Michael de Laine

By Michael de Laine, The Copenhagen Voice, 24 February 2010

High prosperity and growth will enable Denmark to form a society with secure welfare, decent care of the elderly, a world-class health service and a clean environment, the government says in a new policy document.

Following the government reshuffle yesterday, when Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Liberals) named a number of new ministers, the Liberal-Conservative government today released a new policy document, ‘Danmark 2020 – Viden > vækst > velstand > velfærd (Denmark 2020 – Knowledge > growth > prosperity > welfare)’.

The document contains the Liberal-Conservative ten ambitious targets for Denmark that will “gather the nation and mobilise the strengths that we all have”. These targets also focus on Denmark’s long-term challenges, the government said.

The overall target is to ensure that Denmark is among the ten wealthiest countries in the world in 2020.

“High prosperity and growth are the foundation for giving us the freedom to form our society as we want it: with secure welfare, decent care of the elderly, a world-class health service and a clean environment,” the government said in the policy document. It added that although the work to meet the targets starts immediately, the targets are so ambitious that it will take time to reach them.

Getting out of the international crisis that has hit Denmark means “We need a society with strong values, a society where we collaborate and have confidence in and respect for each other,” the government said. “We need a global view and national roots. We need economic responsibility in both the public economy and businesses. We need more dynamism in terms of work, education, savings, investments and entrepreneurialism.”

The government’s ten targets are based on 69 sub-targets or activities in the coming years.

The government wants Denmark to be among the ten richest countries in 2020, measured in terms of gross national product per capita. Denmark’s economic policy shall be tenable in the long term, its businesses must be among the most innovative in the world and the country must be among the best creators of growth businesses. This will be achieved through control of public spending, restoration of the public finances, encouragement of investments and innovation, and a reduced administrative burden.

The percentage on Danes on the labour market, and the hours they work, must be among the 10 highest in the world. This will be achieved through special focus on youth and long-term unemployment, a reform of early retirement schemes, and attracting key staff from abroad.

Danish schoolchildren must be among the top five in the world in reading, mathematics and natural sciences by 2020.

At least one Danish university must be among the top ten universities in Europe, and all the universities must retain or improve their international rankings. This will be achieved through courses that meet the needs of society, high ambitions in research and innovation, and strengthened basic research.

Denmark shall be among the ten countries with the highest life expectancy. This is to be achieved through improvements in certain areas of the health system, dearer tobacco and alcohol, and greater focus on exercise.

Denmark must among the world’s three most energy efficient countries in the OECD, and must also see the highest growth in the share of renewable and sustainable energy. There must be a cut in the nutrients seeping to its water environment. Here the focus will be on green transport, phasing out of fossil fuels, agriculture as a supplier of green energy, lower consumption of pesticides and turning Denmark into a laboratory for green growth.

Denmark should be among the countries where differences in incomes are smallest in 2020, and where there is a fight against poverty. Homelessness, social exclusion and drug abuse will be in focus, and civil society and voluntary organisations will be included in social work.

Denmark must among the freest countries in Europe in terms of political and other rights and among the best to integrate non-western immigrants and their successors. This will be achieved through a review of the alien and integration legislation, an end to parallel societies in Denmark and a focus on anti-radicalisation.

Denmark must one of the countries with the highest degree of confidence in other people and the authorities, without corruption and where the risk of serious crime is among the lowest in Europe. Crime and terror prevention, confidence the people can change for the better and greater feeling of personal responsibility will help achieve this target.

The Danish public sector must be among the most efficient and least bureaucratic in the world by 2020.

In addition, the government wants Denmark to be securely anchored in the heart of Europe, with a referendum on the country’s opt-outs in EU policies. Denmark must focus on free trade, human rights, democracy, international aid and collaboration about the climate, and must work towards stability and peace.