The Danish Connection

Death is a part of life - but how do Danes deal with it? Welcome back to another episode of Stories from the Streets with Maria Pagola - a special bonus series from The Danish Connection where we take to the streets of Copenhagen to find out what Danes and Internationals really think about some of life's biggest issues. This week, we're uncovering the cultural and practical aspects of deat...

On Tuesday, a historic number of international citizens voted in the local and regional elections in Denmark. Now, the results are in, and we’re here (as always) to help you make sense of it all. Rachel sits down with: Bernardo Basilici Menini , Editor-in-Chief of the English language news outlet The Copenhagen Post which covered the elections extensively NicolasButInEnglish , a democratic activis...

This week on The Danish Connection: 💊 We discuss the Danish government’s plan to invest DKK 160 million in a new National Centre for Research in Women’s Health. 🛂 We talk about Mette Frederiksen’s latest Facebook post where she warned of further restrictions on immigration, saying newcomers must accept ‘core Danish values’ and that the flow of international students moving to Denmark and working...

This week on The Danish Connection: Melissa explores the citizenship controversy surrounding a Muslim leader denied Danish citizenship despite meeting all legal criteria. Lawmakers cited “values incompatible with Danish principles,” sparking a debate over religious freedom, democracy and increasing restrictions around citizenship in Denmark. Rachel breaks down the Mink Scandal - the controversy th...

This week on The Danish Connection: Eva unpacks the mysterious drone incidents that shut down Danish airports and raised national security alarms. Who is behind them, why is the Prime Minister receiving criticism for how it was handled and was it discussed among EU leaders at the summit that took place in Copenhagen this week? Rachel dives into Denmark’s upcoming local and regional elections, taki...

Welcome back to another edition of Stories from the Streets with Maria Pagola - a bonus series from The Danish Connection where you get the chance to hear the unfiltered voices of Copenhagen speaking about the big topics, the small details, and everything in between.  In this episode, Maria discusses the many layers of meaning behind Denmark’s most basic commodity: Water Is it safe to drink it, is...

This week on The Danish Connection, we’re digging into three huge stories that reveal the darker sides of public figures, education systems, and women’s safety in Denmark: 🇩🇰 Eva breaks down the shocking case of former Social Democrats minister Henrik Sass Larsen, who has been convicted of possessing thousands of child sexual abuse materials, and why his prison sentence has caused public outrage....

Welcome back to The Situation Room. This week, Jonas Friis is joined by Sine Plambech -anthropologist, author, filmmaker, and Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Her work spans migration, smuggling, trafficking, and the sex industry, taking her deep into migrant communities, border zones, red-light districts, and along migration routes across West Africa, As...

The Danish stock market, Novo Nordisk and Trump                               Rachel explores how Trump’s trade policies are sending shockwaves through Danish companies like Novo Nordisk, Ørsted, and Vestas. With tariffs, the falling value of the dollar, and investor uncertainty hitting the Danish economy, she looks into what this means for Denmark’s future in global markets and for the Danish GDP...

It may be ‘cucumber time’ in Denmark, but we’ve still managed to create a roundup of the latest news to keep you informed! This week on The Danish Connection: *Danish zoos spark global outrage after asking people to donate unwanted pets and livestock on Facebook. *In Amager, a butcher shop targeted by animal rights protests and vandalism sees sales soar in a show of local solidarity. *Copenhagen w...

Why does Denmark have so many sperm donors? How do Danes deal with death? How safe is it to swim in, and drink the water here? How is it to be a sex worker in Denmark? Welcome to season two of Stories from the Streets with Maria Pagola - an extra monthly episode from The Danish Connection where you’ll hear the unfiltered voices of Copenhagen speaking about the big topics, the small details, and ev...

With half of the population of Copenhagen at Roskilde this week, Eva away in Aalborg and the weather being a complete b*tch, Melissa and Rachel bring you a chatty episode to cheer you up looking into three of the top stories in Denmark this week: *We talk about waste management at Roskilde and how activism at festivals became controversial. *We look into why young people in Denmark are having less...

