Last Week in Denmark

Mental health, Pension reform, Flight compensation : LWID S3E18

• Season 3 • Episode 18

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Denmark is making bold moves that could reshape life for every generation. This week on Last Week In Denmark, co-hosts Fionn and Kalpita—both internationals navigating Danish life—share their personal reflections on these changes from an outsider’s perspective. From free mental health care for young adults to raising the retirement age and rethinking flight compensation, they unpack how these policies might land when you’re trying to make Denmark home.

Topics:

  • free mental health care for 18–24-year-olds within 30 days (04:38)
  • retirement age raised to 70 by 2040 (16:04)
  • Denmark backs ending payouts for flight delays under five hours (25:03)

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FIONN:
 Hello and welcome to Last Week in Denmark. This is Season 3, Episode 18 of our podcast. My name is Fionn O'Toole, and joining me this week is Kalpita Bhosale.
Kalpita, what is new with you?

KALPITA:
 Well, nothing much other than the weather. I'm a bit confused if we are still in a drought… not in a drought. And I must admit, it's quite depressing to have a nice shinny, sorry, sunny week and then just clouds and rain and back to gray.

FIONN:
 I have to admit, being from Ireland, Danes always complain about how bad their weather is. And it is true—it gets so windy here because the country's so flat that in winter it can be a bit grimmer than what I'm used to.

But to me, this is like peak summer, like you’ll have a couple of sunny days, then some rainy days. I mean, yesterday there was a hailstorm around my house, and that could be a nice July day in Ireland. Not nice, but standart July day in Ireland.

So I wouldn’t say I’m not a little depressed by it, but I'm  guessing maybe because of our backgrounds, I feel it a little  bit less than you do. Or what do you think, is it more of a weather culture shock  coming, compared to  India?

KALPITA:
 I think so,  I mean, to be fair, I was in Edinburgh  Scotland the week before and it was sunny as hell, beautiful weather, but it was extremely dry. Quite shocking, weather-wise, as well.

But also, you're right, I come from India. I come from sunny, almost equator weather. But I mean, talking of weather shocks, India is  also been having rain showers and  they have a warning going on, right now, which is also supposed to be peak summer.
But then, I don’t know… I’m still confused. But my skincare routine is very happy with less sun: no tanning, no skin problems. So I suppose I have little to complain about.

FIONN:
 Well, that’s something at least.
 And speaking of, I dont know if  you have been paying attention to sports news this week? I generally don’t, but this week Denmark pulled off a huge upset in the Ice Hockey World Championships.

On Thursday, they beat ice hockey giants Canada in the quarterfinals. And I think this is the first time Denmark will ever reach the semifinals. And, now I’m probably making this up, but probably the first time Canada ever doesn’t reach the quaterfinals.

And I’m very excited, so for the first time in my life, I'm going to get, you know,   pretend to have opinions about ice hockey. And  I feel like it’ll help me integrate with my Danish friends, who are probably all,  also suddenly having opinions about ice hockey, that they never had before
 So, if you need something to throw out in small talkings conversations,  you can just ask: “Is this going to be the next summer of ’92?” Is Danmark going to surprise everyone and win the ice hockey world championships?

KALPITA:
 That’s an excellent tip. I didn’t know Denmark even had a team!
 But at the same time,  I am quite surprised, just like in football a couple of. Not that I follow football at all, but it was the talk of the time for i dont know how long that Denmark made it to the semifinals or quarterfinals of the World Cup or something like that.
 So, well… yay for Danish sports! I guess it’s more than badminton and handball. So That’s exciting.

FIONN:
 There you go, absolutely.
 Speaking of exciting—as always, we're going to spend the next half an hour or so diving into three big things that happened last week in Denmark.

And this week we are gonna look at a first story which is the extension of free mental health care to 18 to 24-year-olds, specifically within 30 days so within 30 days of them seeking treatment.

Our next story is that the retirement age—boo—is going to be raised to 70 by the year 2040.

