Denmark's GDP increased last year, according to figures from Statistics Denmark.The pharmaceutical industry is highlighted as the main driver of growth.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, Denmark's GDP grew by 1.6%. For the whole year, growth amounted to a total of 3.6 percent.
Statistics Denmark points to the pharmaceutical industry as the main driver of last year's economic growth. The industry grew by 30% in 2024 and accounted for around 55% of the country's total GDP increase.
– It is good for individual households and the higher demand benefits a broader part of the economy, so industries other than the pharmaceutical industry are helping to drive growth, says Minister of Economic Affairs Stephanie Lose (V) in a comment on the news, according to Danish state channel DR.
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Nearly three-quarters of all those convicted of gang-related crimes in Denmark have immigrant backgrounds from non-Western countries, according to new figures from the country's Ministry of Justice. The statistics have once again sparked a political debate about crime, culture and integration in the Scandinavian nation.
According to the Danish government report, 72 percent of all those convicted under the country's so-called gang paragraph have immigrant backgrounds, reports Berlingske, a major Danish newspaper.
The data, compiled by Statistics Denmark and the Danish Director of Public Prosecutions at the request of Conservative MP Mai Mercado, covers the years 2018 to 2025.
During this period, a total of 213 people were convicted under the paragraph. Of these, 54 had Danish backgrounds, 36 were immigrants from non-Western countries, and 117 were descendants of immigrants from the same regions.
Section § 81a of the Danish Penal Code allows courts to double sentences if a crime is committed within gang criminal circles.
Researcher Lars Højsgaard Andersen at the Rockwool Foundation notes that several countries stand out in the statistics: Iraq, Turkey, Somalia and Lebanon. He suggests that cultural differences in views on law and authority "may play a certain role".
Conservative spokesperson on migration issues Frederik Bloch Münster describes the figures as "remarkably high".
Clear difference from population composition
The fact that the figure is so markedly high attracts attention, as only about 15 percent of Denmark's population consists of people with foreign backgrounds. Although this percentage is not insignificant in itself, the statistics show a strong overrepresentation of non-European immigrants.
According to Statistics Denmark, Lebanon is the most common country of origin among convicted gang members (35 cases), followed by Somalia (29), Iraq (23) and Turkey (17).
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has previously called uncontrolled immigration Denmark's "greatest threat".
In a statement in May, she said: — If too many people come who commit crimes, who are not democrats and who threaten our trusting and open society, then that is the greatest danger.
Archive image. Photo: Welcomia/iStock
Danish People's Party mobilizes
The new figures are being released as the Danish People's Party (DF) launches one of Europe's most restrictive immigration programs ahead of the upcoming election. The party proposes mass returns, citizenship reviews and bans on Islamic customs.
In its manifesto, DF claims that mass immigration from the Middle East and North Africa has brought "crime, parallel societies and cultural change".
The party also warns that immigration from countries such as Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia has led to "the largest demographic change in Denmark's history," and argues that "Middle Eastern conditions must be pushed back so that everyone in the country can feel at home."
Unlike countries such as Germany and France, Denmark registers crime statistics based on migration background. The purpose is to better evaluate integration even among citizens with foreign parents.
But the figures are striking: according to Statistics Denmark, second-generation immigrants show even higher crime rates than the first generation – which already stands at a level far above ethnic Danes.
The crisis deepens for Swedish-based steel company Stegra as financier Harald Mix steps down from the chairman position and his investment company Vargas Holding withdraws.The new largest owner will instead be Just Climate, a subsidiary of notorious climate activist Al Gore's environmental investment firm.
This despite the company not yet having started production and facing the risk of running out of cash within a few months
Stegra's largest owner Vargas Holding is now leaving the "climate-smart steel" project following Harald Mix's departure as board chairman. Instead, Just Climate is stepping in as the new principal owner, according to reports to Schibsted-owned Svenska Dagbladet.
Just Climate is an investment company founded by prominent activist Al Gore, and belongs to the asset management firm Generation Investment Management. Since its launch in 2021, the company has attracted approximately €1.3 billion from investors for climate projects, with Stegra being one of them.
Harald Mix will be replaced by Shaun Kingsbury, who according to reports will become the new board chairman for Stegra. However, Mix will continue to work with and advocate for the project.
— My confidence in the company remains unshaken and I will continue to support the company financially as an investor and in my work as an active board member, Harald Mix stated to Dagens Industri.
Al Gore at a World Economic Forum meeting in 2020. Photo: World Economic Forum/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Large pension funds behind the fund
Among the investors in Just Climate are two Swedish state-owned AP funds, Second AP Fund and Fourth AP Fund, which together manage tens of billions of euros in pension assets.
The funds' investment in Just Climate is currently estimated at approximately €55 million – a relatively modest amount compared to their total capital, but still a source of concern as the project finds itself in deep crisis.
The fact that Swedish pension money has once again been invested in a high-risk project has sparked reactions, not least after the Northvolt fiasco – a corporate collapse that cost Swedish taxpayers billions.