Welcome back to The Situation Room. This week Jonas Friis sits down with Jan Werner Mathiasen - a military analyst at the Institute for Strategy and War Studies, where he also teaches and researches military strategy. Jan focuses on how culture, domestic politics, and identity affect how countries use military power. He has also been an officer in the Danish military for 25 years. In this episode,...

Welcome back to another brand new episode of The Danish Connection - this is a special one! Government moves to ban ads for junk food aimed at children
Reported by Melissa 
As part of Cancer Plan V, Denmark will tighten its Marketing Act to stop influencers and companies from targeting children under 15 with ads for soda, chips, and fast food. Melissa explores what sparked the change, what it mean...

The rain is back, and so are we! This week on The Danish Connection: Political push to limit English in Danish institutions Reported by Rachel Are Danes speaking too much English in their daily lives? Two parties are proposing new language laws to restrict English in public spaces and education. While supporters argue it's about protecting Danish identity, critics say it's out of touch wit...

Happy Sunday everyone! This week on The Danish Connection: Copenhagen car crash raises questions about driving laws for the elderly *Reported by Rachel A 75-year-old man was held in custody last week after injuring 12 people in a serious car accident near the lakes in central Copenhagen. He claims confusion and a slipped foot caused the crash, but the court suspects he knew he was unable to drive...

We’re back! Did you miss us? This week on The Danish Connection: Melissa shares the case of Nadine , a woman raised in Denmark since she was a child who is now facing possible deportation over a 20-year-old citizenship "mistake." She also shares how a Facebook comment may have worked against her, and what this says about citizenship, rights, and political pressure in Denmark. Rachel disc...

The world is changing - and so is Denmark’s place in it. Welcome to The Situation Room. In this special bonus series from The Danish Connection, we are joined by Jonas Friis. Jonas has been in the military for thirteen years, he is currently a naval officer, and aside from that, he is interested in investigating, understanding and commenting on the Danish military and it’s place in the global defe...

Welcome to another episode of The Expat’s Toolkit - where we give you tools and actionable tips on how to thrive as an immigrant in Denmark. You may remember our episode with Signe about finding a job in your field in Denmark, or with Rasmus about learning to unionize.  In today’s episode, we are talking about something most of us struggle with - learning Danish. To do this, we sat down with Sigga...

Welcome back to another episode of your favourite Danish news podcast! Greenlanders have voted: Melissa discusses Demokraatit's surprise election victory in Greenland and what it means for Greenland’s future. Denmark boycotts US goods: Eva examines how Danish consumers are taking action by boycotting American products in response to Trump's policies, with some of Denmark’s major retailers...

Happy Kvindernes Internationale Kampdag—aka International Women’s Day! 🎉 In this special episode, we take you through the history of the feminist movement in Denmark and explore what it means to practice feminism—both in the past and today. To do that, we’re joined by the amazing Nadia (TAG)—a Danish-Algerian feminist activist, project manager, advisor, writer, and cultural facilitator based in C...

This week on The Danish Connection: Rachel talks about the protests outside Maersk HQ on February 23rd, when 1,000 protesters gathered to demonstrate against the Danish shipping giant’s alleged transportation of military equipment to Israel, and why things took an unexpectedly violent turn. She also discusses the Danwatch investigation that found more than 2,000 consignment notes of shipments from...

Hello friends! We hope you’re staying warm out there. This week on The Danish Connection: * Rachel unpacks how a trade war between Denmark and the United States would impact the Danish economy, what companies would be worst hit and what products the States would be missing most. * Eva talks about the deadly school shooting in Risbergska school in Örebro, Sweden, where ten people lost their lives e...

This week on The Danish Connection: We speak to The Copenhagen Post’s co editor Nicolai Kampman about why Trump is trying to buy Greenland (again), what is means for Greenlanders and how Denmark is reacting. We discuss why 90% of internationals are being charged too much rent in Denmark, and give you some actionable tips on how you can avoid it happening to you. We look at some statistics on homel...

Hello everyone! We’re back, and we’re excited to bring you up to speed on everything that has been happening in Denmark over the past month. Before we return to the studio next week to record our usual biweekly episode, we bring you Stories from the Streets: Royal Gossip! Once again, our lovely resident storyteller Maria Pagola takes us through the streets of Copenhagen to discover what’s really g...