Last Week in Denmark
Curious about what’s really happening in Denmark — and how it affects the life of internationals living here? Each week, two hosts from the LWID community talk through the top news stories and developments — in English — sharing personal insights and international perspectives. It’s a clear and accessible conversation about life in Denmark, made for people who live here but didn’t grow up here. Last Week In Denmark is a volunteer-driven media project with a simple mission: to empower people through information.
With a mix of short summaries, thoughtful discussion, and context you can actually use, we cover everything from housing and healthcare to politics. Whether you're new to Denmark or have been here for years, this is your go-to bite-sized update on what’s happening — and why it matters to you. Thank you for helping us grow.
Last Week in Denmark
Tougher Citizenship Tests, Assisted Dying, and Denmark’s Starry Nights: S4E6
Hard Questions, Human Choices. In this week’s episode, Golda and Dominika, both internationals with strong ties to Denmark, tackle three powerful conversations: Denmark’s proposal for tougher citizenship tests and what they mean for democracy and belonging, the country’s exploration of assisted dying as a dignified choice at the end of life, and the growing trend of Danes sleeping under the stars in free nature shelters. It’s Dominika’s very first time on the podcast — join her and Golda as they reflect on identity, dignity, and the simple pleasures of life in Denmark.
Topics:
(01:15) Tougher Denmark Citizenship Tests
(08:03) Assisted Dying Debate in Denmark
(14:36) Danish Outdoor Sleeping Trend
In this episode:
Cohosts:
- Dominika - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominika-handzlik-200010/
- Golda - https://www.linkedin.com/in/goldafania/
Podcast Manager:
- Stephanie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstephfuccio/
Audio Editor:
Transcript Editor/Podcast Assistant:
- Francesca - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-hills/
YouTube assistant:
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Golda
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Last Week in Denmark podcast. This is Golda. I'm here with Dominika, and we're going to be doing episode six of season four. Hey, Dominika, how are you today? How was your week?
Dominika
Hey, my week was really great. I was enjoying the last rays of sunshine of this year, probably, and the really nice autumn we have. And I'm very excited to be here doing my very first episode at Last Week in Denmark.
Golda
Wow, it is your first episode. Well, we are so happy that you would like to join our team and I'm looking forward to working on these episodes with you. So today we have three very interesting topics. One, Denmark is looking to set up a new screening for new citizens. Two, Denmark explores assisted dying. Hmm, that's going to be an interesting one. And three, many, many people in Denmark are looking to sleep under the stars. Let's just dive right into the first topic, which is screening for new citizens. The Danish government has set up an expert group to consider whether applications for Danish citizens should be screened for anti-democratic views. Denmark is already known as like having one of the toughest citizenship regimes in Europe. This includes language tests, residency requirements, employment criteria. So right now the question is, where do we draw the line between safeguarding democracy and policing thought or belief? What are your thoughts on that?
Dominika
Yeah, I think you put it very well. I also have very mixed feeling on this, I think. I mean, we don't know why exactly they're doing it. I think the intentions of this are good, but I also think that this could really quickly become a very slippery slope. On one hand, there's, of course, certain core values that we all need to agree on, like women's rights, LGBTQ rights, children's rights. But I do think in some ways, this could become a very dangerous precedent, because I also think that the word democratic is a very subjective word. And I think, you know, depending on who is in power, this could be defined in very different ways. And also, as you said, the Danish citizenship test is already very tough and it already has questions regarding Danish values. So I think adding sort of an extra element to this, an extra sort of barrier, is, is a bit weird.
Golda
Yeah. And I always have a feeling that when things like this come up, it's because there's this threat of immigrants coming into the country and potentially having some beliefs or values that the majority does not deem as democratic. And as you said so nicely, it becomes a slippery slope because it can be subjective. Right. So the right to vote, the right to be heard, freedom of speech, all this falls under democracy. But freedom of speech for whom? Right? So it becomes, okay, you have to, you have the freedom to say what you want. But if I now say, hey, I want to wear a hijab, because, you know, this is something that is core to my faith, then is that anti democratic? Yeah, not necessarily. But this is where we potentially can end up. And I think with all the rise of extremism across Europe, I see why the concern is coming. I see that there's this back and forth battle of keeping the Danish national identity versus what it actually means when people who may not look like you are also being called Danish, like myself. Yeah, it really risks stigmatizing minorities, minority groups, and it blurs the line between what is free speech and what is acceptable views. And how would they test that? Are they going to start looking at our social media? Like, how, how, how will you actually know?
