A controversial Danish law mandating compulsory work for certain welfare recipients is drawing fresh criticism—this time for affecting members of the Danish minority in Germany’s Sydslesvig (South Schleswig). Critics say the regulation, which was designed to target immigrants, is unfairly sweeping up Danish citizens with deep cultural and linguistic ties to Denmark.
Danish work duty to expand in July under stricter rules
The tightened “work duty” (arbejdspligt) and residence/employment requirements are set to take effect on July 1, 2025. Under the rules, individuals receiving welfare may be required to perform up to 37 hours a week of public utility work or internships. The law applies to those who have lived in Denmark for less than nine out of the past ten years and who have not completed at least 2.5 years of full-time employment during that period.
While Danes born and raised in Denmark are exempt, citizens from South Schleswig—despite their Danish identity and cultural upbringing—are not.
“If you grew up in the Danish minority in Germany, you likely went to Danish kindergarten, school, maybe even high school. You speak Danish. The state supports Danish culture in the region with nearly half a billion kroner (approx. €67 million) annually,” said Vibeke Würtz Jürgensen, a South Schleswig Dane now living and working in Denmark. “Yet when you move here, you’re treated as a foreigner.”
South Schleswig Danes feel treated as ‘second-class citizens’
Jürgensen, although not directly affected herself, called the law “deeply exclusionary.”
“It feels like being told you’re a second-class citizen,” she said. “It’s like being trampled on.”
She is not alone in her concern. Henrik Frandsen of the Moderates (Moderaterne), a member of the South Schleswig Committee (Sydslesvigudvalget) and a former mayor of border-town Tønder, agrees that an exemption is needed.
“We need to recognize that we have a Danish minority south of the border, and they should have rights on par with Danes born in Denmark,” Frandsen said.
Opposition parties challenge fairness of Danish work law
The law, originally passed with support from the Liberal Party (Venstre), Conservatives (Konservative), Liberal Alliance, and Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti), was designed to increase employment among immigrants—particularly non-Western women. But it has since drawn backlash for ensnaring unexpected groups, including international adoptees and children born through surrogacy.
In February, after public outcry, Minister for Employment Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen (Social Democrats) announced that adoptees would be exempted from the rules. South Schleswig Danes are now demanding the same consideration.
Victoria Velasquez of the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) called the situation a “legislative blunder” and pledged to raise the issue with the minister.
“Either this is another mistake in a poorly drafted law, or it’s a deliberate move to discriminate against a group of people,” she said. “The government’s obsession with appearing tough on immigration has led to serious errors.”
Cross-border Danish identity at risk under new policy
South Schleswig has long-standing ties to Denmark, with generations of Danes maintaining language, education, and cultural institutions just south of the Danish-German border. Yet the new law risks undermining those connections by creating legal and social barriers for citizens returning “home.”
Frandsen emphasized that the issue stems not from malice, but from oversight.
“There’s a legislative inconsistency here that likely went unnoticed,” he said, vowing to pursue a legal adjustment.
As the July deadline approaches, pressure is mounting on the Danish government to correct what many see as a discriminatory policy—one that clashes with Denmark’s historic commitment to its own minority communities abroad.
