Copenhagen Municipality Offers to Relocate Ukrainians to Jutland Amidst Housing Shortage

Copenhagen Municipality is proposing to send more Ukrainian refugees to Jutland, a move that follows a critical response from five Jutland mayors regarding the government's immigration bill.

Andreas Keil, Copenhagen's mayor for employment, integration, and business, sent a letter to the Jutland mayors stating, "If you have the opportunity to receive a number of displaced Ukrainians, it would be a great help to Copenhagen." He framed the offer as a concrete contribution to the redistribution of refugees among municipalities, a concept previously supported by the Minister for Immigration and Integration, Morten Bødskov.

Keil explained that the letter was intended to explore mutual assistance between municipalities. He understands that the five Jutland municipalities are seeking more residents and labor, and have greater capacity for accommodating newcomers. In contrast, Copenhagen faces significant challenges in finding housing for more than the 3800 Ukrainians already residing there. The letter was sent to the mayors of Hjørring, Lemvig, Vesthimmerland, Skive, and Brønderslev Municipalities.

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If you have the opportunity to receive a number of displaced Ukrainians, it would be a great help to Copenhagen.

This proposal comes after an article in Jyllands-Posten on August 26, where Lemvig's mayor, Jens Lønberg, stated his municipality, currently housing 231 Ukrainians, was prepared to welcome more. "Come on with some more. We have houses and space for them. Ukrainians, despite language difficulties, have been good at stepping into all sorts of businesses. They are people who resemble us very much in mentality," Lønberg told Jyllands-Posten.

However, the situation appears different in the capital region. In January, mayors from Brøndby, Ishøj, and Rødovre reported that their municipalities were struggling to cope with the influx of Ukrainian refugees. The government's proposed legislation aims to prevent Ukrainians from 14 selected regions, deemed "less affected by war," from obtaining residency permits in Denmark.

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Come on with some more. We have houses and space for them. Ukrainians, despite language difficulties, have been good at stepping into all sorts of businesses. They are people who resemble us very much in mentality.