Kalpita

Boo

FIONN

I know, right? And just to continue your boos, so you can get them out of the way now, Denmark is backing a proposal that would end flight payouts for flight delays under five hours. So you could be sitting there with a four-and-a-half-hour delay with  absolutely nothing except a complaint to show for it.

KALPITA:
 Yeah, that’s some bullshit as well.


FIONN:
 Absolutely. And on that happy note, we are going to dive into our first topic which is mental health.

And it is a positive  story actually I think, maybe coming after many years of not-so-positive stories around psychiatry and mental health treatment in Denmark.

On Monday, the Health Ministry sent out a press release—i think also a press conference, where they announce  that the government and opposition parties in the danish Parliament have negotiated a fairly comprehensive 10-year plan for psychiatry.

and psichiatry will receive an extra 4.6 billion kroner annually, primarily using those funds to hire more staff and establish more beds. This kinda of comes after, as I mentioned, many years of criticism about long waiting times and the general state of psychiatric care, especially for young people in Denmark. That was even acknowledged in their statement—they called it a case of historic underinvestment.

So now, they hope people with serious mental illness will get the right help, at the right time, as early and quickly as possible. They also want to make psychiatry a more attractive place to work for healthcare professionals.

And I don’t know about you, but to me is really good news—and probably long overdue.

KALPITA:
 Yeah, I’m here for it, for sure. I think It’s about time that Denmark did something about that.

It’s great they’re investing—especially in spaces where people can come in and get proper help which is beyond just popping pills and people coming home and looking after you.

I see the point in doing it with the younger people—because they want to raise more secure citizens for the future. But I also think that this would be great if it was extended to a larger audience as well. I suppose a small audience is also in terms of experimenting to see how it is working, what is needed, what is not needed.  
 Definitely a great start.

I think our youth do need that especially with the growth of  technology, the use of multiple screens, now we are going beyond two to three screens, where are adding more and more screens even at workplace, which is ridiculous I think but that aside, I think that help is needed and to be fair I mean we are one of the happiest countries in the world and the most depressed countries in the world as well. We have the highest amount of suicides  as well also lets not forget with have problems with substance abuse as well as alcol abuse, which is also on the rise, I mean we are the most drunk country across Europe, to be fair. And that is where our youth are getting integrated also into this lifestyles.

So I think it’s a great move. I’m here for it.

FIONN:
 Yeah. And I think you touched on something big there—the rise in depression in Denmark, especially among young people, and how that’s connected to the online world, if we can call it that.

I know it sounds like we’re 100 years old when we say “online world,” but still—social media and screen use are heavily linked to anxiety, and that’s what this package is targeting.

The headline: 18–24-year-olds with anxiety or depression will now have the right to receive treatment within 30 days—free of charge.
 And if the public system can’t offer treatment within 30 days, they’ll be referred to a private alternative.

When I first saw the headline, I thought: “Okay, great in theory, but how will this work with the waiting times?”
 Everyone I know who’s dealt with mental health services in Denmark always says the wait is huge.

Some of my friends and colleagues have waited a year just for a diagnosis—like ADHD or other conditions.

KALPITA:
 Wow.

FIONN:
 Yeah—or even more in some cases.

And I had a recent experience—not mental health related—but a minor issue. I got referred to a specialist, and I was told, “If you don’t hear back in a few weeks, call us. You’re entitled to an appointment within 30 days.”

Well, I didn’t hear back, and two weeks later, I got a message from a private hospital saying, “Your appointment is  gonna be here, because
 The public system had already passed it along because they knew they couldn’t meet the deadline.

I was really surprised. No fuss. No cost to me.
 And just knowing that I’d be seen quickly—even for something minor—made a huge difference to my mental state.

Now imagine if someone is deeply depressed or anxious.
 Waiting nine, twelve, even eighteen months just to talk to someone? That delay alone could make things worse.

That’s why this guaranteed 30-day treatment is so important.

There are other parts of the plan too. For example, children will have the right to start an assessment within 30 days of referral, and start treatment no later than 60 days.

