`123456' password used in Danish CPR data breach

At least three accounts at the company linked to a major breach of Denmark’s CPR register reportedly used the password “123456”, including an administrator account.

At least three user accounts at the Funen-based IT company Pays used the password “123456” when hackers gained access to Denmark’s CPR register, Politiken reports.

One of them was the company’s administrator account.

The breach exposed information linked to around 8.8 million CPR numbers. The CPR system is Denmark’s central civil registration database and contains personal information on people living or previously registered in Denmark.

The newspaper Politiken reviewed data from the breach that the hacker allegedly used to gain access to the system.

Jens Myrup Pedersen, professor at Aarhus University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, described the company’s password security as “hopeless”.

“There is really no security, it is an open door. A password like ‘123456’ is one of the very first things you would guess if you took a list of common passwords,” he told Politiken.

“I find it hard to see that you could have worse security. It was a matter of time before things went wrong.”

Pays ApS, based in Odense, confirmed to TV 2 on Friday that it was the company whose access had been compromised.

“We can confirm that we are the company that has been subjected to an attack where our legal access to search for information in the CPR system has been abused,” managing director and owner Sophie Laursen said in an email to TV 2.

The hacker had access to the CPR register from 10 September for a total of 21 days and 17 hours.

An anonymous hacker told Politiken on Thursday that they were behind the attack and claimed gaining access had not been particularly difficult.

According to the hacker, access was initially obtained using a leaked password belonging to a former employee of a small Danish company. The hacker then allegedly created two computer programs to retrieve information from the CPR system and store it externally.

The hacker told Politiken that there were no plans to sell or publish the information.

Private companies and associations can be granted access to information in Denmark’s CPR register when they have a legitimate need, for example to obtain address information about customers or members.

According to Denmark’s Central Business Register, Pays ApS had two employees as of July 2026.

Danish motorists received almost 21,000 penalty points for using handheld mobile phones while driving last year – the highest number in four years.

Mobile phones are playing a growing role in traffic offences in Denmark.

In 2025, motorists received 20,910 penalty points on their driving licences for using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel, according to figures from the police case management system POLSAS.

That means mobile phone use accounted for roughly one in every four of the 84,056 penalty points issued for traffic offences during the year.

The number of mobile-related penalty points increased by 7.5 percent compared with 2024 and reached its highest level in four years.

On average, police issued 57 penalty points every day for handheld mobile phone use.

Britta Bjerregaard, claims director at insurance company Alm. Brand, described the development as deeply concerning.

“Most people know full well that the phone should stay put while driving. Still, it can be tempting to just answer a call, reply to a message, or change the song,” she said.

“Traffic does not pause while you look at the screen.”

89 metres without watching the road

The Danish Road Safety Council considers inattention one of the major risks on Danish roads, with mobile phones posing a particular problem.

“The mobile phone takes an incredible amount of attention if you use it behind the wheel,” deputy director Karina Petersen said.

“If you look at the screen for four seconds at country road speed, you are driving 89 metres blind.”

However, Petersen cautioned that the increase in recorded offences does not necessarily mean that more drivers are using their phones.

The rise could also reflect more police checks or improved camera equipment used for traffic enforcement.

What are the rules in Denmark?

Using a handheld mobile phone while driving in Denmark results in a DKK 1,500 fine and a penalty point on your driving licence. An additional DKK 1,000 contribution to the Victims’ Fund is also charged.

The rule applies even when the car is stationary in traffic or waiting at a red light.

Drivers may briefly operate a phone if it is securely mounted, and using a vehicle’s built-in screen is also permitted.

The ban on handheld mobile phone use also applies to cyclists, electric scooter users and drivers of other motorised vehicles.

An unauthorized user had access to Denmark’s national Civil Registration System (CPR) for nearly 22 days before authorities discovered the security breach, according to documents obtained by TV 2.

The access began September 10 and was stopped October 2, lasting 21 days and 17 hours.

However, preliminary investigations suggest the unauthorized activity ended September 20, approximately 10 days after it began, according to a report submitted by the CPR office to the Danish Data Protection Agency.

The Ministry of Research, Education and Digitalization announced Monday that personal information belonging to approximately 8.8 million people had been exposed, including names, addresses and CPR identification numbers.

The breach occurred through a small Danish company with legitimate access to the register.

According to DR, the company is based on Funen and shares ownership and an address with a larger business. Its identity has not been publicly confirmed.

Authorities discovered the incident after receiving an unusually large invoice for searches conducted through the company’s account.

Approximately 14 million CPR searches had been made using its access credentials.

“The number far exceeds the company’s customer base, and the company has indicated that they did not perform the lookups themselves,” the CPR office stated in its report.

Private companies and organizations can pay to access certain CPR information.

Research, Education and Digitalization Minister Christina Egelund of the Moderates party acknowledged that security measures had been inadequate.

She has requested a security review of the register following the breach.

The company had not responded to DR’s requests for comment as of Friday morning.

Canned sardines are selling rapidly across Denmark, particularly around Copenhagen, as supermarkets report rising demand and occasional shortages.

Four major grocery retailers, Coop, Salling Group, Nemlig.com and Dagrofa, confirmed significant sales increases to TV 2 Kosmopol.

Coop, which operates 365, SuperBrugsen, Brugsen and Kvickly, reported a 170 percent increase in sardine sales in Denmark’s Capital Region between June and September 2026 compared with the same period last year.

Nationwide, Coop’s sales rose 163.5 percent.

Jacob Herbst Lassen, Coop Denmark’s press manager, said the sudden popularity has left some shelves with fewer products while purchasing teams work to replenish supplies.

Salling Group also reported pressure on availability, although spokesperson Alma Lyhne Kristensen said the company remained adequately stocked overall.

Online supermarket Nemlig.com said Greater Copenhagen and North Zealand accounted for 75 percent of its sardine sales.

Dagrofa, which operates Meny and Spar stores, reported that sales in the capital area had more than doubled compared with last year.

The surge may be connected to the social media trend “eat your skincare,” which promotes foods believed to benefit skin health.

Sardines have attracted attention for their omega-3 fatty acids, collagen and protein.

However, dermatologist and researcher Cæcilie Johansen cautioned that evidence linking sardine consumption directly to healthier skin remains limited.

She said some studies suggest omega-3 fatty acids may help with eczema, but the research involved large quantities.

Johansen emphasized that avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol and using sunscreen are more important measures for protecting skin health.

Denmark’s Ministry of Immigration and Integration has resumed processing citizenship applications that were suspended because of errors in the country’s Central Criminal Register.

The ministry announced the decision in a press release after the National Police concluded that the errors had only a very limited impact on the register.

Immigration authorities have also been instructed to restart affected cases involving permanent residence permits and family reunification, according to an update from the Danish Immigration Service.

The applications had been placed on hold September 7 while authorities investigated the problem.

The errors became public in early September when National Police Commissioner Lasse Boje informed politicians at Christiansborg, the seat of Denmark’s parliament, that some criminal records had been deleted incorrectly.

Authorities had discovered the problem in June.

The National Police said further investigations would determine whether the errors had affected decisions made by other public authorities.

If problems are identified, police will work with the relevant authorities to determine how those cases should be handled.

The errors also disrupted the issuance of child protection certificates, which are background checks used to identify certain criminal convictions relevant to working with children.

Applications for these certificates were temporarily suspended while police reviewed the affected records.

The National Police reopened applications September 18.

During its review, police restored 43 decisions that had been removed from the Criminal Register earlier than they should have been.

Those decisions were relevant to child protection certificates.

The ministry has not specified how many citizenship, permanent residence or family reunification applications were affected by the suspension.

Two prison officers from Kosovo accused of assaulting an inmate at Copenhagen’s Vestre Prison will remain free while police investigate the allegations.

