Germany extends border controls to curb irregular migration

Germany on Monday moved to tighten border controls and curb irregular migrant inflows after several suspected Islamist attacks sparked public anger and piled pressure on the government.

Temporary controls would be extended to Germany’s land borders with all nine of its EU neighbours, the interior ministry said in a statement. That includes the border between South Jutland and the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

The controls would limit migration and “protect against the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime”, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told a press conference.

The extended border controls, which will come into force on September 16th for an initial six months, were notified to the European Commission on Monday, the ministry said.

Vocabulary: grænse (Danish) – Grenze (German) – border

Denmark opens cultural centre and cooking school in Cairo

A branch of the Danish Cultural Institute in Damascus was yesterday officially opened in Egyptian capital Cairo, newswire Ritzau reports. 

Activities at the branch, which is linked to Denmark’s closed cultural centre in the Syrian capital, were suspended 12 years ago due to the war.

Denmark is also opening a cooking school aimed at helping and educating young people in Egypt, so they can find jobs in the restaurant industry.

The institute seeks to strengthen ties between Egypt and Denmark by allowing researchers, artists, and others to come and stay at the centre while working on projects, Ritzau writes.

Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen is currently visiting Egypt, where he is presenting the government’s recently-announced Africa strategy.

Rasmussen also announced during the visit a 100-million kroner donation from Denmark to Egypt aimed at strengthening Egyptian control over irregular migration to Europe via the Mediterranean.

Vocabulary: indstillet – closed/suspended/stopped

Moderate party says it won’t release results of internal probe

An investigation into the work environment within the Moderate party will be kept internal, party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen said during a briefing in Cairo yesterday.

Former and current employees of the Moderates recently filed a report with the Danish work health and safety authority Arbejdstilsynet, in which they described bullying and sexism within the party.

The Moderates then invited Arbejdstilsynet to conduct an inspection, which was completed on Friday. The results have not been made public.

Rasmussen was asked in Cairo whether his party would be transparent about the results of the inspection.

He initially stated that this was “not today’s topic,” but said he would provide a response before declining further follow-up questions.

“I want to say that the process we are conducting is aimed at ensuring a proper working environment. I know you may not like hearing this, but I don’t believe it’s a top priority for you to contribute to a good working environment within the Moderates,” he told journalists.

“So this is a process we are handling internally,” he added.

Copenhagen announces Olympic ambition with spending on potential bid

Copenhagen’s city government has allocated half a million kroner to explore the possibility of hosting the Olympic Games.

Presenting the 2025 budget on Monday, the city government said that next year’s financial plan includes half a million kroner allocated for a preliminary study which will explore the possibility of bringing the Olympics to Copenhagen.

The Danish capital also confirmed it will submit an official bid to host the Youth Olympic Games.

“My vision is for us to have the smallest and most sustainable Olympics ever,” Mia Nyegaard, the city’s elected official for Culture and Leisure, said in a press release accompanying the budget.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires a financial guarantee from the central government before it considers a bid – something Copenhagen is not certain to be given.

More on this story here.