Denmark: Government to study cultural impact of immigration
Via Kristeligt-Dagblad (Danish):
Søren Pind, the Danish integration minister, will study what immigration will mean to Denmark cultural-wise in 40 years. This request by the Danish People's Party (DPP) is part of a recent agreement with the government regarding easier deportation of criminal foreigners.
Martin Henriksen (DPP), a member of the integration committee, says that according to Statistics Denmark, there were 361,000 non-Westerners in Denmark in 2009, making up 6.6% of the population. According to Statistics Denmark's population projections this group will double to 728,000 people in 2050, or 12.1% of the population. In total, 16.6% of the population are expected to be of immigrant background in 2050, compared with 9.7% in 2009.
"We lack a discussion on what it will mean for cohesion and integration," says Martin Henriksen (DPP), a member of the parliamentary integration committee. "These figure worry us because we'll get a very fragmented and multicultural society. We already have parallel societies today, but we must protect the cultural fellowship in the future. It's the prerequisite for the welfare society."
The study will check which immigrants will come to Denmark and suggest how they can become socially and culturally part of Denmark. The integration ministry will also study what immigration will in store for large and medium-sized Danish cities.