Denmark’s Eastern High Court rejected prosecutors’ request to hold the two men in pretrial detention Friday afternoon.

The decision upheld a ruling by Copenhagen City Court on Wednesday, which found insufficient grounds to detain them.

Both courts concluded there was no significant reason to believe the men would flee Denmark before a possible criminal trial.

The officers, aged 29 and 24, are undergoing training in Denmark ahead of assignments at Gjilan prison in Kosovo, which Denmark is renting to house prisoners.

According to police allegations, the two officers assaulted an inmate inside a cell at Vestre Prison around 4 p.m. Monday.

The inmate was allegedly pushed onto a bed before being punched in the face and body.

Police arrested the officers Tuesday morning, and prosecutors requested their detention the following day.

Both men deny using violence against the inmate.

During Wednesday’s hearing, a Copenhagen City Court judge found reasonable grounds to suspect the officers had committed the alleged assault.

However, the judge ruled that detention was unnecessary because both men reside in Denmark and are employed by Danmarks Fængsler, the Danish Prison and Probation Service.

Prosecutors challenged that decision, but the Eastern High Court reached the same conclusion Friday.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no decision has been made on whether the officers will face trial.

Once police complete their investigation, prosecutors will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges before a court.

A fire in a railway signaling cabin near Aarup on Funen is causing major train disruptions across Denmark on Friday, with repairs potentially taking several weeks.

Michael Dyrborg, an area manager at Banedanmark, the state-owned company responsible for Denmark’s railway infrastructure, told Ritzau that almost everything inside the cabin had burned.

“It is too early to talk about a timeframe. We are getting an overview of the extent of the damage, but virtually everything inside has burned away,” he said.

A relay cabin is a small technical building along the railway that houses electronics and equipment used by the signaling system.

The fire has caused signal faults on the railway line between Middelfart and Odense. Dyrborg expects train services on the affected routes to remain disrupted for the rest of Friday.

“We are looking into whether it is possible to create some technical solutions so we can increase the speed and make traffic flow more smoothly,” he said.

Banedanmark has not yet said when normal train services are expected to resume.

The disruption is affecting services across Funen and other parts of the country.

According to DSB, Denmark’s national passenger railway operator, all trains between Fredericia and Copenhagen are experiencing delays, while all regional trains between Odense and Fredericia have been canceled.

Intercity trains running between Copenhagen and Fredericia via Roskilde are only operating as far as Odense, DSB said on its website.

Rail replacement buses have been deployed to replace the canceled regional trains on Funen. According to P4 Trafik, six buses were operating between Fredericia and Odense.

Passengers traveling between Jutland, Funen and Zealand can continue their journeys using some of the other trains still running, DSB said.

DSB employees are available at Odense and Fredericia stations to assist and guide passengers.

Both Banedanmark and DSB are urging travelers to check Rejseplanen, Denmark’s national journey planner, for updates.

The Danish government has presented a proposed budget for 2027 that prioritizes national security, with more money allocated to defence amid an increasingly tense international security situation.

The proposal, titled “A stronger defence of Denmark – a strengthened Denmark to defend”, was presented by Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard of the Social Democrats (S) at the Ministry of Finance on Friday morning.

The government wants to ensure that defence spending reaches 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.

Hummelgaard said the proposal reflected the need to make “hard priorities” in response to the current security situation. He also described the Danish economy as being “in top shape”.

“The government’s proposal for the finance bill shows that we take responsibility upon ourselves, and that we lead the way in working for a greener, freer, and more equal Denmark,” Hummelgaard said.

Pia Olsen Dyhr of the Socialist People’s Party (SF), the minister for economic and interior affairs, also highlighted the security situation.

“We do not solve all the challenges we have in Denmark with this finance bill. But we are well on our way,” she said at the press conference.

“I also think everyone must remember that we are in an escalated security policy situation,” Olsen Dyhr said.

Much of the proposed budget had already been announced, either in the government’s policy platform or through statements by ministers in recent weeks.

The proposal allocates 1.2 billion DKK to children’s services and education in 2027, including Denmark’s public primary and lower secondary schools, known as folkeskole.

It also sets aside a total of 10.1 billion DKK in 2030 for tax cuts. These include abolishing the intermediate income tax and the top-top tax, as well as reducing corporation tax.

“We are simplifying the tax system,” said Taxation and Growth Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt of the Moderates (M).

The tax measures will be negotiated separately as part of a tax reform. While the budget proposal includes tax cuts, the government also plans to freeze several tax thresholds, which would increase the tax burden for some taxpayers as incomes rise.

The liberal think tank Cepos estimates that the government’s various plans will result in a net tax cut of 2.2 billion DKK in 2030.

Business and Competitiveness Minister Martin Lidegaard of the Danish Social Liberal Party (R) highlighted investment in young people and education.

“We are significantly strengthening knowledge, general education, and formal education in Denmark, from ABC to PhD. It is good for the individual young person, but it is also good for Denmark’s future,” Lidegaard said.

Unlike in recent years, when the government’s fiscal room for manoeuvre helped fund much of its budget plans, this proposal includes several measures to find additional savings.

These include cuts to the Danish student grant (SU), savings on senior pension payments, a proposed tax on cruise ships and further reductions in state administration costs.

The government must now negotiate with other parties in the Danish Parliament, the Folketing, to secure a majority for the 2027 budget.

The proposal includes a negotiating reserve of 500 million DKK annually from 2027 to 2030, which other parties can seek to use to fund their own priorities.

Two Danish business organizations are warning that a proposed tax of 200 DKK per cruise passenger could lead cruise ships to skip Danish ports, reducing tourism revenue for cities and smaller destinations.

Dansk Industri (DI), the Confederation of Danish Industry, and Dansk Erhverv, a business organization representing companies across several sectors, are responding to the government’s proposal to introduce the tax from 2028.

“A cruise tax at this level will hit both the major cities and rural districts,” said Lars Bertolt Winther, head of tourism, culture and experiences at DI, in a press release.

Jesper Kronborg, industry director for transport at Dansk Erhverv, also criticized the proposal.

“In Dansk Erhverv’s view, it is a bad proposal, or at least a proposal that requires a very thorough analysis,” he said in a press release.

The government expects the tax to generate an additional 300 million DKK in annual revenue from 2028.

The aim is to make cruise tourism contribute more toward the costs associated with ships, including pollution, noise and congestion.

Figures from Statistics Denmark show that 1.1 million cruise passengers visited Denmark in 2025. The number of cruise ships calling at Danish ports increased by 16% compared with the previous year.

Copenhagen, Aarhus, Skagen and Rønne on the island of Bornholm are the country’s main cruise destinations. Together, they account for more than 98% of cruise passengers.

DI and Dansk Erhverv argue that cruise visitors generate local revenue through port fees and spending at shops and other businesses.

Both organizations point to Iceland, where a similar tax was introduced before being reduced.

“Following the introduction of a high passenger tax, bookings dropped significantly, especially to the smaller ports, and the tax was subsequently lowered to limit the damaging effects,” Winther said.

“There is no reason to believe that Denmark does not risk the same,” he added.

According to the industry organization Danske Havne, which represents Danish ports, Iceland now charges 85 DKK per cruise passenger, while Greenland charges 50 DKK.

Tine Kirk, director of Danske Havne, described the proposed Danish tax of 200 DKK as “unreasonably high.”

“The cruise ships can very easily opt out of Denmark. We fear that the shipping companies will either bypass Denmark completely or concentrate their port calls in the largest cities,” she said in a written comment.

Danish exports fell by 3.3 percent in August, driven in part by a decline in goods exports to the United States, according to Statistics Denmark.

Total exports of goods and services amounted to 194 billion DKK in August, down 3.3 percent from July. Goods exports fell by 6.2 percent, while services exports rose by 0.7 percent.