It seems like the emphasis is on early contact—early diagnosis, early treatment—so people get help before they hit crisis.

KALPITA:
 Yeah. I’ve had some experience with getting help here, and I know others who’ve tried.

What I like about Denmark is that when they do something right, they really get it right—precisely and thoroughly.

This feels like a “nip it in the bud” kind of move. Catch the young ones before they spiral into something harder to manage.

I wish it extended to older people too, especially internationals. Living in a new country is stressful—trying to get a job, keep a job, not having a support network... It can take a real toll.

Hopefully next year we’ll be talking about expanded access and even more investment.

FIONN:
 I hope so too. And honestly, I’m not 100% sure if this entire package only applies to 18–24-year-olds. Some of it sounds broader.

Like, they’re introducing social support after hospital discharge for vulnerable people.
 They’re also creating emergency mental health services that don’t require hospitalization—so people can get care without being pulled away from school or work unnecessarily.

That reminds me of a past episode where we talked about more funding for mental health helplines.
 And yeah—sometimes you do need emergency action. But often, you just need someone to talk to early on.

From what I can tell, this plan emphasizes prevention. And that makes sense—not just from a care perspective but financially too.
It’s expensive to keep people in crisis in hospital care. So if you can help them earlier, in their community, and keep them stable? It’s a win-win.

KALPITA:
 Oh yeah, absolutely. Take my taxes! If this is the kind of prevention and support we’re offering, I’m all in.

Helplines are such a useful option too.
 Sometimes someone’s struggling so much they can’t even reach out themselves. That’s when someone else can call on their behalf and just get the ball rolling. That outside support can make a huge difference.

FIONN:
 Absolutely. Having a supportive circle around you is key—it complements the system. Whether it's public, private, or somewhere in between.

KALPITA:
 Exactly. And for young people especially—there’s still so much peer pressure.
 There’s stigma around talking about mental health, even for this generation.

We’re not doing enough to dismantle that taboo. But the fact that they’ll now have better access to help at such an impressionable age?


👵 Retirement Age Raised to 70

FIONN:
 Absolutely. So I think definitely a good news story.
 And moving on—I have to tell you that we have good news and bad news. Which one would you like first?

KALPITA:
 Bad news. Always.

FIONN:
 Well, the bad news is that we’re going to have to work longer. But
 The good news It’s, is because we’re living longer.

So I’m trying to be positive about the fact that the retirement age is going to be set up to 70.
 That will apply to you if you were born after December 31, 1970—which unfortunately for me, it does.

Basically since 2006, which is when the Welfare Act was introduced, Denmark has tied the official retirement age to life expectancy. And they revise that every five years.
 It’s currently 67, but its due to rise to 68 in 2030, and 69 in 2035.

And Now, we are basically set on having the highest retirement age in Europe after the parliement adopted the law this week  raising it to 70 by the year 2040.
 How do you feel about that?

KALPITA:
 I have lots of feelings. 

Firstly  I will most certanly not be a happy citizen.
I am not know,  knowing that I have to work to the age of 68.

I know people who do hard labor—and this is completely unfair to them.
 They’re the ones supporting society at its foundation. And if they have to work until 70? That’s some serious bullshit. I’m not here for it.

What happened to enjoying life at that age?
 Why are we being punished for taking care of ourselves and living longer?

At the same time, I understand they need more taxpayers.
 The population is shrinking, so they’re trying to fill the gap.
 But maybe—just maybe—they should invest in helping people have more children, make life more affordable, and improve the job market.

Give people more time and resources to raise kids.
 Create jobs.
 Make it easier to keep jobs.

Then maybe you wouldn’t need to push people to work until they’re 70.
 Whoever passed this law? Definitely not getting my vote.

FIONN:
 Yeah, you’re absolutely right—especially when it comes to people doing manual labor.

For someone like me, working until 70 might not be that bad.
I’m in an office. My dad retired this year at 66. My mum was a teacher and she was able to retire in her 50s. They’re both living their best lives now.

