NCC has been commissioned to construct a large part of the first phase of the waste-based energy-producing plant Amager Bakke on behalf of the contractor I/S Amager Ressourcecenter (I/S Amagerforbrænding).

The contract value is SEK 250 million and the order will be registered in the first quarter of 2013.

The contract includes construction site management, ramming and construction of new silos as well as earth and concrete works during the first phase of the construction of Amager Bakke.

The basic contract amount is SEK 250 million but, including possible additional assignments, the total contract value could reach as much as SEK 307 million.

Amager Bakke, which is located in Copenhagen, will be a modern energy-producing plant for waste management and resource recycling, designed using state-of-the-art green technology. The facility will replace a current waste-incineration plant, which is more than 40 years old.

The architect behind the plant is the internationally renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, who has also designed an artificial ski slope on the roof of the structure.

The contract will be registered by the business unit NCC Construction Danmark during the first quarter of 2013.

SwedenBIO, along with its sister organizations in Denmark, Finland and Norway – Biopeople, the Finnish and Norwegian BioIndustry Associations – invites you to an international partner and investor meeting together with the national and regional organizations of each country.

 “Each year, this meeting has attracted a growing number of visitors,” says Jonas Ekstrand, acting CEO SwedenBIO. “This year, we have expanded the sphere and we are pleased to share this invitation with our Nordic sister organizations. We are preparing to show the best of Life Science in the world’s 12th-largest economy.”

“The Nordic countries are world leaders in innovation, research and investments in Life Science. So, the place to be for partnering and networking is Stockholm City in October”, says Olivier Duchamp, Conference Director, Nordic Life Science Days. “Stockholm is one of the most beautiful capitals in the world, built on 14 islands connected by 57 bridges. Join us, breathe the fresh air and participate in the growth of the Life Science partnering community.”

The focus is on partnering and face-to-face meetings, company presentations, as well as networking, plenary and parallel sessions on major Life Science industry issues.

Four hundred delegates attended last year’s meeting in Malmö. With the enhanced Nordic focus, the organizers expect 600 participants in Stockholm. The Nordic Life Science Days (former Life Science Investment Day Scandinavia) will take place at Stockholm Waterfront on Oct 14 to 15, 2013 and replaces the previously announced BioPartnering Future Europe (BPFE) 2013 meeting.

More information at www.swedenbio.com

An EUR 100m EIB loan is supporting research, development and innovation (RDI) projects in enzymes, novel proteins and micro-organisms by Novozymes, the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes. The firm is located in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

“In nature, enzymes catalyse biochemical reactions. They convert food in our stomachs into energy and turn fallen leaves into compost. Enzymes help us make products more efficient,” says Mads Bodenhoff, Vice-President of Finance at Novozymes. In industry, enzymes replace chemicals and accelerate production processes. They help companies make more using less water, energy and raw materials with technology that replaces conventional chemicals and reduces environmental impact.

Supporting leading-edge bio-innovation

“With over 700 products used in 130 countries, our bio-innovations improve industrial performance and safeguard the world’s resources by offering better and more sustainable solutions,” says Bodenhoff. The EIB has already successfully provided the rapidly growing and innovative company with financial backing for its RDI. Novozymes also regularly figures high on the European Commission’s R&D scorecard, which compares the R&D investment levels among Europe’s top companies. It invests 14% of its revenue in research and development, which is high in comparison to industry peers.

Converting waste into fuel

Novozymes is also developing the enzymes needed to produce cellulosic (“second-generation”) biofuel. This is widely seen as preferable to first generation biofuel, as it uses agricultural residues and waste rather than crops such as corn and wheat. Biofuel based on waste is able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 90% compared to fossil fuels.

“The way forward is to convert the residue part of the crop into sugars which can then be used for fuels," Bodenhoff explains. Thus wood chips, stalks and husks can be turned into a valuable resource. “The technology is ready now and offers a solution to many problems,” he adds. “If you take just 20% of the agricultural and forest residue available in Europe, which can be taken away from the fields sustainably, you can meet half of Europe's fuel needs.”

Upon launch, broadband Internet users in the Nordic countries can subscribe to Netflix and instantly watch a wide array of Hollywood, local and global TV shows and movies; many with high definition video and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound.

Netflix has revolutionized entertainment by giving people a choice to enjoy what they want to watch from its broad selection, when they want to watch it, where they want to watch it for one low monthly price over a wide-range of Internet-connected devices. These devices include PCs, Macs, Smart TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray disc players, smartphones and tablets.

Now the world's leading Internet subscription service for TV and movies, Netflix has been streaming to millions of U.S. members since 2007, adding Canada in 2010, Latin America in 2011 and the UK and Ireland in early 2012. Using the unique Netflix recommendation engine, each member is presented a personalized list of TV and film titles to enjoy from the Netflix library.

About Netflix

With more than 27 million streaming members in the United States, Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is the world's leading internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV programs. For one low monthly price, Netflix members can instantly watch movies and TV programs streamed over the internet to PCs, Macs and TVs. Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players, internet-connected TVs, home theatre systems, digital video recorders and internet video players; Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Apple TV and Google TV.

Petersen Machinery has now registered and started up a Sales & Service company based in Shanghai, China.

The company, named CIDAN Machinery Trading Shanghai Co. Ltd., will sell and service Petersen Machinery’s sheet metal machines under the brand name CIDAN throughout China.

The marketed machines will be the entire machine portfolio ranging from Power Folders, Mechanical Shears, Cut-to-Length Lines, and Decoilers up to as much as 8 millimeter thickness in mild steel.

The new company, CIDAN Machinery Trading Shanghai Co. Ltd, is owned 70% by Petersen Machinery Denmark A/S and the remaining 30% by the Danish Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU).