Søren Kristensen, chief economist at AL Sydbank, described the overall decline as “worryingly large”.

“But it is part of the story that a large part of the decline is concentrated around the US, where we also see fluctuations from month to month,” he wrote in a comment.

Exports of goods and services to both the US and the United Kingdom fell in August. Total exports to the US amounted to 31.7 billion DKK, down 2.8 billion DKK from July.

Goods exports to the US fell by 3.3 billion DKK, while services exports rose slightly.

Kristensen said fluctuations in the prices of products such as medicines sold by Danish companies in the US could partly explain the decline. He therefore cautioned against drawing too negative a conclusion from the latest figures alone.

The August decline followed an increase in exports in July. Overall, Danish exports of goods and services rose by nearly 19 billion DKK, or more than 10 percent, between August 2025 and August 2026.

According to Kristensen, Danish exports have so far held up despite geopolitical unrest, higher energy prices and rising interest rates.

Still, the August figures are bad news for the Danish economy when viewed in isolation.

“However, it will take several months of this development before we become worried,” Kristensen wrote.

An anonymous hacker has claimed responsibility for accessing nearly 8.8 million Danish CPR numbers, telling newspaper Politiken that a weak password made the breach possible.

CPR numbers are personal identification numbers used in Denmark’s national Civil Registration System to identify residents and access public services.

The hacker told Politiken that the breach occurred on September 11 through a small Danish company with access to the CPR register.

According to the hacker, a leaked password belonging to a former employee allowed entry into the system. The password was reportedly “123456.”

After gaining access, the hacker said they created two computer programs to retrieve CPR information and store it outside the system.

The person’s identity has not been made public, and their account has not been independently confirmed.

The hacker told Politiken they had no plans to sell or publish the personal identification numbers and were “really shocked” by the security weaknesses they encountered.

To describe the situation, the hacker compared it to someone leaving dangerous material unattended.

“Someone leaves a suitcase with 10 kilos of plutonium unattended at a train station. Then a homeless person steals it,” the hacker said.

“Yes, of course you shouldn’t steal other people’s suitcases. But you also shouldn’t leave nuclear material at a train station.”

The hacker provided Politiken with a file containing the CPR numbers.

The newspaper forwarded the file to Emil Hørning, an IT security expert at Danish cybersecurity company Defend Denmark.

Hørning said the hacker’s account appeared credible and that the described method was plausible.

Politiken conducted its interview with the hacker in English through an encrypted communication service.

The Danish government wants to change how workers qualify for senior pensions, potentially saving 800 million DKK annually by 2030, according to Jyllands-Posten.

Currently, people whose health limits their ability to work to 15 hours a week or less can receive a senior pension up to six years before reaching the state retirement age.

Their work capacity is assessed against their most recent job. Under the proposal, applicants would instead be assessed against all types of employment.

The Finance Ministry estimates savings of 200 million DKK in 2028, rising to 800 million DKK in 2030.

The proposal has divided political parties and organizations.

Anders Vistisen of DF, Dansk Folkeparti, the Danish People’s Party, said his party would oppose the changes.

“We are not going to cut for the worn-out,” he told Jyllands-Posten, citing Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s promises of more dignified retirement.

Ældre Sagen, Denmark’s senior citizens’ advocacy organization, also criticized the proposal.

Deputy Director Michael Teit Nielsen warned that applicants could face longer assessments to determine whether they could work in another profession.

However, Dansk Industri, the Confederation of Danish Industry, Denmark’s main employers’ association, welcomed the proposal.

Deputy CEO Søren Kryhlmand said assessing workers against the entire labor market would allow those capable of other jobs to remain employed.

The government also plans to increase the separate Arne early retirement pension by approximately 3,000 DKK monthly. Its current maximum is 15,650 DKK per month.

Changing the senior pension scheme, introduced in 2019, requires agreement among the parties behind it before a general election.

Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard is scheduled to present the budget proposal today.

The University of Copenhagen is changing how its academic departments are organized, with several faculties set to merge or split over the next three years.

The university announced that its Faculty of Theology and Faculty of Humanities will merge into a single Faculty of Humanities and Theology on January 1, 2028.

The Faculty of Law and Faculty of Social Sciences will also combine into a Faculty of Law and Social Sciences on the same date.

Further changes will follow on January 1, 2029.

The Faculty of Health Sciences will be divided into two faculties: Clinical and Public Health Sciences, and Health Sciences. The new divisions will focus on clinical and preclinical subjects, respectively.

The Faculty of Science will also split into two. One will cover traditional natural sciences, while the other will focus on biological, environmental and geosciences.

Despite the restructuring, the university will retain six faculties.

A faculty is a major academic division responsible for particular subjects and degree programs.

The university said most students would not be affected because the content and structure of their degree programs would remain unchanged.

Rector David Dreyer Lassen said the changes were necessary because the university’s faculties had developed differently in size and complexity over the past 15 years.

“When the differences become very large, it challenges our balance, leadership power, and cohesion,” he said.

The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 with four faculties: theology, law, medicine and philosophy.

Its faculty structure has changed several times since then.

Today, theology students can pursue studies leading toward the priesthood, while humanities programs include history, English, education and rhetoric.

Around 18,000 Danish families that received government financial assistance earlier this year could lose student grants for young adults living at home under a new proposal.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of the Social Democrats defended the planned changes Thursday during the opening debate in the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament.

“Fundamentally, as a Social Democrat, my view is that when you are a young person and attending school or an education, I think it is a good idea that you have a job where you earn your own money,” Frederiksen said.

The proposal concerns SU, Denmark’s state education grant, which provides financial support to students, including those living with their parents.

According to figures from liberal think tank Cepos reported by TV 2, approximately 18,000 families that qualified for a one-time government payment to offset rising living costs could now lose these student grants because of their household income.

The earlier payments, known as food checks, ranged from 2,500 to 5,000 DKK.

The proposed SU cuts could cost affected households up to 12,000 DKK annually.

The apparent contradiction has drawn criticism from opposition parties.

Alex Vanopslagh, leader of Liberal Alliance, described the government’s approach as “schizophrenic.”

Leila Stockmarr of the Red-Green Alliance, a left-wing Danish political party, also questioned why families previously considered financially vulnerable would now lose support.

Frederiksen explained that the food checks were introduced to help households manage higher prices for necessities such as food and gasoline.

Asked whether the student grant reductions would outweigh the earlier payments, Frederiksen rejected the comparison.

“Those are two different issues,” she said.

The government’s planned prison unit at Departure Centre Kærshovedgård may take four to five years to become operational, the Ministry of Justice told Danish public broadcaster DR.

The ministry is also working to establish temporary prison spaces at the centre. These are expected to be ready within a few years.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of the Social Democrats announced the plan Tuesday during her speech at the opening of the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament.

The proposed unit would hold Kærshovedgård residents sentenced to prison for offences such as repeatedly violating their reporting obligations.

“For far too many years, you have seen your local area marred by theft. Drug dealing. And reckless driving,” Frederiksen said.

Kærshovedgård operated as a prison from 1951 until it became a departure centre in 2016.

It now houses foreign nationals who have been deported or whose asylum applications have been rejected but who have not left Denmark.

Some fear persecution or torture in their countries of origin, while others cannot return because their home countries will not cooperate with Danish authorities.

Several parties, including the Danish People’s Party, have called for residents to be prevented from leaving the centre. The government has rejected that proposal because residents who are not serving sentences cannot legally be detained.

The planned prison unit would apply only to residents convicted of criminal offences.

Danish vaccine company Bavarian Nordic has raised its forecast for revenue in 2026, citing stronger expected sales of travel vaccines.

