Politics

Denmark Scraps Public Holiday to Boost Defense Budget

MAR 1 2023·Updated MAR 2 2023

Story

Image credit: AFP/Getty Images [via BBC]

The Facts

On Tuesday, Denmark's parliament voted 95-68 to abolish "Great Prayer Day" — a springtime religious holiday observed since the 17th century — to boost military spending.
BBC News
Canceling the public holiday would give the government an additional 3B Danish Crowns ($427M) to state coffers thanks to an extra 7.4 hours of labor per worker.
The Defense Post
The government argues most of the extra 4.5B Danish crowns ($639M) needed to meet the NATO defense spending target of 2% of GDP by 2030 will be covered by high tax revenues anticipated from abolishing the holiday.
Reuters
In addition, the government maintains the plan to raise the defense budget to meet NATO's target by 2030 instead of 2033 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Bloomberg.com
In early February, 50K people gathered outside the parliament in Copenhagen to protest Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's proposal, which she claimed was essential for "defense and security, health care, psychiatry, and the green transition."
DW
The loss of the holiday has triggered a backlash, with opposition lawmakers calling the vote "foolish," "crazy," and "totally wrong." At the same time, trade unions launched an online petition that gathered nearly 500K signatures.
The Washington Post

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Scrapping a holiday associated with important Danish traditions to increase productivity is unacceptable. It's unfair to make hardworking Danes cover the cost of corporation tax cuts and fill the coffers of high-net-worth individuals with their well-earned holiday. Moreover, the decision interferes with many young people's long-standing plans to attend Church of Denmark confirmation ceremonies around the Great Prayer Day.

The Local

Pro-establishment narrative

There is war in Europe, and as Denmark braces for uncertain geopolitical and economic times, the nation needs to strengthen its defenses. It is not only ordinary Danes paying for the challenging situation — the coalition is also advancing a plan to impose tax hikes on the upper class to boost finances so that the country can meet NATO's military spending target by 2030.