’s office comes following an investigation into the issue by the watchdog. The Local has previously reported on the long waits faced by highly qualified foreign medics who seek to practice in Denmark.

READ ALSO: Why does Denmark take so long to authorise foreign medical professionals?

“(Three years) is far too long. Not least when you consider that the cases in reality are sitting still for more or less all of that period and the cases are normally uncomplicated and quick to process,” parliamentary ombudsman Niels Fenger said.

The Ombudsman investigation began in June 2021 following reports in Danish media and parliamentary discussion of the issue, it said.

According to the Danish Patient Safety Authority, longer processing times have occurred as a result of a marked increase in the number of applications, while around one and a half months of the authority’s yearly calendar is allocated to the task.

As a result, an imbalance has occurred between the number of staff and the number of applications which must be processed.

As of June 30th 2021, 1,224 applications were awaiting assessment by the Danish Patient Safety Authority, according to the ombudsman.

The parliamentary watchdog also stated that the Ministry of Health has informed it that it, along with the Patient Safety Authority, is currently looking into ways to reduce the waiting time.

The 2022 budget includes 23.1 million kroner of spending aimed at reducing the backlog of authorisation applications from health personnel from non-EU countries.

The ombudsman said it would review the waiting times again in 2024 to assess whether these initiatives have had the desired effect.

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POLITICS

ANALYSIS: Is left-wing party’s EU election win good news for foreigners in Denmark?   

Denmark’s EU election returned a dream result for the Socialist People’s Party (SF), a centre-left opposition party. Could it have any long-term impact for foreigners who live in Denmark?

Published: 11 June 2024 18:58 CEST
ANALYSIS: Is left-wing party’s EU election win good news for foreigners in Denmark?   

What happened in the election? 

Sunday’s EU elections can be considered a huge win for the Socialist People’s Party (SF).

The party reeived 17.4 percent of the vote, up 4.2 points from 2019, making it the largest Danish party in the EU parliament and giving it 3 of Denmark’s 15 seats.

It also means SF now has as many EU parliament seats as the goverining Social Democrats, who lost 5.9 points to end on 15.6 percent, with their mandate allocation staying at 3.

The two parties are closely aligned in domestic Danish politics, despite SF currently being in opposition and the Social Democrats being the senior partner in a tripartite coalition with the centre-right Liberals (Venstre) and centrist Moderates.

Like the Social Democrats, the Liberals also had a damaging evening. The party lost 8.8 points and is now Denmark’s third-largest in the EU on 14.7 percent and 2 seats – 2 fewer than it had in 2019. However, they remain the largest Danish right-wing party in the EU by some distance, seeing off any challenge from the libertarian Liberal Alliance (LA) along with the far right. 

The Moderates, meanwhile, took a single seat in the EU parliament for their lead candidate Stine Bosse with a 5.9 percent share in their first EU election.

READ ALSO: Four key takeaways from the EU elections in Denmark

What is the potential impact on domestic politics? 

Speaking on election night, SF leader Pia Olsen Dyhr said the party’s excellent result could be used as a “catalyst” for a new political landscape in Denmark.

The EU election result can fuel further gains for SF when the next general election comes around, Dyhr said in the midst of her party’s celebrations.

“There’s an alternative to this government. There’s an alternative that wants [more] welfare and [to do more for] the climate and we are willing to deliver this in the EU parliament,” she told broadcaster DR.

“It gives us a tailwind and enthusiasm for the party and it means people will be even more ready for local elections next year and the general election further ahead,” she said.

During a press briefing on Monday, chief political analyst at Think Tank Europe Christine Nissen said that the resounding result for SF could indeed have implications for future national elections.

“We won’t see any direct results or change in government right away but there’s no doubt that the power balances are reflected in such a result as yesterday because it was so significant,” Nissen said, highlighting in particular the poor outcome for the Social Democrats.

“I think that looking towards the next national election, the Social Democrats might well have a very strong party on the left. And this will also matter,” she said.

During Prime Minister Frederiksen’s first term between 2019 and 2022, the Social Democrats ruled as a minority government propped up by parties to its left – including SF.

Theoretically, this structure or a similar one could return but with a stronger and more influential SF, if that party can transfer its European vote return to a national one. Neither the Social Democrats nor SF have given any hint of this happening, it should be noted.

Would a more influential SF change anything for foreigners?

The answer to this question is speculative, but SF and Social Democrats are generally allies. SF says it favours a “sensible” approach to immigration and in practice agrees with the Social Democrats more often than not.

SF has, occasionally, set out areas on which it does not agree with Social Democratic policies.

This has included accepting quota refugees from the UN – a question on which the Social Democrats eventually changed stance and agreed with SF.

The smaller party has also advocated more accommodating rules for family reunification of refugees, and opposed some controversial policies such as the “Jewellery Law” which was supported by the Social Democrats (but proposed by the Liberals).

On broad issues such as citizenship and residency permits, SF has not often broken with the Social Democrats during Frederiksen’s time in office – so much so, that the party has been criticised by its own youth wing for taking too tough a line on immigration.

While other left-wing parties like the Red-Green Alliance and Social Liberals, for example, want to change citizenship rules to better accommodate Danish-born non-citizens, SF is yet to explicitly support this.

On work permits, the party sometimes votes against rule adjustments that make it easier to hire from abroad (as can be seen here), ostensibly because one of its core identities is as a workers’ party which protects Danish labour. 

It is therefore far from certain, if SF had many more seats in parliament than it does today, that the party would pursue a significantly changed approach on immigration and integration.

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