Dominika
Right, yeah. So actually I was, I was looking a bit into this because I was curious why they would do this in the first place. And apparently, one of the things that sort of started this process was that last year there was around 2,000 people eligible for citizenship. And out of those 2,000 people, there were three who have written something. Exactly, on their social media which was not according to Danish values and Danish rules. And it was actually Liberal Alliance and the Conservative Party that have said that maybe we should have an extra level of sort of screening interviews for these people.
Golda
Oh
Dominika
Yeah, exactly.
Golda
Wow. So they are looking at people's social media. Interesting.
Dominika
Not too great. And I think, you know, also like you said when, when you mentioned the hijab, you know, I think a lot of these, you know, rules and regulations, they're very often unfortunately targeted, you know, at Muslims. For example, it was actually the Danish Minister of Immigration who's part of the Social Democrats, he said that this is a, quote, some totalitarian attitudes among a minority of Muslims, which are unacceptable and we must speak out against. But at the same time, it was not described what these attitudes are. So I think that does beg the question, like, what is, why are they doing this?
Golda
And I think the why is important. I'm happy that you kind of brought up that quote because it really just speak into the intention. Why? Because if you say a small minority, then is this really an issue that we have to bring in a whole new policy? But again, if there are some underlying biases already in place, then this is just another reason to continue down that line.
Dominika
Yeah, for sure. I think, you know, there's always going to be some isolated cases, right? And I think to sort of extract these cases, you know, from any community and turn this into kind of a nationwide law, I do think that is also a bit extreme in itself.
Golda
And interestingly enough, Denmark is saying that they do need internationals. We need people to come to support our economic growth. And a lot of the workforce right now is not being balanced by the fact that many young people are not wanting to work straight out of college. They're exploring the world, they're getting to know themselves, taking several different educations. So internationals or expats come in and are immigrants. And then what message are you now sending in terms of the pathway to citizenship or the long term plans of these immigrants when it becomes such a hard process to really settle and feel Danish? I think this is food for thought. What about you?
Dominika
For sure, I think especially for non-EU immigrants, I think, you know, because I'm from the EU, it's always been easier for me. But I think, you know, especially for, for someone who's outside of the EU, you know, it does send a message that it's really hard.
Golda
That is so unfortunate. But that brings us into the next topic, which is something else that is very, very controversial. Yeah, maybe just as much, which is Denmark explores assisted dying. A cross-ministerial working group has been tasked with mapping possible models for legalizing euthanasia in Denmark. For a long time, Denmark has debated assisted dying, but never moved forward. Now with an ageing population and public opinion shifting, the government is ready to explore it more seriously. We have Finland and Sweden that do not allow euthanasia but have a strong palliative care. Norway is also restrictive. The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and more recently Spain are allowing some forms of assisted dying. What do you think about this?
Dominika
I think, to be honest, it is high time, I do think that, you know, assisted dying is, you know, it is a part of healthcare. And also, yeah. Something I was looking into, which I think is worth mentioning is that there is a difference between euthanasia and assisted dying.
Golda
Oh
Dominika
Where euthanasia is the doctor actively being with you in the process of dying and giving you the medicines needed to do that. And assisted dying is when you, when you're just given those medicines yourself and you take them yourself and then you're sort of someone assists you in that. And I think that is quite a significant difference. And I do know that. Yeah, also the Ministry of Health is also looking into those two different things. Whether either or both of those could be an option in Denmark.
Golda
Okay, I did not know that at all. Thank you for that information. I just always imagined that it is someone who at any age feels that they would want a medical professional to kind of just put them under. But it's interesting to note that there's actually the option of you, you doing it yourself. If we extend the lengths of autonomy and bodily autonomy, it is, I am also choosing the time that I go.
Dominika
Right, for sure.
Golda
Like I said, it has been something that's been discussed. I personally also believe that people should have the right to do it. However, I think what I have seen in the discussion is that people feel that if we legalize it, more people will be encouraged to do it.
Dominika
Yeah
Golda
Which begs another question of why more people would want to leave this earth, right?
Dominika
Exactly
Golda
And are people just tolerating life at this point? Are we stripping people from the dignity of how they die? Are some people left to kind of accept suffering rather than getting the relief from suffering? It's a really interesting perspective, and I think having more countries kind of taking this seriously could tie into potentially suicide prevention or how we deal with mental health. Prevention is the best way forward. But I think this brings in also a holistic perspective of what happens before people get to that point. But if they are at that point where they make this decision, how can it be done in the safest possible way and maybe incorporate family members? That's what I'm thinking.
