In Focus
"More hard issues should be discussed at the Nordic Council"
Protect democracy, fight fake news and protect biological diversity. These are issues on the agenda for Iceland’s 2020 Presidency of the Nordic Council. Another focus area is to improve knowledge of Nordic languages.
Inspired by TED Talks: Nordic podcast launch in the USA
Nordic Talks is the Nordic Council of Ministers’s own podcast series aimed at highlighting Nordic values to a global audience. The idea is also to create a lasting dialogue with the rest of the world.
Malmö: Police officers are also vulnerable
“When you come home with a black eye after being hit, you are a human being first,” says Malmö’s police chief with ten years frontline experience into the city. Thinking police are trained to deal with the worst possible situations, or even prepared to die, is to put too much belief in a human being’s capability, he says.
Fundamental misinterpretation led to Norwegian legal scandal
It has been called Norway’s worst ever miscarriage of justice. Thousands of people were accused of cheating the benefits system when accepting unemployment allowance and other support while living abroad. It then turned out it was never illegal – as long as it happened within the EEA.
Danish welfare agency wide open for fraudster
Should an employee get a lesser sentence if it is easy to steal from the employer? This issue is currently being debated in the criminal case brought against Danish Britta Nielsen, who stole more than 100 million kroner (over €13m) from her employer, the Danish National Board of Social Services. The money had been allocated to disadvantaged citizens.
Trust in Statistics Sweden hit after incorrect unemployment figures
Swedish unemployment statistics for the past year have been revised. A subcontractor provided numbers that turned out to be wrong, and is now accused of cheating.
Sweden – more generous than what EU law demands
For many years, Swedish authorities considered it to be people’s right to take their so-called guaranteed pension (garantipension) with them if they moved abroad. Yet, a couple of years ago, the EU Court of Justice made it clear that Sweden was not at all obliged to pay the guaranteed pension to people living in other countries.
The transnationals – when one country is not enough
“More and more people chose to be transnational. They don’t want to live in just one of two countries, but in both. This might not be a huge number of people, but they do represent a challenge for national welfare systems,” says Jørgen Carling. He has spent several years leading a research project looking at the phenomenon at Prio.
Angela Davis in Reykjavik: We must see the structural powers that support the violence
“If we don’t challenge the structures in society, we risk getting into a situation where we end up fighting for women’s rights to be as violent as men,” warned Angela Davis when she addressed the large #metoo conference in Reykjavik on 17-19 September.
The male role in Finland is changing
One ended up in prison for refusing to do his military service. Another did his military service and ended up working for the armed forces. Today both are on the board of the new feminist association for men, saying they have a lot to learn from the Finnish women’s movement.
Sweden to strengthen preventative work against discrimination
Many employers are not aware that they must work on active measures to promote equal rights and opportunities for their employees. So says the Swedish government, which has appointed a commissioner tasked with coming up with proposals for how to make the monitoring of the discrimination act more effective.
How have the Nordic countries reacted to #metoo?
The Nordic countries have put the questions raised by the metoo-movement high on the agenda, not only for the ministers of gender equality, but for all ministers.
Alarm bells ring after many fatal workplace accidents in Sweden
Men working high up in construction and men loading and unloading trucks. Two risk-filled jobs that have claimed lives 2019 in Sweden. But the initial increase in fatal accidents earlier in 2019 has subsided. 44 persons died, which is 11 less than the year before.
Finnish safety training park makes workplace risks more visible
Everyone should return home in the evening. That is the motto for construction workers. But you need more than theoretical knowledge in order to eliminate the risks of accidents. Like bringing routines closer to people’s hearts. A visit to a safety training park speeds things up.
Closing down the Faroes to attract more tourists
The Faroe Islands are closing down. Damaged nature will be fixed. The Prime Minister for the 18 green islands in the North Atlantic is being very clear: No tourists for an entire weekend. But the Faroes were not closed down. It was all a well-prepared PR stunt to attract more tourists to the country.
Iceland’s tourism becomes a hot environmental topic
Tourists drowning at sea. Tourists dying in bus accidents. Tourists driving illegally off road and getting stuck in the middle of an active geothermal area. They do serious damage to nature just to post pictures of themselves and their tyre tracks on social media.
Sustainable tourism in Åland – no Coca-Cola or Norwegian salmon
Åland was first to implement the Green Key certification scheme for restaurants in Finland. Among the pioneers was Pub Stallhagen, where chef Johanna Dahlgren has done a huge job both as an inspirator and educator.
Åland: many travellers, far fewer overnighters
Åland has just under 30 000 citizens, and more than two million annual visitors. This must mean the place is literally swarming with travellers, right?
Is overtourism a threat to the Nordics, or can the sector become sustainable?
We have all seen the pictures of the queue to get to the top of Mount Everest, gigantic cruise ships docking in Venice and anti-tourist protests in Barcelona. Mass tourism has taken a step towards becoming “overtourism”.
How to get Danes to retire later – like Norwegians and Swedes do
Norwegians and Swedes retire later than their Danish neighbours, partly because their pensions keep growing with each extra year they spend in the labour market. This is one of the 11 good reasons a new report highlights for Denmark to learn from what Sweden and Norway do.
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