Until this new law, my retirement age would’ve been 69. So we’re talking just one year more.
 But for someone in a physically demanding job? That’s a huge difference.

If your whole career has taken a toll on your body, and you still have 20–30 years left to work? That’s brutal.
 It’s also a lot harder to change careers later in life if your body can’t keep up.

And I think COVID really showed the gap between white-collar and blue-collar workers.
 For some of us, it was inconvenient. You worked from home, maybe even enjoyed it.

But for others, who had to be there physically, it was devastating—job loss, stress, instability.
I had a six-month-old baby and was in a small apartment trying to work—so it was tough. But not like losing your job entirely.

So yeah, I think it’s a really tough shift for a lot of people.

There is a devil’s advocate argument to be made. Want me to say it and burn that bridge?

KALPITA:
 No—go ahead. We live in Denmark, Fiona. You’re allowed to have an opinion.

FIONN:
 That’s true. And I’m not even sure this is my opinion, but here goes:

When most retirement ages were originally set—in the mid-20th century—life expectancy was much shorter.
 In the UK, for example, the average life expectancy was 66 for men and 71 for women.

So if someone retired at 65, they’d spend maybe 7–10% of their life on a pension.

Now, people are living into their 80s.
 And many of them are still active and healthy. So the state’s cost to support people for 15–20 years of retirement is much higher.

So yes, I see the logic. But do I love it? Absolutely not.

If anything, this should spark a bigger rethink of what careers look like.
 I’ve been working for nearly 20 years—and I’m 35.
 So if I retire at 70, I’m not even halfway through my working life. That’s a wild thought.

It’s scary—but also a little reassuring.
 I don’t have it all figured out yet… and I still have time.

KALPITA:
 Imagine—you haven’t even worked half your life, and you still have 40–50 more years to go just to retire.
That’s depressing. Can we please go back to talking about mental health?

I get the economics and civics arguments.
 But come on.

It doesn’t make sense when politicians are retiring early with massive six-figure pensions—
 while people who break their backs for a living are getting four- or five-figure pensions… after working until 70.

That’s totally unfair.
 And I agree with what you said earlier: the gap is growing.
 It’s not just about money—it’s about how society values different kinds of work.

Denmark—and all of Scandinavia—likes to pride itself on being egalitarian.
 But if this keeps up, that foundation is cracking.

I will say though, we’re still doing better than Finland or Sweden in some areas.
 But if Denmark wants to stay a strong, respected, balanced economy and society—
 it needs to get its act together.


✈️ New Flight Delay Compensation Rules

FIONN:
 Yeah, well—you mentioned investing in mental health as a way to deal with this news.
 I have a different kind of investment strategy: buying scratch cards and hoping I win the lottery.
 And you know, some people say it’s a solid strategy. Definitely going to work out.

But speaking of taking money away from people who didn’t ask for it, we have our final story today:

According to a new proposal from the European Commission, your flight must be delayed by a full five hours before you’ll be entitled to financial compensation.
 This is still a proposal, but the Danish government supports it.

Right now, the rules are a bit more consumer-friendly:
 If your flight is delayed by three hours or more, you’re entitled to compensation.

It depends on the distance:

  • Up to 1,500 km: €250


  • Between 1,500 and 3,500 km (still within the EU): €400


  • Above that: €600


If the new rule passes, passengers in Denmark alone would lose out on 277 million DKK annually.
 Currently, passengers receive about 312 million DKK in compensation.
 So this would wipe out nearly all of that—and shift the money back to airlines.

And I just… I don’t love that.

KALPITA:
 Me either.
 There’s no honor among thieves—especially in the travel industry.
 Airports, airlines… it’s all a mess.

Have you ever had a delayed flight where they refused to pay compensation?

FIONN:
 Yes! I used to travel a lot for work—seven or eight years ago, I’d be abroad 3 or 4 days out of every workweek.
 For nine months straight, it felt like every single flight I took was delayed or canceled.