Dominika
Yeah, for sure. I think it's like with a lot of things in medicine, abortion, for example, where, you know, banning it does not make it go away, but it just makes it less safe. And I think, you know, this could also be this case where, you know, making it legal could make it more safe and comfortable for people. I think there are a lot of arguments saying that people could then, you know, be forced to do it. You know, if you're vulnerable, if you're, you know, if your family or whoever doesn't want to take care of you. But I think there's already so many countries who have done this in a proper way, like the Netherlands, for example. It's been legal in the Netherlands since 2002. And they have a whole process that you have to go through in order to get to that point. You need at least two doctors to sign off on it. You have to be in unbearable suffering, it's called. There has to be no prospect of improvement. So there are guardrails which you can introduce to make sure that nobody who's in a vulnerable state is forced to do it.
Golda
Yeah, those are really, really good points. I didn't even think about the fact that yes, people could also be pressured to do it, which they are now with all the threats that people get online. But I like the fact that there are certain path/procedures you have to go through for people to really assess that, okay, yes, we will help you with this. This is interesting. I'm gonna have to read up on it a bit more, especially with the Netherlands that you mentioned. But yeah, it is, as you said, if we ban it, it's still gonna happen, sadly, but not in a dignified way.
Dominika
For sure. For sure. I think one more interesting thing to add to this, which I was reading about in some of the news, is that this working group that is looking into whether euthanasia should be legal in Denmark, they are actually expected to complete their work within two years, which is a lot of time to do the research. So I think it's also important to mention that this is not something that Denmark is sort of considering very willy nilly and it's going to happen tomorrow, but it is a process that is going to take a lot of time.
Golda
Yeah, that's a very good point to make as well. And Denmark has long been seen as a progressive welfare state. So I would even be shocked if it was such a rushed process. I think it's good that it's given its time to have all the research and that it's evidence-based based and whatever conclusions, of course, will also involve the citizens of Denmark.
Dominika
Exactly 100%.
Golda
Well, I, I was gonna say talk of dying sleep is probably the, the less long-term version of that. And sleeping under the stars is becoming the new thing. I thought this was quite an interesting topic personally, because when I first read sleeping under the stars, I thought, are people taking their blankets? Or just going outside. Are they reminiscing on when they were their kids, and their. Sorry, they were kids and their parents put them outside. But more and more Danes are spending nights in shelters actually and campsites which are managed by the, the Danish Nature Agency. And interesting number, it says here the summer saw a record of 51,633 overnight stays. Post-pandemic habits, cost of living pressures and a growing love for friluftsliv. The Nordic philosophy of outdoor life. Yeah. Is this something you have done before? Have you ever been hiking or sleeping in a shelter outside?
Dominika
I'm not a very outdoorsy person, to be honest, so not so much. I think whenever I see news like this, I find it very interesting that, you know, Denmark is such a wealthy country and you know, we still do all of these things which are, you know, very sort of down to earth and free and very you know accessible for everyone. I think comparing it to my home country, which is Poland, which is significantly less wealthy than Denmark, we have so many less activities like this that you know are accessible to everyone, where you don't have to pay. So I think this is really one of those really nice things about Denmark that you know there are these activities that everyone can do, which, yeah. At the same time, I've never considered myself.
Golda
Yeah, it is really interesting how rich nations are slowly, slowly reverting to some of the basic habits of human nature. That's what I would say. There was also, at one point, there was this growing trend of walking around with no shoes on.
Dominika
Yeah.
Golda
And it just really gets you thinking that with all the evolution we're going through with technology and what we're building and modernization, urbanization, there's still something within us as humans that brings us back to the basic ways of life, for sure. And it's really amazing that I have always said myself that at the end of the day, you will always see human nature in whichever community you go to. But also this recognition of, you know, just being outside with all our screens and everything, you know, people still find pleasure in just being outside. Because I'm reading here, it's like families, hikers, everybody just wants a quick escape. And tourists also do this. Imagine paying money to go.
Dominika
Exactly.
Golda
Sleep in the forest somewhere.
Dominika
And I think another thing about this, which is really nice, which I have to mention, because I do work in the sustainability industry, is that it's so sustainable, because there's a lot. I actually checked on the map, there's a lot of these shelters and camping places all around Copenhagen. So, you know, instead of flying off to Barcelona or wherever for the weekend, you just take your bike or the train and you have a weekend 20 minutes away for free, basically, which I think is very nice and maybe an underappreciated element of that, too.
Golda
That's so nice. So where is it that you work? Actually
Dominika
I work at a company that does carbon removal, so it's not really related to this, but I think, you know, all sustainability topics, they are in some way connected to each other.
Golda
Yeah, I completely agree. Okay, so we are coming to a natural end to this episode. We just want to say thank you for everyone who tuned in, and we hope that you'll continue to tune in to Last Week in Denmark podcast. Thank you and have a great week.
