The Danish Connection

The Danish Connection
  • 5.0 (2)
  • News Commentary
  • Updated Weekly

How do you access news in Denmark if you don’t speak Danish? There are 652,495 foreign citizens living in Denmark. For non-Danes, accessing news in English is….complicated. Most news outlets are paywalled and google translate does a pretty terrible job of translating Danish to English. In collaboration with Union and The CPH Post, we bring you The Danish Connection - a new podcast breaking down Danish news in English! This is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark. Hosted by María Eva, Rachel and Melissa, new episodes every second Sunday.

  1. 6d ago

    Another sperm bank scandal, Danish students receive worst-ever PISA results and a crackdown on Airbnb

    This week on The Danish Connection: We discuss another scandal unfolding for The European Sperm Bank, with new revelations confirming that banks have been blowing past the legal family limit by as much as four times, while the national regulatory authority responsible for monitoring the banks cannot confirm that family limit checks have ever actually been conducted. We also look at Denmark's new crackdown on Airbnb speculation, as the government moves to fine "shadow hotel" operators up to 100,000 kroner per apartment and force platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com to hand over rental data. We unpack the governments plan for a total ban on mobile phones and private screens in Danish primary and lower secondary schools, announced days after Denmark posted its worst-ever PISA results. We ask whether phones are really the problem, or whether Denmark's strong emphasis on digital classrooms, teacher shortages in schools,and years of school reform are the bigger story. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

  2. Sep 6

    Denmark and Greenland's genocide dispute, PET's Russian sabotage warning and farmers protest the nitrogen law

    This week on The Danish Connection: We unpack the long-awaited "spiral case" reports into decades of non-consensual IUD insertions on Greenlandic women and girls — and why the international expert panel split into two conflicting conclusions on whether it amounted to genocide. We discuss PET's warning that Russia has drawn up concrete sabotage plans targeting Denmark, including companies tied to military aid for Ukraine, and what this reveals about the scale of the threat facing Danish defence infrastructure. We talk about the farmers who drove 300 tractors into Copenhagen last week to protest the new nitrogen regulation law, L5, which just passed with a large majority in the Folketing. Plus: Maria Pagola is back with another season of Stories from the Streets. This time she is uncovering "De uskrevne regler," the unwritten rules of Danish life - the things that nobody tells you about, but everybody is expected to know. Rule number one is.....Silence. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

  3. Sep 1

    Denmark ends automatic asylum for Ukrainian men and Inger Støjberg's 15 point plan against "Islamic dominance" in schools

    This week on The Danish Connection: We unpack Denmark's quiet but significant shift on Ukrainian refugees, as men of military age arriving after June 25th will no longer automatically qualify for protection under the special law introduced in 2022. We look at the EU-wide pressure behind the change, and the uncomfortable reality awaiting men sent back: from forced "busification" to documented violence against draft evaders. We discuss Inger Støjberg and Danmarksdemokraterne's package of 15 proposals targeting what the party calls "Islamic dominance culture" in Danish upper-secondary schools, which includes banning puffer jackets, fasting and headscarves to a proposed 25% ceiling on students with a non-Western background. We talk about how the debate connects to the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir's recent outreach to young Muslims, and unpack who Støjberg is, including her conviction by Denmark's Court of Impeachment. Plus, we give a shout out to a volunteer-run Copenhagen choir made up of 19 nationalities, who took home a win at the World Choir Games this month. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email ⁠thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com⁠ and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

  4. Aug 16

    Frederiksen and Meloni's insta collab, a brief history of Pride in Denmark and the problem wolf shot in Jylland

    This week on The Danish Connection: We break down Wednesday's heated Folketing debate triggered by Spain's Ceuta crisis, where Mette Frederiksen, Morten Bødskov and Nicolai Wammen faced nearly three hours of questioning from the blue bloc. With calls to suspend Spain from Schengen to old grudges emerging over the handling of the refugee crisis in 2015, we discuss whether this was a genuine crisis management meeting or a piece of political theatre. We also break down the recent social media collaboration between Italy's Meloni and Mette Frederiksen. We also dive into Copenhagen Pride 2026 and dive into the history of Pride in Denmark, which traces its roots back to Stonewall and Denmark's own 1971 demonstrations. We discuss the return of major sponsors like Danske Bank, Google and LEGO after 2024's sponsorship exodus over Gaza. We also unpack what it really means for a company to sponsor Pride, and where the line sits between solidarity and "pinkwashing." We cover Denmark's growing wolf controversy, after a "problem wolf" that had been unsettling residents in West Jutland, including incidents involving children in Nørre Nebel and a runner near Bunken Klitplantage, was tracked down using thermal drones and shot dead near Vestjylland. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

