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Government unveils 2019 budget proposal

Christian Wenande
August 30th, 2018


This article is more than 6 years old.

More money for the elderly, vulnerable children and sustainability amongst the main budget points

‘Greater safety and more togetherness’ (photo: fm.dk)

The finance minister Kristian Jensen today revealed the government’s 2019 budget proposal entitled ‘Greater safety and more togetherness’.

Billions of kroner have been set aside to strengthen areas such as welfare, climate, education, agriculture, nature and the labour market.

“Because we have a handle on Denmark’s economy, the government can prioritise new initiatives in selected areas. The healthy economy will be used to create an even safer and closer Denmark, where we invest in the core welfare of children, youth, adults and elderly, and where we ease taxes and create a greener Denmark,” said Jensen.

A central aspect of the plan involves earmarking 4.2 billion kroner for welfare, including for the elderly and socially vulnerable, reducing administrative processing times, for children, youth and for a better and more connected public sector.

There is also the promise of a new massive health proposal being rolled out sometime this autumn.

READ MORE: Government to lower tariffs on electricity for summerhouse owners

Mean and green
An additional 1 billion kroner will be set aside over the next four years for initiatives aimed at making Denmark greener by boosting nature, the climate and the environment. A climate proposal will also be presented in the not-too-distant future.

Another billion kroner will be set aside to protect the Danish west coast against flooding and erosion ahead to 2024, while the government also intends to ease fees such as on electricity taxes for summer houses.

A further 600 million kroner has been reserved for better education and a more robust labour market – including a forthcoming business education proposal. Following up on the work from the Disruption Council also comes under that scope.

Funds will also continue to support the development of Denmark’s rural areas, including an agriculture sector that has languished through the drought this summer.

Read more about the proposal here (in Danish).


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”