Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday

Party wants emissions-free Denmark by 2040 

Denmark has a political target of reducing its carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030, a goal that is broadly backed in parliament. The centre-left Social Liberal (Radikale Venstre) party says it wants to take those ambitions up a level by making the country CO2 neutral by 2040.

The party wants to put aside 25 billion kroner to promote conversion to sustainable and green technology, broadcaster DR writes.

Tax to be introduced on snus 

A tax looks likely to be charged on snus, the small tobacco pouches popular in Norway and Sweden (and interestingly, not referred to as snus but as the more mundane nikotinposer, nicotine bags, in Danish).

Recent reports in Danish media have suggested health experts are concerned over use of the snus pouches in (intimate) places other than under the top lip, where they are normally placed.

A box of snus could become 11 kroner more expensive under the tax, the same charge as the one placed on cigarettes. The government is to table a bill which could see it introduced by the new year.

Residency applicants may need private health insurance 

Denmark’s strong welfare state includes the provision of free health care for all residents. But people who are waiting for their residency applications to be processed – a waiting time that is currently longer than usual – are increasingly finding themselves not caught by the safety net.

Extended processing times for residence permits due to a Covid-19 backlog have left many waiting in Denmark for months without access to the public health programme. 

Here's what to expect on accessing – and paying for – medical care without a personal registration (CPR) number.

Nurses continue strike action despite fines

Nurses in Aalborg this morning continued industrial protests by striking for one hour, just as they did yesterday, DR reports.

Similar strikes, which breach the nurses’ government-enforced collective bargaining agreement, took place earlier this week in Herlev near Copenhagen and on the islands of Bornholm and Lolland.

Yesterday, a labour court ruled that nurses will face fines of up to 86 kroner per hour for the action, but that does not appear to have deterred them.

EXPLAINED: Why has the government intervened in Denmark’s nurses strike?

Newspaper to ignore American culture for one month 

Denmark needs “a break” from American culture, according to newspaper Dagbladet Information, which is to take a month of reviewing any products of the US culture industry, managing editor Rune Lykkeberg writes today.

“The American culture industry has, with streaming services, tech giants and through global publicity gained a unique power over our conception of the world. We have loved it and carried it forwards ourselves.

“We are now undertaking an exercise in resistance: For the next month we will not review culture from the USA but will go exploring in the cultural world outside America,” Lykkeberg writes.