Den gröna omställningen blir återigen en stor grushög denna gång heter grushögen Stegra pic.twitter.com/WYh5cMYQ7g
Stegra has not yet begun production of fossil-free steel at the factory to be built in Boden, northern Sweden. The production start is currently postponed until the turn of 2026/2027, while both costs and debts have skyrocketed.
According to reports from Financial Times, Stegra is burning through approximately €270 million per month and risks running out of money within two months unless credit facilities are granted. Major bank Citigroup has reportedly also withdrawn from the financing.
The crisis at Stegra has been compared to the bankruptcy of battery manufacturer Northvolt earlier this year, and a source with insight says: — This is starting to look more and more like Northvolt. It's hard to see anything other than investments being written off.
If the project collapses, Swedish pension savers risk major losses once again. Among others, AMF Pension (a major Swedish pension fund) has invested €165 million in the company, and Third AP Fund is involved as an investor through private equity firm Altor – founded by Mix and Stegra's second-largest owner.
Al Gore, born March 31, 1948 in Washington D.C., served as US Vice President under Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001. After the controversial 2000 presidential election, he devoted himself entirely to climate issues. The documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006) made him a global climate alarmist figure, and in 2007 he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the UN's climate panel, the IPCC.
Parallel to his activism, Gore has built up significant economic interests. He is co-founder of Generation Investment Management, a London-based investment firm focused on "sustainability", and its subsidiary Just Climate, now the largest owner in Stegra, has raised billions of euros from institutional investors, including Swedish pension funds.
Critics question whether Gore's economic involvement undermines the credibility of his activism, while supporters argue that investments in sustainable companies are necessary for the so-called green transition.
Gore is also founder of The Climate Reality Project, which works with opinion formation and education on environmental and climate issues globally. At the same time, he has established close connections to international power networks, including the World Economic Forum and other influential global economic and political platforms. This strengthens his influence, but has also raised questions about how close cooperation with major economic and political interests actually affects his role as an activist and opinion leader.
Trump's tariffs have reversed trade patterns. China has now overtaken the US as Germany's most important trading partner – just one year after losing the top position.
China has reclaimed first place as Germany's largest trading partner. During the first eight months of the year, trade with China reached €163.4 billion, compared to €162.8 billion for the US, according to preliminary figures from the German statistical office, reports Reuters.
It's a rapid reversal. The US was Germany's largest trading partner in 2024, breaking an eight-year period of Chinese dominance. The shift came as Germany actively tried to reduce its dependence on China, citing political differences and unfair trade practices.
But Donald Trump's return to the White House and renewed tariffs have changed the dynamics.
Tariffs hit hard
German exports to the US fell by 7.4 percent during the first eight months of the year to €99.6 billion. In August, exports dropped by as much as 23.5 percent compared to the previous year.
— There is no question that US tariff and trade policy is an important reason for the decline in sales, says Dirk Jandura, chairman of the German Association for Foreign Trade (BGA).
He notes that American demand for classic German export goods such as cars, machinery and chemicals has decreased.
Chinese imports increase
While exports to China fell by 13.5 percent, imports from China increased by 8.3 percent to €108.8 billion.
— The renewed import boom from China is worrying, says Carsten Brzeski, global head of macroeconomics at ING. Particularly as data shows that these imports come at dumping prices.
He warns that this increases Germany's dependence on China and could put additional pressure on key industries where China has become a major competitor.
A new investigation shows that new nuclear power plants can be built in the Barsebäck area, Sweden, after a political majority in Kävlinge municipality expressed a desire to establish nuclear power there.
However, the plans are causing irritation among Denmark's ruling Social Democrats, who consider this would be "unfortunate".
The Barsebäck nuclear power plant in southern Sweden consisted of two reactors that were decommissioned in 1999 and 2005. Demolition began in 2016 and the plan is for the site to be leveled by 2030. Kävlinge municipality, where the decommissioned nuclear power plant is located, has agreed with the landowner that the site should accommodate development of fossil-free energy solutions such as solar power.
However, the new investigation commissioned by the municipality with support from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency shows that it is also possible to establish new nuclear power in the area. That said, it would require strong consideration for the nature in the area. The report primarily points to Barsebäck marsh, Ulakärr, Lödde stream and Salviken as having high natural values that need to be protected.
– We're not at the point of breaking ground. But they have concluded that in certain areas it works well, in other areas the investigation says that nature interests take precedence here, says Annsofie Thuresson from the Moderate Party to Sydsvenskan.
Proximity to Copenhagen causes concern
The Swedish government has recently presented a new legislative proposal for amendments to the Environmental Code that would allow the establishment of new nuclear power along the coast.
The Barsebäck area is located near Denmark, and the potential plans to build new nuclear power are meeting resistance from Danish Social Democrats.
"It is unfortunate that Sweden continues on this path and plans to build new reactors near Copenhagen. Especially at a time when our security is under so much pressure", writes the party's political chairman Niels Bjerrum to Danish newspaper Berlingske.
At the same time, the Danish party Liberal Alliance, among others, is positive about establishing new nuclear power and wants to scrap wind power in Denmark to instead invest in more nuclear power facilities.
