Michael de Laine

By Michael de Laine, the Copenhagen Voice, 29 September 2009

Immigration and integration again overshadow the economy as the main subject of political debate in the run-up to the Danish parliamentary election in 2011.

Pia Kjærsgaard, the leader of the Danish People’s Party, sees the number of immigrants as the biggest problem in the Danish debate about foreigners, while the leader of the Social Liberals, Margrethe Vestager, says the problem is the weak integration efforts by Danish society.

That became clear at a debate yesterday about immigration, integration, repatriation of rejected asylum-seekers and related subjects, where Peter Mogensen, political commentator with the Politiken newspaper, was moderator.

Despite several years of ever-tighter immigration and asylum rules and regulations, and a move towards stricter views on these subjects by both the Social Democrats and the Socialist People’s Party, the number of immigrants and asylum-seekers is growing.

Both politicians noted that the return of failed Iraqi asylum-seekers under the agreement between Denmark and Iraq is a problem, partly because of the way (and the debate about) the police detained Iraqis in Brorson’s Church in Copenhagen, partly because their return is regarded by many as forcible and not peaceful; as required by the agreement; and partly because of the recent denial by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Iraq actually has signed an agreement with Denmark for repatriation of Iraqis against their will.

This led Margrethe Vestager to call on Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs Birthe Rønn Hornbech to “…clear her desk and find out whether Denmark actually has a repatriation agreement with Iraq, and what it entails, and tell us about it.”

Immigration and integration again overshadow the economy as the main subject of political debate in the run-up to the Danish parliamentary election, which must be held by November 2011, Peter Mogensen told the Copenhagen Voice. He believes the present Liberal-Conservative government will wait at least until the spring of 2011 before calling the election, so it can reap the benefits of the various initiatives aimed at helping Denmark ride out the economic crisis.

Margrethe Vestager told the Copenhagen Voice that she sees a need for a longer-term economic plan for Denmark. She also explained how the Social Liberals differ from the Social Democrats and the Socialist People’s Party on immigration.

Both commented on the current political situation and the possibility of a Social Democratic/Socialist People’s Party/Social Liberal coalition taking power.