The company now expects total revenue to reach 6.1 billion kroner this year, compared with its previous forecast of 5.7 billion kroner, Bavarian Nordic said in a company announcement Thursday.

The company attributed the increase to better-than-expected sales in its Travel Health business, particularly demand for rabies vaccines in the United States.

“Increased rabies activity among animals has resulted in a significant increase in exposure among humans and thus an increased demand,” Bavarian Nordic said in the announcement.

The company now expects revenue from its travel vaccine business to reach 3.4 billion kroner in 2026, up from its previous forecast of 3.0 billion kroner.

Third forecast increase this year

Thursday’s announcement marks the third time Bavarian Nordic has raised its revenue expectations this year.

At the beginning of the year, the company expected total revenue of between 5.0 billion and 5.2 billion kroner in 2026.

Jacob Pedersen, an investment strategist at Middelfart Sparekasse, said Bavarian Nordic has gained “a new growth engine” through its travel vaccine business.

“The big question is now how much of the rabies boost will hold into 2027. Infection among animals fluctuates from year to year, so next year will face a tough comparison,” he wrote in a comment.

Bavarian Nordic sells travel vaccines against diseases including rabies, TBE and chikungunya, a disease spread by mosquitoes.

The company also sells vaccines for countries’ preparedness against outbreaks, including mpox, previously known in Danish as “abekopper.”

Bavarian Nordic will publish its third-quarter results on 13 November 2026.

Venstre chairman Troels Lund Poulsen expects the party’s parliamentary group to take a united position on a proposed national ban on pesticide spraying when the bill is considered in December.

“It is my clear expectation that Venstre’s group will vote together,” he told TV 2 News after speaking during the Folketing’s opening debate Thursday.

The statement comes after Venstre, a liberal political party in Denmark, was divided over a new fertilizer law in early September. Five of the party’s 18 members of the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, voted against the party line.

The law sets quotas for Danish farmers’ nitrogen emissions into fjords and coastal waters and has caused internal disagreement within Venstre.

No Venstre members of the Folketing have so far said whether they will support or oppose the proposed spraying ban.

Preben Bang Henriksen (V) has said he “wants to see the final bill first. Hopefully, many changes can be made.”

Søren Gade (V) has declined to say whether he will vote against the bill, saying he has not yet read all the papers. He has also said he “has an expectation that if you take something from people in this country, you provide full compensation.”

The details of the proposed national spraying ban have not yet been decided.

“It is true that I support a national spraying ban. But we have not seen how a national spraying ban is to be made,” Troels Lund Poulsen told TV 2 News.

The proposed ban is intended to protect areas considered vulnerable to contamination of groundwater that can be used for drinking water.

Under the bill, the environment minister would be given authority to designate vulnerable groundwater-forming areas and establish rules for a compensation scheme.

Troels Lund Poulsen addressed the issue in his speech during the Folketing’s opening debate.

“Naturally, we must also have the opportunity to drink clean water from the tap in the future. That is also why we voted for agricultural nitrogen emissions to be significantly reduced,” he said.

“We also support the work on a national spraying ban, and we certainly also believe that we must reduce the amount of untreated wastewater that flows directly into our environment,” he said.

He ended the section of his speech with a reference to compensation.

“We will actively participate in the work to ensure better animal welfare. And all of this must happen in a way where we treat people properly and respect private property rights.”

According to the government’s legislative program, the bill on a national spraying ban is expected to be considered by the Folketing in the second half of December.

The Danish Defence will receive a new command system designed to help military and civilian authorities coordinate their responses to drones.

The Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation has signed an agreement with Danish software company Systematic, the agency said Thursday.

“The construction of Denmark’s drone shield is a step closer to the goal with this agreement with Systematic,” Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus of the Social Democrats said.

The system will use artificial intelligence to analyze large amounts of information and identify patterns, unusual activity and potential threats.

The Danish Defence, police and other authorities will be able to access the same information, giving them a shared operational picture from the first drone sighting until the response is completed.

Systematic’s SitaWare software will be installed at several military locations and connected to existing drone defence systems.

The agency did not disclose the agreement’s cost or when the system would become operational.

The purchase follows an August agreement with Danish defence company Terma. Terma’s system will collect information from different sensors and provide a combined overview of drone activity.

The two systems are intended to work together as part of Denmark’s response to airborne and hybrid threats. The measures follow incidents involving drones over Denmark in 2025.

Denmark had a record 1,175,187 state pensioners in August, according to figures from the Jobindsats statistical database reviewed by pension company Velliv.

It was the 13th consecutive month in which the number reached a new high.

The increase reflects longer life expectancy and large generations reaching the state pension age. However, many new pensioners continue working.

In July, 24.6 percent of 67-year-old state pensioners remained in paid employment, compared with 10.6 percent in July 2022.

Velliv consumer economist Thomas Gress said the rise could be connected to rules allowing people to earn income without reductions to their own or their spouse’s state pension.

“For some, retirement life is the freedom to leave work completely behind. Others want to keep their colleagues, some hours on the job, and benefit from the generous deductions and subsidies available for continuing working life once the state pension age has been reached,” Gress said.

The growing pensioner population is also increasing public spending. Statistics Denmark said social benefits cost the state 908 billion DKK last year, five percent more than the previous year.

State pensions were the largest expense in the old-age category, costing 170 billion DKK.

Velliv expects the number of state pensioners to continue rising until 2029, when roughly one in five Danes is projected to receive the benefit.

Right-wing opposition parties criticized the government Thursday over its decision to reintroduce legislation covering 2,055 previously approved citizenship applicants and their children.

The issue became a central point of dispute during the Folketing’s opening debate, which was scheduled to continue throughout the day.

“What kind of indifference is the Social Democratic Party showing when it comes to granting citizenships?” Inger Støjberg of the Denmark Democrats asked Social Democratic political spokesperson Rasmus Stoklund.

Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bødskov of the Social Democrats announced Monday that the government would reintroduce the bill. It lapsed when a parliamentary election was called, leaving the applicants waiting for a decision.

During Thursday’s debate, Anders Vistisen of the Danish People’s Party asked how “many Islamists” would be included on the list.

Stoklund responded that Vistisen should inform the Folketing’s Naturalisation Committee if he knew of applicants who supported introducing Sharia law in Denmark.

Stoklund said Denmark’s citizenship requirements are stricter today than when Støjberg served as immigration and integration minister from 2015 to 2019.

He added that the applicants would be checked again before the bill is considered. Authorities will examine factors including employment and possible criminal activity.

Digitalization Minister Christina Egelund of the Moderates expects to provide more details soon about a security review of Denmark’s CPR system.

“I hope to be able to say something more concrete within a very short time about what the future of the CPR system will look like,” Egelund told Ritzau.

The minister announced Monday that a major security review of the entire Central Person Register, known as CPR, had been launched.

The review follows a security breach in which unauthorized people had access for ten days to CPR numbers and other personal information belonging to 8.8 million living and deceased people.

CPR numbers are the personal identification numbers used by Danish authorities and businesses.

The breach has prompted questions about whether people should receive new CPR numbers or whether the entire system needs to be redesigned.

Egelund has previously said it is too early to determine whether new numbers will need to be issued.

She said the review must first establish whether the existing system can be better protected. Authorities will then consider whether the breach warrants a broader overhaul of the CPR system.

The number of Danes with a credit warning in the national CPR register has almost quadrupled since authorities disclosed a major data breach.

About 970,000 people had registered a warning by October 7, up from just under 250,000 on October 1, the Digital Affairs Ministry said.

“The Danes have taken the situation seriously, and they have acted on the advice that has come from the government and from the authorities,” Digital Affairs Minister Christina Egelund of the Moderates said.

A credit warning makes it harder for someone to obtain loans or credit in another person’s name. It tells companies to conduct additional identity checks before approving applications.