  5. Aug 9

    A teenage terror attack attempt in Jutland, SAS expands as the green agenda dwindles, and the PM reacts to Ceuta

    We look into SAS's massive expansion plans as demand increases and the green aviation agenda dwindles, while the airline industry's own leaders call climate neutrality targets "a castle in the air." We discuss how travel is changing and what impact transport is having on the environment. We unpack the arrest of three Danish teenage boys, aged 15 and 16, charged under Denmark's terrorism law over an alleged plot to attack Hadsten School near Aarhus with knives and bombs. We look at PET's warnings about a growing, hard-to-categorise wave of online youth radicalisation and the questions still remaining over why this particular school was chosen. We discuss the recent migration incident in Ceuta and PM Mette Frederiksen's threat to suspend Schengen agreements with Spain as tensions rise among EU member states. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

  6. Jul 12

    Festival gossip, the midwife burnout crisis, a fatal assault at Islands Brygge and the church enters the Danish parliament

    This week on The Danish Connection: We unpack our experience at Roskilde and discuss some of the stories making the headlines this week in relation to the festival, including hidden cameras in areas where women were urinating, sexual assaults and trash issues.  We discuss the fatal assault at a public World Cup screening at Islands Brygge, which resulted in the death of a Swedish man. We talk about how the assault has reignited debates around crime and immigration and unpack the Prime Minister’s social media post about the incident. We talk about a new report highlighting the growing number of Denmark’s midwives leaving the profession just a few years after qualifying, raising questions about burnout, working conditions and how long the system can sustain itself. We unpack the latest figures, the human stories behind them and what it means for the future of maternity care in Denmark. Finally, we discuss the Danish parliament’s decision to introduce a chaplain service for politicians and staff and what its says about the relationship between church and state in Denmark today. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

  7. Jun 14

    The new government explained, tougher EU migration rules and what degrees give you top salaries in Denmark

    This week on The Danish Connection: After months of negotiations following the 2026 election, Denmark finally has a new government. From strict immigration policies, reforms to the pork industry and selective citizenship processes, we break down what is (and isn’t) changing. We are joined by the amazing Nicholas Woolhead who helps us to break it all down. We also look beyond Denmark to the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact, which is set to reshape how borders, asylum applications and deportations are handled across Europe. With faster procedures, increased detention and new “return hubs” outside the EU, we discuss Denmark's role in shaping this policy. Finally, we talk about how much your degree really matters in Denmark and what degrees yield the highest salaries. With salary differences of up to 40,000 DKK a month depending on what you study, we explore which paths open doors and which ones may be trickier, especially if you don’t speak Danish. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

  8. May 31

    Immigrants struggle to climb Denmark’s wage ladder, shrinking job opportunities and protests in Greenland over new US consulate

    This week on The Danish Connection: We discuss a new report on immigrants in Denmark’s labour market, and why so many internationals struggle to get out of the bottom of the wage ladder while Danes rise to the top. With employment numbers rising but job vacancies now falling to their lowest level since the pandemic, we explore what this growing competition means for those trying to enter (and stay in) the workforce. We also bring an update on what is happening in Greenland, where the opening of a new US consulate has sparked protests and renewed the debate around sovereignty, foreign influence and Greenland’s growing strategic importance. As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email thedanishconnectionnews@gmail.com and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

How do you access news in Denmark if you don’t speak Danish? There are 652,495 foreign citizens living in Denmark. For non-Danes, accessing news in English is….complicated. Most news outlets are paywalled and google translate does a pretty terrible job of translating Danish to English. In collaboration with Union and The CPH Post, we bring you The Danish Connection - a new podcast breaking down Danish news in English! This is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark. Hosted by María Eva, Rachel and Melissa, new episodes every second Sunday.

Information

  • Creator
    The Danish Connection
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Danish Connection
  • Show Website
    The Danish Connection

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