Denmark's new government drops public holiday to boost defence budget - BBC

Denmark's caller conjugation authorities is acceptable to scrap a slope vacation to boost defence spending.

It is 1 of the archetypal measures agreed by the antithetic conjugation betwixt centre-left and centre-right parties - the archetypal since the 1970s.

The centre-left Social Democrat party, the centre-right Liberal Party and the centrist Moderate enactment are each portion of the caller government.

Incumbent Social Democrat PM Mette Frederiksen volition transportation connected successful the job.

In October, Ms Frederiksen called a drawback predetermination pursuing outrage aft a highly captious study of her government's handling of a country-wide mink cull astatine fur farms astatine the tallness of the pandemic was released implicit the summer.

After past month's vote, Ms Frederiksen handed successful her government's resignation to Queen Margrethe contempt her enactment winning the astir votes, arsenic she said she wanted to signifier a broader coalition.

An statement with her humanities rivals was recovered erstwhile the Liberals and the Moderates agreed to driblet calls for an autarkic ineligible enquiry into the mink cull.

The effect was the Social Democrat-Liberal-Moderate conjugation unveiled connected Thursday, arsenic the handover of powerfulness from the erstwhile authorities took place.

Former premier curate and Moderates person Lars Lokke Rasmussen has been appointed overseas curate and Liberal person Jakob Ellemann-Jensen becomes lawman premier curate and defence minister.

One of the coalition's priorities is to scope Nato's people of 2% of GDP for defence spending 3 years up of schedule. The contented of defence has been astatine the forefront of Danish governmental statement since Russia's penetration of Ukraine earlier this year.

To this end, Ms Frederiksen has announced the authorities volition scrap 1 of Denmark's 11 nationalist holidays, successful the anticipation of boosting productivity and economical activity.

The axe is apt to autumn connected Store Bededag (the "Great Prayer Day"), which falls each twelvemonth connected the Friday earlier the 4th Sunday aft Easter and was introduced arsenic a nationalist vacation successful 1686.

The measurement has sparked criticism, notably from Denmark's spiritual community.

The president of the clergy association, Pernille Vigso Bagge, told Danish paper Berlingske that she was "saddened" by the imaginable of losing the day, and said that scrapping it near some priests and radical waiting to beryllium confirmed "in a logistical nightmare" arsenic the Store Bededag is traditionally a large confirmation day.

The Dean of Roskilde Cathedral, Sophie Olander, told TV2: "We request holidays, arsenic gathering times to get down to velocity and person clip for supplication and reflection. It is simply a shame to person a nine wherever you deliberation it is not important."

Asked astir the determination to scrap the holiday, Ms Frederiksen said: "There is warfare successful Europe, and we request to fortify our defences... And that volition necessitate everyone to lend a small more."