The Agency for Societal Security has recommended warnings for people who have specific reasons to suspect fraud.

Unauthorized parties accessed information on 8.8 million people by misusing a small Danish company’s legal access to the CPR system during 10 days in September.

Authorities discovered the activity after the company received an unusually large bill. Each search of the register carries a fee.

The company has not been identified, and authorities do not know who was responsible.

Egelund said it remained too early to determine whether affected people would need new CPR numbers, which are Denmark’s personal identification numbers.

A Copenhagen court has convicted a 31-year-old man of assaulting a Swedish police employee during a World Cup screening in June, leaving the victim with injuries that proved fatal.

The Copenhagen District Court sentenced the man to one year in prison Wednesday and imposed a one-year nightlife ban. He pleaded guilty.

The assault occurred June 30 at Islands Brygge, where spectators were watching Norway play Ivory Coast.

The defendant threw two beer cans toward a group of spectators before punching 32-year-old Christian Zedig in the head or neck.

The blow ruptured an artery, and Zedig died July 3. He left behind a wife and two daughters.

The defendant told the court he had thrown the cans because someone had thrown beer at his table.

Asked whether he had considered the consequences of punching Zedig, he replied: “No, I just hit him.”

The judge cited the defendant’s aggressive behavior, the fatal consequences and his previous convictions for attempted murder, rape and assault as aggravating factors.

Despite Zedig’s death, the man was convicted of simple assault rather than aggravated assault.

Special prosecutor Søren Harbo explained that the legal classification depends on how dangerous an attack typically is, rather than its consequences alone.

Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen of the Social Democrats criticized the sentence and reiterated the government’s intention to increase penalties for simple assault resulting in death.

“One can only conclude that when simple assault ends up costing a person their life, the sentence is in some cases unacceptably low,” Wammen said in a written statement.

Two areas of Danish waters could receive greater protection from fishing and seabed extraction under a proposal in the government’s 2027 finance bill.

The government and Alternativet, the Alternative, propose spending 67.8 million DKK over three years to establish two marine nature national parks.

The areas would undergo active nature restoration, which could include building stone reefs and planting eelgrass on the seabed. Industrial fishing could also be banned, while seabed extraction would be removed from the areas.

“We have fantastic nature beneath the surface of the sea,” Environment Minister Maria Reumert Gjerding of SF, the Socialist People’s Party, said in a statement.

“But the Danish marine environment is also under severe pressure from the way we humans have exploited the sea for decades,” she added.

Torsten Gejl, environment and nature spokesperson for the Alternative, helped negotiate the proposal and said he would like Aarhus Bay to become one of the new parks.

“It is Denmark’s second-largest city, and there is a body of water in Aarhus Bay that has enormous potential, but which is screaming for help,” Gejl told Ritzau.

He said pressures including seabed extraction, sludge dumping and trawl fishing should be removed from protected areas.

The government’s platform calls for five new marine nature national parks. The 2027 finance bill proposal provides funding for the first two.

They would be in addition to two marine nature national parks introduced under the previous SVM government in Øresund and Lillebælt.

If the funding is included in the final budget agreement, political negotiations will follow to decide where the two new parks will be established.

People in Denmark could gain stronger protection against realistic AI-generated images, videos and voice recordings under a new bill introduced Thursday.

Culture Minister Zenia Stampe of Radikale Venstre, the Social Liberal Party, wants to prevent digital imitations of people’s appearance and voices, known as deepfakes, from being shared without their consent.

“With artificial intelligence, you can create manipulated videos and images with a few clicks and share them on social media. It can lead to misinformation and create doubt about what is real,” Stampe said.

The proposal would cover all citizens, including artists, whose performances and presentations could also be protected against unauthorized digital imitations.

Stampe said she had personally experienced having a photograph from her profile turned into a video that appeared to show her speaking.

She described the experience as intrusive, even when such content is labeled as satire.

The minister also pointed to SF, the Socialist People’s Party, politician Karsten Hønge, whose identity has been used in hundreds of fake social media posts about Greenland.

A central aim of the legislation is to make social media companies and other online platforms remove illegal deepfakes quickly.

Satire would remain legal, although Stampe acknowledged that distinguishing satire from unlawful manipulation could be difficult.

She said courts would have to decide whether particular content qualifies as satire or whether that label is being used to justify illegal material.

“It will certainly be difficult, but on the other hand, I also have respect for the fact that we have a very strong tradition of satire in Denmark,” she said.

Stampe hopes the legislation can take effect around the turn of the year.

More Danish farmers will receive temporary exemptions from new fertilizer restrictions after concerns that the rules could make growing certain fruits and vegetables more difficult.

The Ministry of Nature and Animal Welfare announced that crops including melons, rhubarb, strawberries, table grapes and pumpkins will be exempt from the new nitrogen regulations throughout 2027.

Woody plants grown in nurseries will also be covered by the exemption.

The changes follow a review of the regulations approved by a majority in Denmark’s parliament, the Folketing, in September.

The rules, which take effect at the beginning of 2027, aim to reduce nitrogen pollution from agriculture by limiting fertilizer use.

Nitrogen runoff from farmland has contributed to the deterioration of Denmark’s marine environment.

However, agricultural experts and vegetable producers have warned that the restrictions could create significant difficulties for domestic food production.

The government initially planned to exempt mainly potato growers during the first year. The exemption has now been extended to additional fruit and vegetable producers.

“I am pleased that we have the opportunity to also exempt some berry and fruit growers who otherwise faced major challenges, so they get one more year to adapt,” Nature and Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen said.

The exemptions apply only to 2027 and are intended to give affected growers additional time to adjust.

The ministry said the newly exempt crops account for a small share of Denmark’s total agricultural land.

As a result, it expects the changes to have only a very limited effect on the nitrogen reductions the regulations are intended to achieve.

Influenza infections are expected to reach a high level in Denmark this winter, according to Statens Serum Institut (SSI).

“We expect a winter where influenza will once again be prominent, while COVID-19 appears to remain at a lower level,” Bolette Søborg, chief physician and head of section at SSI, said in an update published by the institute.

SSI expects both influenza A and B to circulate during the coming season.

“Both the number of influenza cases and influenza-related hospitalizations are assessed to potentially reach a high level,” the institute said.

Influenza A has dominated recent seasons, while influenza B has circulated at relatively low levels. SSI said this may mean that the population has less naturally acquired immunity to influenza B, which could make it account for a larger share of infections this season.

COVID-19-related hospitalizations, meanwhile, are expected to remain at a low to medium level.

People aged 65 and over are being offered free vaccinations against both influenza and COVID-19. SSI said the vaccines are expected to provide good protection against the two respiratory infections.

The institute also expects vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, to reduce serious illness among infants.

Since October last year, the Danish Health Authority has offered RSV vaccination to pregnant women. SSI said hospitalizations among infants fell by about 70% during the latest transmission season compared with previous years.

“We therefore also expect that the vaccination will significantly reduce the burden of disease among the youngest infants this winter,” Søborg said.

RSV is still expected to circulate among older children and adults, although for most people the infection causes symptoms similar to a common cold, including coughing.

Police evacuated HF & VUC on Ejlskovsgade in Odense on Wednesday afternoon after a panic alarm was triggered by mistake.

Fyn Police initially said officers had responded with “many patrols” after an assault alarm was activated at the school.

Students were evacuated from the building, while members of the public, including parents, were asked to stay away from the area and respect police cordons.

At 15:42, police said the incident had turned out to be a false alarm.

“It turned out that it was a false alarm. The alarm was triggered by accident,” police said on Politi Update.

“There is no danger, but we are investigating the area just to be safe and will be present with a reassurance effort over the coming hours,” police added.

Police said they expected to lift the cordons “within the foreseeable future.”