Friends joked I must have pissed off a wizard and gotten cursed. One time, the door fell off the airplane—thankfully, while we were still on the ground.

When you’re flying that often, all you want is to get home, do your laundry, and sleep before flying again.
 And airlines made it harder by being shady about compensation.

They’d bury the rules on a tiny card, or only offer vouchers if you made a fuss.
 So even with the current three-hour rule—it’s already a hassle.
 Pushing it to five hours? That’s incredibly anti-consumer.

Venstre’s Thomas Danielsen argues that the change will “motivate” airlines to fly even when delayed, instead of canceling.
 He thinks it’ll help people get where they’re going—even if it’s super late.

But honestly? That feels like a weak argument.

KALPITA:
 Yeah, I don’t buy that logic.

I want to go on my holiday—of course! But let’s not pretend this is about us.

Two years ago, I was supposed to travel with family. Some came from Jutland, we flew from Copenhagen.
 The plan was to meet, then fly the next leg together.

But our flight was delayed, and then canceled—again and again.
 We spent 30 to 36 hours in the airport.
 That’s nonsense for a 4-5 day family trip. You just want to get there—even one night would have made a difference.

So yes, I get wanting airlines to stay alive.
 Ryanair left Billund, and others are scaling back. But still—there has to be a better solution than cutting protections.

I miss the days when a four-hour layover meant a voucher for a meal—even if it was just McDonald's.
 Now you pay extra for baggage, then they still nickel-and-dime you at the gate.

I like the EU. They do a lot of good things. But this? Not it.
 The industry needs a better overhaul. Not another way to squeeze consumers.

FIONN:
 And honestly, this isn’t just an EU thing.
The last time these rules were up for discussion—more than 10 years ago—the Danish government also pushed for a five-hour minimum.
So this is as much a local push as it is EU-level policy.

And I agree—this whole thing feels like part of a bigger trend.

There’s a word—“inshittification”—mostly used for the internet.
 A platform starts off good, then they add ads, paywalls, reduce quality… and everything gets worse.

Airlines are OGs in that game.

They say they’re offering flexibility—you don’t need to check a bag! You save money!
 But flights don’t feel cheaper. They feel worse.

You pay the same (or more), and you get less.

Now, to be fair, the proposal isn’t all bad. There are two parts that could actually help passengers:

  • The rule for receiving a meal voucher would be standardized: triggered at 2 hours, regardless of flight distance.


  • And if you miss the first leg of a round-trip flight, airlines wouldn’t be allowed to cancel your return trip automatically. That’s a good change.


But overall? Still feels anti-consumer.

KALPITA:
 Yeah, just one more thought: I’ve been flying recently, and Copenhagen Airport is getting huge.

They’re clearly planning to turn it into a layover hub.
 So it makes sense the government is backing this—more people stuck in airports means more money spent on food, shops, etc.

It’s like being at the theatre. Why is there an intermission? So you’ll buy popcorn.

This isn’t about consumers.
 It’s about profit. And I don’t support it.

This has been a great conversation. I got a lot off my chest.

Also—fun fact—I once traveled with a guy who tried to open the emergency door mid-flight.
So if you're flying this summer… beware.
Delays are annoying, but don’t get stuck with that guy.

FIONN:
 I’ll do my best. I’m flying next with a six-year-old and a two-year-old, so honestly, it might be one of them.

KALPITA:
 Good luck.

FIONN:
 Thank you.

On that note—thank you so much, Kalpita, for joining me today.
 And thank you to Cecilia, our fabulous editor, and of course to our audience for listening.

We couldn’t do this without you.
 Tune in next week for another episode of Last Week in Denmark—
and don’t forget to follow us on social media, subscribe on Substack, and read the newsletter.

KALPITA:
 Have a great weekend. Bye!

FIONN:
 Bye-bye.






People on this episode

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LWID

Host
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Fionn O'Toole

Guest
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Kalpita Bhosale

Guest