Last updated in November 2009
Political relations
Economic, cultural and social relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Denmark are close and proceed in a wide range of areas outside governmental channels. Political relations are untroubled, high points including Federal President Johannes Rau’s state visit to Denmark in April 2002, the visits by Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II to Lübeck in September 2003 to mark the opening of the exhibition “Danes in Lübeck 1203 to 2003”, to Schleswig in July 2004 to attend the city’s 1,200th anniversary celebrations, and again to Schleswig in September 2008 to open the Danish grammar school there. From 22 to 23 August 2009, Queen Margrethe II visited Dresden, where she opened the German-Danish exhibition “Crossing the Sea with Fortuna”. During her 2004 visit to Schleswig, Denmark’s head of state also met with Federal President Horst Köhler.
A special quality is afforded relations through the German minority in North Schleswig and the Danish minority in South Schleswig. The successful minority policies on both sides of the German-Danish border are founded on the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations on minority rights, the 50th anniversary of which was celebrated on 29 March 2005 with a ceremony at Sonderburg Palace attended by Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
There is a close political dialogue between the two countries as well as regular mutual visits between federal and state ministers, parliamentarians and senior officials. Highlights were the visit by Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle in November 2009 and the visit by Federal Chancellor Merkel and Federal Environment Minister Gabriel to Greenland in August 2007.
Economic relations
Economic ties between Germany and Denmark are close and intensive, although trade between the two countries has declined sharply in recent months as a result of the economic crisis. Germany remains Denmark’s most important trading partner, however. Denmark, for its part, ranks 19th among Germany’s trading partners for imports and 18th for exports. Germany’s main imports from Denmark are industrial products, machinery and instruments and agricultural produce, and its main exports to Denmark are machinery and vehicles, semi-finished and finished goods, chemicals and agricultural produce.
There is also direct investment in both directions, Danish companies employing more than 58,000 people in Germany. Particularly well known are firms like Netto, Dänisches Bettenlager, Rockwool, Velux, Carlsberg and Danfoss. German direct investment in Denmark is worth some EUR 3.5 billion. Many German companies have subsidiaries in Denmark.
With the signing of a State Treaty in early September 2008, the go-ahead was given for the most important German-Danish project of the coming years: the building of a fixed link across the Fehmarn Belt. The Treaty has since been ratified in both countries. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2012 and be completed by 2018.
Cultural relations
The close cultural ties between Germany and Denmark have existed for centuries. Up until the German-Danish War of 1864 (Battle of Dybbøl), Schleswig-Holstein and Lauenburg belonged to the Danish Crown. What is today the Hamburg district of Altona was once the second-largest city in Denmark, the first railway line connecting Altona with Kiel.
Of key importance for cultural exchange is knowledge of the German language in Denmark, which is still good compared with many other European countries, though there is evidence of a marked downtrend here. German remains, after English, the most widely taught foreign language in Danish schools. At primary schools (unified national schools up to grade 9), 78 per cent of all pupils learn German for (at least) 2-3 years. At grammar schools, however, the proportion of pupils learning German has fallen to well below 50 per cent, only a small number of them learning German to the highest level.
Germanyactively contributes to the good infrastructure through the Danish Goethe Institute’s language department (further training for teachers). Two schools in Denmark, Middelfart Grammar School and St. Peter’s School (a German School Abroad) are members of the worldwide network of partner schools. The Federal Ministry of the Interior supports the German School and Language Association for North Schleswig (DSSV), which runs the schools of the German minority in North Schleswig. www.pasch-net.de
St Peter’s School in the centre of Copenhagen is the oldest German School Abroad, having been established in 1575. It is a private school under Danish law at which subjects are taught in German and Danish in equal measure. The school leads to both the level 1 German secondary school-leaving certificate and the equivalent Danish school-leaving certificate. In 2010, St Peter’s School will establish a senior grammar school section, leading to the German International Abitur Examination (DIAP). The first Abitur Examination will be held in 2013. In the meantime, it remains possible to obtain a German-Danish university-entrance qualification at Zahles Grammar School in Copenhagen. In addition, the German Grammar School for North Schleswig has been in existence in Apenrade since 1930.
In Copenhagen there are three German parishes: the Lutheran St Peter’s Church, the German Reformed parish and the German-speaking Roman Catholic parish, the oldest being St Peter’s Church (founded in 1575).
Apart from the official side, there is an immense variety of cultural exchange activities between Germany and Denmark, whose numerous festivals, museums, theatres and art galleries exert a strong attraction on German artists and performers. Art, literature and music from Germany are very popular in Denmark. Germany, for its part, is a cultural magnet for Danish visitors. The Goethe Institute in Copenhagen supports these promising developments with diverse programmes. Berlin in particular is a favourite with Denmark’s creative artists. There are now some 300 Danish artists from all genres living and working in Berlin, where they are a valuable addition to the city’s cultural life.