Earlier, a student told Fyens Stiftstidende that his class was watching a documentary when a “Red alert” suddenly came over the school loudspeakers.

“Our teacher barricaded the door with a stopper, and then we waited for the police to arrive. I am okay, but it was an intense way to be kicked out,” he said.

No injuries were reported.

Danmarks Fængsler, Denmark’s prison service, will review its training of Kosovar prison officers after two were charged with assaulting an inmate at Vestre Prison in Copenhagen.

“It is clear that when something like this happens, we are going to look at whether our training of them is good enough. Is our practical training with them good enough?” said the service’s director, Ina Eliasen.

The officers are training in Denmark ahead of the opening of Danish prison places in Kosovo, now expected in late 2027 or early 2028.

Eliasen said the service had otherwise had good experiences with the Kosovar officers.

“We expect that this is an isolated incident, because it is so different from what we have otherwise seen,” she said.

According to the police charge, the two officers jointly punched an inmate several times while on duty in Vestre Prison’s South Department on Monday. Both pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

The officers had completed their practical training, but Eliasen said Kosovar officers must still be accompanied by Danish colleagues.

“They are always with Danish officers. And when they are in training, they are in on-the-job training. They do not walk alone,” she said.

She declined to comment on specific details of the case. The two officers were arrested on Tuesday and appeared before Copenhagen City Court at Vestre Prison on Wednesday.

Denmark signed the agreement to rent prison places in Kosovo in 2021. The plan is for foreign nationals sentenced to deportation from Denmark to serve their prison sentences there.

The opening has been delayed repeatedly, with another delay announced in mid-September. The prison places are now expected to be ready in late 2027 or early 2028.

A leak involving nearly nine million people’s CPR numbers could increase administrative costs for Danish businesses if it leads to restrictions on access to the register, according to the Confederation of Danish Industry, known as DI.

The CPR register is Denmark’s civil registration system. Banks, insurance companies and unemployment insurance funds use it to identify customers, employees and members.

“If companies’ access were closed or severely limited, a lot of information would instead have to be collected and checked manually,” Jeppe Engell, a cybersecurity expert at DI, said in a press release.

“That would both increase companies’ administrative costs and the risk of errors, outdated customer data, and mistaken identity.”

On Monday, the Ministry of Research, Education and Digitalization announced on its website that unauthorized people had unlawfully accessed the CPR numbers of nearly nine million people in Denmark.

The Danish government has introduced a bill that would make it a criminal offense to participate in a mediation council with the aim of preventing public prosecution of a crime.

The proposed penalty is a fine or up to four years in prison. The bill targets councils that attempt to settle criminal matters outside the Danish justice system.

Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen, a Social Democrat, introduced the proposal on Wednesday, arguing that such councils undermine the rule of law.

“It must come to an end that, for example, imams or prominent criminal families can exploit their position to act as judges of law and order and attempt to override the Danish rule of law,” he said.

The proposal revives a bill from the previous government that was not passed before a general election was called in February.

Police have encountered councils in Aarhus

Wammen said several police districts were aware of mediation councils, although he could not give a figure for how many exist.

In 2024, Jyllands-Posten reported that East Jutland Police had encountered such councils in western Aarhus for several years. The newspaper described them as widespread among groups with other ethnic backgrounds.

One anonymized police interview report described a case from 2020 in which a group of “important men” visited the parents of a man who had reported a violent assault.

The visitors wanted to avoid police involvement and suggested compensation for the assault, according to Jyllands-Posten.

Under current rules, a victim and perpetrator can agree to settle a conflict without police involvement, provided there is no criminal conduct such as coercion or witness intimidation. This has made it difficult for police to act against the councils.

The proposed law would also criminalize participation in a council when the purpose is to evade prosecution.

“What we are doing with this bill is that we are taking targeted action against those who sit at the head of the table,” Wammen said.

He cited wiretapping as a tool police could use to establish whether an illegal council was taking place.

“That is because this is something that takes place behind closed curtains and in environments that do not want to talk to the police. That is why we need better tools to combat it,” he said.

The government still needs a majority in the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, to pass the bill. It is intended to take effect on January 1, 2027.

Several Danish cinemas removed the documentary “Naza” from their Wednesday schedules on the third anniversary of Hamas’ attack in Israel, following a request from the film’s directors.

A review of listings on platforms including Kino and Nordisk Film Biografer showed that several cinemas had paused screenings for the day. Some are scheduled to resume showing the film on Thursday.

According to DR, the film’s Danish importer, Angel Films, passed on a request from directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor that the documentary not be shown on the anniversary.

The 80-minute film examines civilian casualties caused by Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip and the systems behind targeted killings of Palestinians.

It draws on anonymous testimony from Israeli military and intelligence personnel. The Israeli military has strongly criticized that method, and Israel has denied deliberately targeting civilians.

The documentary won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival in September.

It has also drawn anger from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Both directors have been threatened with losing their Israeli citizenship for violating the honor of Israeli soldiers.

The directors’ request to pause screenings on the anniversary was circulated across Europe through film distributors, according to the Greek newspaper Greek City Times. The newspaper reported that several cinemas in Greece and the Netherlands had agreed to the request.

“Naza” premiered in Denmark on October 1.

Drivers should expect heavier traffic and possible delays on Denmark’s motorways at the start and end of the autumn holiday, the Danish Road Directorate has warned.

The busiest periods are expected to be Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Traffic may also be heavier than usual during the final two days of the holiday.

The directorate, Denmark’s national road authority, recommends traveling outside the busiest hours.

Routes expected to see increased traffic include the E20 motorways across western Zealand and Funen, the E45 motorway in southern Jutland and motorways around Kolding.

Drivers crossing the Vejle Fjord Bridge on the E45 should allow extra time. Maintenance work has reduced the speed limit, and queues may form during busy periods.

Those heading to the ferry terminal in Aarhus should also allow more time to drive through the city. Roadwork on Marselis Boulevard means only one eastbound lane is open.

Drivers can check traffic conditions through the directorate’s Trafikinfo service or listen to P4 Trafik, the radio traffic service.

Meny has ranked first in an annual survey of Danish grocery customers for the second year in a row, while 365discount again finished at the bottom of customers’ overall ratings.

The survey, conducted by analysis firm Loyalty Group, gathered responses from 4,255 Danish grocery customers.

Dagrofa, the company behind Meny, said in a press release that the chain had Denmark’s most satisfied and loyal grocery customers. Meny scored 71 points on the survey’s loyalty index, ahead of Rema 1000 with 69 points.

Meny also led in six of the nine areas assessed, including customer trust, organic products, service and product quality, according to Dagrofa.

“Quality pays off in the end. We invest in skilled staff and quality on the shelves. We are enormously proud of this,” Meny chain director Richo Boss said in the release.

Loyalty Group produces annual industry indexes across several sectors, offering companies insight into customer preferences.

Dagrofa highlighted service as a particular reason for Meny’s ranking. Loyalty Group research director Lars Jepsen said customers recognized a “high level of professionalism and service.”

“For the chain, it is probably worth noting that the customers’ responses show that they trust the chain, and that the experience is stable from time to time,” he said in the release.

At the other end of the survey, Coop-owned 365discount received the lowest overall customer rating for the second consecutive year, according to TV 2.

“We are of course not satisfied with the ranking, and every day we work in a targeted manner to improve the customer experience,” 365discount chain director Michael Tilsted said in a written response to TV 2.

Danish companies and organizations should use other methods to verify people’s identities after unauthorized parties accessed information on 8.8 million people in the CPR register, authorities said Tuesday.

“One must expect that one can no longer identify oneself with CPR,” said Laila Reenberg, director of Samsik, the Agency for Public Security.

