Copenhagen - Positive responses to the sirens of change

Innovative designCristal", the extension to Nykredit's head office designed by Schmidt Hammer & Lassen, combines some very Scandinavian features.

Perhaps more than anywhere else, a green attitude is a given in the Danish capital. This year, Copenhagen took its turn to win the title of European Green Capital, after Hamburg and Nantes. This is hardly surprising for a city that holds the world record for consumption of organic produce, with 52% of its residents cycling to work and 71% of its hotel rooms eco-certified. Copenhagen even aims to become the world's first CO2-free city by 2025. That's 25 years ahead of Stockholm!

The objective seems realistic, thanks to a fall in emissions and a very good implementation of the measures taken. In fact, Denmark came top of the Climate Change Performance Index in 2013. "When you think of Denmark, you inevitably think of the Copenhagen Summit and the environment", intones Carole Cunisset, Ubifrance's director in Copenhagen, "as the country's natural resources, notably offshore oil and gas, dwindle, we are encouraging the development of other energy sources, wind power in particular".

Enriching exchanges

Denmark is therefore paying particular attention to the environment and green technologies, with the development of "smart grids", an intelligent connectivity network for robotics and home automation. But that hasn't stopped the country from remaining focused on its core strength: trading and logistics. "Copenhagen is first and foremost the gateway to Scandinavia, a veritable transport hub with road and rail links and the region's largest airport."says Carole Cunisset.

Denmark's growth (+1.6% in 2013, with a forecast of +1.8% for 2014) is largely based on the transport sector, of which Maersk, the world's largest container carrier, is one of the main pillars. "Since the 16th century, the Danish economy has been outward-looking, because a country of six million people cannot be self-sufficient.It's a country where international trade accounts for 69% of the country's income," says the Ubifrance director. In this respect, an even more efficient rail network - the Ringsted-Fehmarn - is due to be completed in 2021. This ambitious 115km line project will link Denmark's main cities to each other, while also connecting them to Germany via Hamburg, thanks to a tunnel under the Baltic Sea.

"Copenhagen, Scandinavia's largest metropolis (Editor's note: taking into account the entire Oresund region, including Malmoë), is an easy place to live for foreigners. Everyone speaks English, and there are no major discrepancies between salaries. Danish society is egalitarian, with direct relations between employers and employees.It's a good thing that we're able to work together," explains Rolf Meurs-Gerken, business lawyer and Secretary General of the Franco-Danish Chamber of Commerce. "Many small businesses are quick to start exporting, even when they only have 5 or 10 employees, because it's an innate gift of the Danes, who know that the keys to success lie beyond their borders."he continues. Even though the income tax rate is high (from 30% to over 50%), wages are also high, and the unemployment rate is low, at around 5%. The secret of the Danish model is called 'flexicurity', i.e. the combination of a highly flexible labour market - hiring and firing are lightly regulated, there is no minimum wage - a high level of social benefits in the event of unemployment and an activation policy for the unemployed. This combination explains the high mobility of the workforce: every year, around 30% of Danes change jobs. "Flexicurity' and 'green attitude': this cocktail attracts a thousand more people to the Danish capital every month!

With its colourful houses and its old sailing ships, Nyhavn - the "new harbour", dating back to the 17th century - tells of the historic link between Copenhagen and the open sea. A link between Northern Europe and the rest of the continent, the Danish capital still draws real dynamism from its position as a commercial crossroads.

Trendy gastronomy

Ten years on, the New Danish Cuisine has established Copenhagen as one of the world's leading gastronomic centres. The Danish capital won 17 stars for 15 of its restaurants this year, and there are even whispers that the famous red guide will soon devote an entire volume to Nordic restaurants.

The foundations of this revolution were laid by René Redzepi and Claus Meyer, who created the Noma restaurant, again this year considered to be the best in the world by the British magazine Restaurant. These foundations have since been widely adopted throughout Scandinavia under the name of New Nordic Cuisine, and are based on the use of exclusively local products, new and sometimes unexpected, pure and natural, but prepared using traditional culinary techniques. Geranium, a two Michelin-starred establishment, has taken this to the extreme, serving only organic food and drink!

One of Copenhagen's new attractions this autumn is the recently opened Tarnet restaurant in the parliament tower. Masterfully orchestrated by chef Rasmus Bo Bojesen, who also runs the restaurant at the city's opera house, this new gastro-parliamentary establishment is, of course, intended to be democratic. So it's inviting smorrebrod, a traditional Danish dish, to its table, with potatoes as the ingredient of honour! And it's sure to be one of the tastiest. Another new feature is Copenhagen Street Food, a former paper factory with dozens of stalls offering simple dishes, many of them organic. Enjoy them in deckchairs facing the sea...

www.noma.dk

www.geranium.dk

www.taarnet.dk

www.copenhagenstreetfood.dk