Denmark has scrapped a public holiday in order to help pay for its NATO defence spending commitments.

The newly formed government says the move will help raise tax revenues for money to boost the country’s defence in the wake of the Ukraine war.

NATO asks that member states commit a minimum of 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defence spending to ensure the alliance’s military readiness.

Denmark will aim to meet that target by 2030, three years earlier than planned.

The government says most of the extra 4.5 billion Danish crowns (£533million) needed to meet the spending goal will be covered by the higher tax revenues anticipated from abolishing the holiday.

But labour unions have protested the plan to abolish the Great Prayer Day, a Christian holiday that falls on the fourth Friday after Easter and dates back to 1686, since it was put forward in December.

Opposition lawmakers called the bill “foolish,” “crazy” and “totally wrong” but failed to agree on calling a referendum on the issue. In Denmark, 60 lawmakers can demand a public vote.

Nadia Nadim: World Cup pundit’s mum killed by truck – forcing ITV star off-air during Denmark-Tunisia match

Christian Eriksen makes return in major tournament for Denmark 17 months after cardiac arrest on pitch

‘Powerful explosions’ behind two Nord Stream gas pipeline leaks in Baltic Sea

“Stop the thief,” Karsten Honge, a member of the Socialist People’s Party, said during a three-hour parliamentary debate. “The government is ordering people to work one day more.”

Workers in Denmark currently have up to 11 public holidays, but the figure is lower in years where Christmas and New Year fall on weekends.

Read more:
NATO membership ‘top priority’ for Sweden and Finland
UK must lead the way for Europe in NATO, says shadow defence secretary

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The government’s pledge to accelerate defence spending comes amid increased geopolitical uncertainty after Nord Stream pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Germany through Danish waters were damaged.

The US and NATO have called the incident “an act of sabotage”, while Sweden and Denmark have both concluded that the pipelines were blown up deliberately.

Neither country has spoken up on who may be responsible for the attacks.

Meanwhile, Russia has blamed the West for the unexplained explosions and said the US had questions to answer over its role in what may have happened.

Related posts:

NYC doormen fired for failing to intervene in attack on Asian-American woman Buddhist monk rescued after four days trapped in flooded Thai cave Outrage as Pakistan’s PM links rise in rape cases to how women dress Myanmar ambassador to UK says he is locked out of embassy as he reportedly spends night in his car Hunger striking Navalny ‘losing feeling in hands after suffering two spinal hernias’ ‘Walrus from Space’ climate change project urges public to help search for animals in satellite images Britain’s most notorious conman Mark Acklom extradited to Spain days after early prison release Two children among 18 killed as Russian missiles hit flats before dawn ‘My home is a graveyard now’: The aftermath of Afghanistan’s deadly earthquake Beer to be banned from World Cup stadiums in Qatar In city where COVID began, there is creeping sense more suffering is coming CCTV shows chilling moment Russian FSB agents and soldiers scour Ukrainian orphanage for children