“You can no longer count on that if you receive a CPR number, you have identified a specific citizen. That is the consequence of this leak.”

Unauthorized parties collected information over 10 days in September through a small Danish company that had access to the CPR system. Authorities discovered the activity when the company was invoiced for the large number of searches.

The CPR system contains information on people living in Denmark as well as people who have died or moved abroad.

CPR numbers are sometimes used to identify people when they call their doctor or collect prescription medicine from a pharmacy.

Samsik recommends using other forms of identification, including MitID, two-factor authentication or one-time codes sent by text message or email.

“You cannot use it to authorize buying something or receiving sensitive personal data,” Reenberg said about CPR numbers.

Mikkel Leihardt, a department head at the Ministry of Research, Education and Digitalization, said an overall security review of the CPR system is being launched.

“It is important to emphasize that the information accessed is name and address. There is also other information that has not been accessed,” Leihardt said.

“As a system, CPR is intact.”

Reenberg said authorities have also introduced measures covering critical state IT systems.

A 31-year-old man charged with assaulting a Swedish man at a World Cup screening at Islands Brygge will appear before Copenhagen City Court on Wednesday.

The incident happened June 30 during a screening of a match between Norway and Ivory Coast. The Swedish man was punched and suffered a ruptured artery. He died July 3.

The defendant is charged with assault under a section of the Danish penal code covering less serious violence. Prosecutors are also seeking an increased sentence because of his previous convictions.

Special prosecutor Maria Cingari said in July that he could face eight to 10 months in prison.

The man has previously been convicted of rape and attempted murder. He was also convicted in another assault case last week.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Socialdemokratiet, the Social Democrats, criticized the possible sentence in August, saying she believed it should be harsher. The defendant is a Danish citizen who came to Denmark from Congo as an infant.

Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Moderaterne, the Moderates, also commented after the Swedish man’s death, writing: “May the guilty party be judged harshly and fairly.”

The government has since announced plans to increase penalties in assault cases where the victim dies and the offender has previous convictions.

Prosecutors are also seeking a nightlife ban for the defendant. He has pleaded not guilty and is protected by a court-ordered name ban.

Two other people face separate assault charges in connection with the incident. One is accused of trampling on the Swedish man while he was lying down and assaulting another Swedish man. The other is accused of kicking the second man.

People collecting prescription medicine in Denmark may be asked to show identification as pharmacies respond to unauthorized access to information on 8.8 million people in the CPR register.

Danmarks Apotekerforening, the Danish Pharmacists’ Association, which represents the country’s pharmacies, said pharmacies are increasing checks when dispensing medicine and health information, particularly medicine with a risk of abuse.

“In practice, this means that it will normally not be sufficient to state one’s CPR number when picking up medicine,” the association said.

Customers may instead be asked to show a physical or digital health card or answer verification questions.

Additional checks may also apply when collecting medicine for another person. The association said bringing that person’s health card or other identification would be the easiest option. Otherwise, pharmacies may ask verification questions.

The changes follow recommendations from Samsik, the Danish Agency for Public Security.

“One must expect that one can no longer identify oneself with CPR,” Samsik director Laila Reenberg said Tuesday.

PLO, the Danish Association of General Practitioners, which represents and advises general practitioners, has also asked its members to follow Samsik’s recommendations.

Samsik said authorities, organizations and companies should pay closer attention when CPR numbers, names or addresses are used to confirm someone’s identity and should generally use other information for identity checks.

Unauthorized people collected information on 8.8 million living, deceased and emigrated people over 10 days in September by abusing a private Danish company’s legal access to the CPR system.

The incident has been reported to Datatilsynet, the Danish Data Protection Agency. The National Special Crime Unit is investigating the case.

Around 687,000 people in Denmark currently owe money to the public sector, down from more than 1.1 million in 2023, according to the Danish Debt Collection Agency.

That represents a decline of 454,000 people. The debt can include money owed to the police, municipalities or tax authorities.

Søren Bork Hansen, deputy director at the agency, said several factors have contributed to the decline.

“It is due to a combination of people being able to log in to ‘Mit gældsoverblik’ and pay the debt, but also that we can write off the debt if we have attempted to get the debt paid, and it is for a low amount,” he told Ritzau.

The agency can also recover debt through tax refunds or deductions from a person’s salary.

Debts can be written off when the amount is small, generally below a few thousand DKK, and collection has been attempted for at least a year. In such cases, the cost of collecting the money can be too high.

People living in Denmark owed the public sector around 108 billion DKK in total as of June 2025. Including businesses, deceased and missing people and people living abroad, the figure was 164 billion DKK in June 2026.

Since 2023, around 690,000 people have become debt-free, while others have accumulated new public-sector debt, resulting in the net decline of 454,000.

In the second quarter of 2026 alone, 110,000 people became debt-free while 62,000 took on public-sector debt, the agency said.

Denmark’s government wants to build a prison unit at Kærshovedgård for departure center residents who receive prison sentences.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the proposal Tuesday during her speech opening the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament.

The unit could hold residents convicted of repeatedly violating requirements to report to authorities.

“Those residents who are sentenced to prison must be able to serve their sentence behind lock and key in a prison unit located in connection with Kærshovedgård,” Frederiksen of the Social Democrats said.

Kærshovedgård houses foreign nationals who have been ordered to leave Denmark or whose asylum applications were rejected but who cannot or will not return to their countries of origin.

Some say they would face persecution or torture. In other cases, their home countries will not cooperate with Danish authorities on returns.

Frederiksen said residents had caused problems for people living near the center, including theft, drug dealing and dangerous driving.

Authorities have previously introduced stricter reporting duties, removed some residents’ driving licenses and established electronic ankle monitoring.

The Danish People’s Party and others have called for all residents to be confined at the center.

The government rejected that proposal because residents who are not serving criminal sentences cannot legally be detained under international agreements.

The planned locked unit would apply only to residents convicted of crimes and sentenced to prison.

Denmark’s government will begin the new parliamentary year by seeking approval for a Greenland defense agreement and increasing the Arne early retirement benefit.

The legislative program, published as the Folketing opened Tuesday, shows that the monthly early retirement payment will rise by 3,000 DKK. The government plans to introduce the bill in November.

Before then, parliament will vote this month on the defense agreement Denmark, Greenland and the USA signed in New York.

The agreement has broad political support and largely continues a 1951 arrangement. It also includes two bases the USA wants to establish in Greenland and gives Greenland a stronger independent position.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen thanked Greenlandic leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen for their cooperation during her opening speech.

After New Year, the government will begin legislation restoring Great Prayer Day as a public holiday from 2030.

The restoration depends on employment increasing enough to offset the additional labor created when the holiday was abolished. Socialist People’s Party leader Pia Olsen Dyhr expects the target to be reached.

The government will also reintroduce a citizenship bill covering 2,055 previously approved applicants and their children.

The original bill expired when an election was called. Applicants must undergo a complete new review.

Opposition parties have criticized the government for proceeding before completing a planned citizenship screening system.

An unusually large invoice led Danish authorities to discover that unauthorized people had accessed personal records on 8.8 million people, an official said Tuesday.

A small Danish company had legal access to search the national CPR register. Each search carries a fee, and extensive activity produced a large bill.

“There is a very large amount being invoiced, which makes one aware that there has been a lot of activity,” said Mikkel Leihardt, a department head at the Ministry of Research, Education and Digitalization.

Unauthorized users abused the company’s access for about 10 days in September.

Authorities have not identified the company.

The accessed information consisted mainly of names and addresses, Leihardt said. The CPR system is Denmark’s national register of personal information.

Authorities do not yet know who was responsible or how the company’s access was compromised.

“It is too early to say at this point who is behind it and what method has been used,” said Henriette Erbs of NSK, Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit.

