Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

COPENHAGEN

Copenhagen could replace Great Prayer Day holiday with own day off

After parliament this week voted to scrap Great Prayer Day, the city government in Copenhagen has taken steps that could see it retained as a local public holiday.

Published: 3 March 2023 16:59 CET
Copenhagen could replace Great Prayer Day holiday with own day off
Copenhagen Municipality is set to consider whether it can continue to observe Great Prayer Day by giving city employees and schools the day off. Photo: Søren Bidstrup/Ritzau Scanpix

Parliament voted earlier this week to abolish Great Prayer Day, a public holiday that falls in early May and has existed in Denmark since the late 17th century.

That means this year’s Great Prayer Day, on Friday May 5th, will be the last time the public is given a day off for the holiday.

Prior to its adoption, the government proposal met with criticism from trade unions and the church, while the military also distanced itself from the plan. Thousands of Danes protested it outside parliament earlier this month.

READ ALSO: Great Prayer Day abolished by Danish parliament 

A majority in the Copenhagen Municipality council [Borgerrepræsentation] has subsequently initiated discussions over whether municipal employees and schools in the city can continue to be given the day off on what would have been Great Prayer Day, broadcaster DR reports.

“The proposal was first and foremost tabled to send a signal to parliament and the public that this is something we want to try to hold on to, and that we are very unhappy to see removed,” city councillor Finn Rudaizky is quoted by news wire Ritzau.

Municipal committees must put together by May 4th a formal proposal for city officials to decide on, DR writes.

But the move to retain Great Prayer Day as a day off in Copenhagen already has the backing of several parties in the municipality, including the Danish People’s Party (DF), Conservatives, Liberal Alliance, Alternative, Socialist People’s Party (SF) and Red Green Alliance.

A potential obstacle to the plan is an earlier statement by the national organisation for municipalities, Kommunernes Landsforeningen (KL), that municipalities cannot afford to keep Great Prayer Day under their own auspices.

But Rudaizky, who represents DF in the Copenhagen city government, appeared to be undeterred by the KL statement.

“If Copenhagen Municipality can finance it, they are allowed to give staff a day off. All that is needed is and agreement between employee and employer,” he told DR.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

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.

SHOW COMMENTS