She said cases of this type often involve cross-border crime.
Laila Reenberg, director of Denmark’s Agency for Public Security, said digital fraud was an obvious possible motive.

However, she said authorities did not yet know who collected the data or how they intended to use it.

Forbrugerrådet Tænk has asked Denmark’s Consumer Ombudsman to investigate whether Red Bull’s advertising through influencer Rasmus Søndergaard violates marketing law.

The Danish Consumer Council, an independent consumer organization, filed complaints against Red Bull Denmark, Søndergaard’s company and two marketing agencies.

Søndergaard publishes content on Twitch, YouTube and TikTok.
Danish law prohibits marketing energy drinks to consumers under 18 because the products are considered unsuitable for children and teenagers.

Forbrugerrådet Tænk described the Red Bull campaign on Søndergaard’s platforms as the most serious suspected violation of the Marketing Practices Act it had seen.

The organization said Red Bull products appeared frequently in his videos and argued that many viewers were younger than 18.

Miriam Michaelsen, chair of Denmark’s Media Council for Children and Young People, said Danish minors widely use the platforms carrying Søndergaard’s content.

Søndergaard rejected the complaint.

“I make content for adults, and children should not encounter advertisements that are not for them,” he said. “I completely disagree with the complaint, but we are listening, because we must protect the youngest.”

Søndergaard and Red Bull began a formal partnership in 2023.
The complaints also cover DayZeroAgency, which represents Søndergaard, and Ultra, which manages marketing and events for Red Bull.

Red Bull Denmark had not provided a comment.

MobilePay will change its name to Vipps in Denmark from January 12, 2027, the company behind the payment app announced Tuesday.

Some of the app’s nearly 4.7 million Danish users will begin seeing a redesigned logo during the transition.

The app’s functions will not change. Contacts, payment agreements, transaction history and other features will remain available.

MobilePay’s services in Denmark and Finland merged with Norwegian payment app Vipps in 2022, creating a shared Nordic platform.

Vipps MobilePay described the name change as one of the final steps toward operating under a common Nordic identity.

“We know that the new name will require a bit of getting used to,” said Jeanette Hertzum, the company’s Danish country manager.

The company wants users in Denmark, Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Finland to use the same name and logo.

The longer transition period is intended to give Danish users time to adjust before the new name takes effect.

The app will retain MobilePay’s blue color in Denmark and Finland. The logo will change to include the smiling symbol already used by Vipps in Norway and Sweden.

Hertzum said some users would adapt quickly, while others might need more time. The company said assistance would be available to people who need help with the change.

The Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, opens its new parliamentary year Tuesday with a royal visit and a speech from Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

The Constitution requires parliament to open on the first Tuesday of October.

The day begins with a 10 a.m. service at Christiansborg Palace Church for lawmakers, ministers and invited guests.

The parliamentary meeting starts at noon. Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the Moderates, the longest-serving lawmaker, will initially preside. He has served in parliament since 1994.

Lawmakers will elect a speaker and four deputy speakers before Frederiksen of the Social Democrats delivers her eighth opening address.

King Frederik, Queen Mary and Princess Benedikte will attend. Members of the Royal House have attended every opening since 1966.

The government will also publish its legislative program listing bills planned for the coming year.

Frederiksen’s speech will be debated Thursday during one of parliament’s major annual political debates. Party leaders will still give initial reactions to the media Tuesday.

Henrik Frandsen of the Moderates has been nominated to replace Venstre’s Søren Gade as speaker.

Deputy speaker positions will go to the Social Democrats, Socialist People’s Party, Venstre and Danish People’s Party.

The meeting will end with Denmark’s national anthem, led by the Copenhagen Boys’ Choir, the Royal Cantory.

The Region of Southern Denmark has delayed approval of a handbook designed to help healthcare workers provide respectful care to LGBTQ+ patients, Danish public broadcaster DR reported.

The regional Executive Committee discussed the pocket guide Monday but did not approve it after several parties objected to its language.

Venstre, Denmark’s Liberal Party, proposed revisions with support from the Danish People’s Party, Denmark Democrats, Liberal Alliance and Conservative People’s Party.

“We think that the starting point is that there are two genders, and that we should not have a woke-ideological use of language,” regional council chair Bo Libergren of Venstre told DR.

He said the guide should avoid terms including “hen,” a gender-neutral pronoun used by some people instead of “he” or “she.”

The proposed changes will be considered by the full regional council.
The handbook is part of a regional policy on LGBTQ+ patients’ experiences with healthcare, adopted in December.

Sygeplejersken, a Danish nursing publication, reported that the guide was intended to provide practical tools for treating patients with safety and respect.

It would not create new rules but provide shared knowledge and examples of situations healthcare workers may encounter.

The plan was to distribute it across regional workplaces after approval.
About eight percent of Denmark’s population identifies as LGBTQ+, according to figures cited by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Several wastewater discharge cases cannot be completed while Denmark’s Environmental Protection Agency reviews how it approves direct releases into waterways.

The review will also increase processing times for new permits and reassessments, the agency said Tuesday.

The action follows an August decision by the Environment and Food Appeals Board, the independent Danish body that reviews environmental rulings.

The board’s decision prompted the agency to examine its procedures for approving direct wastewater discharges.

Some cases will remain suspended until the agency develops what it called a “new administrative basis” for making decisions.

The appeals case involved chemical company Koppers Denmark.

In 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency renewed the company’s permit to discharge cooling water into Nyborg Fjord.

The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, Denmark’s main environmental membership organization, appealed the decision.

The appeals board later ruled that the agency had approved the permit using insufficient documentation.

Denmark’s government will introduce legislation in spring 2027 to restore Great Prayer Day as a public holiday in 2030.

Economic and Interior Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr, leader of the Socialist People’s Party, confirmed the plan Monday.

“It will be debated in the Folketing chamber in the spring of 2027,” Dyhr said.

She said the timing would provide clarity before private and public sector collective bargaining negotiations in 2028 and 2029.

The government had promised to restore the holiday if employment increased enough to offset the additional labor created by its abolition.

Dyhr said employment had risen and expressed confidence that the required level would be reached by 2030.

Employees may have to finance the restored day off through negotiations with employers, Danish public broadcaster DR reported.

When the holiday was removed in 2024, salaried workers received additional pay equal to 0.45 percent of their salary.

The previous Social Democratic, Venstre and Moderates government abolished Great Prayer Day to finance increased defense spending.

The Finance Ministry estimated that removing the holiday would increase the labor supply by 8,500 people and raise about 3 billion DKK annually.

Great Prayer Day had been a public holiday since 1686 and falls on the fourth Friday after Easter.

Its abolition prompted protests from opposition parties, trade unions and the Church of Denmark.

Denmark’s cyber hotline will remain open until midnight in the coming days following unauthorized access to 8.8 million records in the national CPR system.

The hotline will operate from 8 a.m. to midnight. It normally closes at 8 p.m. on weekdays, the Agency for Societal Security said.

The hotline advises residents and businesses on digital security, fraud and cyberattacks. It can also help people whose identities have been misused.

Residents with a specific suspicion that their CPR number is being used fraudulently can receive help creating a credit warning.

A credit warning alerts companies to conduct additional identity checks before approving loans or credit, making financial identity theft more difficult.

Authorities detected irregular activity in the CPR system on October 2.
Unauthorized people misused a private Danish company’s legal access to obtain names, addresses, CPR numbers and other information during September.

The records cover living and deceased people, as well as those who have moved abroad.

Datatilsynet, Denmark’s data protection authority, said automated searches appeared intended to identify valid CPR numbers.

NSK, Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit, is investigating. Authorities have not identified those responsible.

Digitalization Minister Christina Egelund of the Moderates urged residents to remain vigilant.

Authorities advised people never to provide passwords or other confidential information to unsolicited callers or message senders.