The company will do both direct sales but also sell through distributors to cover a larger part of China. The company will kick-start its establishment by having a booth at the CIMES 2012 exhibition in Beijing, taking place from June 12th to 16th. The staff will be trained local Chinese employees, but the Board of Directors will have members that represent the shareholders and also external members who will bring in required knowledge of the local conditions.

Petersen Machinery is a medium-sized company with a history of 105 years, producing machines for the thin sheet metal industry at production plants in Europe. The company is headquartered in Denmark with a strong presence in Sweden.

Especially the program within power folding machines has a unique position on the market as these machines provide the users with a range of advanced possibilities which today are not known to Chinese companies within thin sheet metal industry.

Today, machines from Petersen Machinery are sold at all key markets in Europe, South America as well as in North America where the company has its own sales office.

IFU is a fund owned by the Danish government and operating on commercial terms as a minority shareholder in companies in development countries.

Further increase in VAT rates in 2012 and Corporate and top personal income tax rates inch up after long decline.

Read more here

Liquidity squeeze as business debt write-offs escalate - Research by leading European credit management services company, Intrum Justitia, shows that European businesses are being severely squeezed by liquidity problems.

57% of businesses claim to have problems with liquidity due to late payments, an increase of 10% in the last twelve months. The Intrum Justitia European Payment Index 2012 (EPI 2012) also shows the debt written off by European businesses reaching a record high of €340 billion.

The EPI 2012 survey of more than 7,800 European businesses in 28 countries shows that the European economy is a mixed picture – both in relation to problems with liquidity and written-off debts. Germany and the Nordic countries show considerable strength, whereas other countries, primarily in South and East Europe, are facing great problems.

“The fragmented picture that appeared in last year’s EPI has even been reinforced this year. Alarmingly high shares of businesses in countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain have problems with liquidity due to late payments. Written-off debts also continue to rise in several countries. In Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, more than one out of every €20 in sales is written off as bad debt. Larger economies such as the UK and Poland are also displaying surging debt write-offs,” comments Intrum Justitia CEO, Lars Wollung.

The prolonged economic and financial difficulties are starting to take a toll. 55 percent of businesses claim that the recession has lead to problems with liquidity, a 17 percent rise over the previous year.

The eighth edition of the EPI also shows that businesses are trying to handle the liquidity problems by decreasing the contracted days to payment. On average, the number of contracted days to payment in business-to-business payments has decreased from 36 to 32 days. The average number of days in payment delay remains at 20 days.

“Businesses in Europe are trying to cope but are caught in a vicious circle trying to pay their invoices as late as possible and trying to get paid as early as possible”, says Lars Wollung.

The measures taken by European and International bodies to stall the international financial crisis in general and the Euro crisis specifically have to a large extent focused on saving the banks and the financial system. The survey, however, shows that 47 percent of business in Europe claim to have less confidence in banks being able to support them, whilst only 5 percent claim to have more confidence. This indicates that only a small fraction of financial help actually reaches the businesses.

“A working financial system is vital for the economy as a whole, but if the vast sums spent on saving the banks never trickle down to the businesses that produce goods and services, the road to economic recovery will be a long and rough ride. Businesses’ low confidence in banks is very troubling. An even more striking insight is that only three out of ten businesses are confident that governments will be able to support them,” says Lars Wollung.

With low confidence in banks’ and governments’ ability to support them, businesses in Europe are left on their own. Nor does the situation appear to offer any hope of improvement in the near future – 94 percent of businesses see the risks from their debtors increasing or remaining at the same level in the next 12 months. Intrum Justitia therefore suggests the following ten steps to help businesses help themselves:

1. Create and implement a solid credit policy to manage your risks and increase revenue
2. Follow up on every step in your credit management process
3. Make sure you identified the customer you are doing business with
4. Make a clear agreement with your customer stating all conditions for your business
5. Integrate sales, marketing and financial department in avoiding defaults
6. Implement customer address checks regularly
7. Monitor economic & industry information, and the solvency of key customers
8. Implement swift reminders and possibly charge default interest
9. Always extend and balance your customer structure
10. Never, ever wait, always take immediate action to get paid

Download EPI 2012 Europe Map

Download EPI Tables 2012

About the European Payment Index
The survey was conducted simultaneously in 28 countries between January and March 2012. The survey was conducted in written form and more than 7,800 companies responded. This is the eighth year that Intrum Justitia has run the survey. 

The questionnaire was translated into the respective national languages. Dispatch and return of the questionnaires were carried out on a decentralized basis by the countries concerned, whereas the analysis was carried out centrally in accordance with predetermined guidelines. All information has been verified and uncertainties were not included in the evaluation. Furthermore, not all anonymously sent questionnaires were taken into account for the evaluation. Companies in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland were questioned online by a specialized company (BING Research). Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania were researched by the countries and double checked against a separate on-line survey by a specialized company (BING Research).

The Internet economy is growing more than 10 percent per year in the G-20 nations.

No one—no individual, business, or government—can afford to ignore its ability to deliver more wealth to more people more broadly than any economic development since the Industrial Revolution.

This report quantifies the Internet’s economic impact. Read more at Boston Consulting Group – The Connected World

BGI, one of the world's largest genomics organisations, opens its first European Genome Research Center located in Copenhagen Bio Science Park (COBIS).

In 2010, they established a European headquarters in Denmark and became the largest ever Chinese Biotech investment in Denmark. Now, Chinese BGI, one of the world’s largest genomics organisations, is expanding their Danish presence with a European Genome Research Center in Copenhagen.

The center aims to establish collaborations to better accelerate the innovation and development of genomics research and applications in health care, agriculture, bioenergy and other related areas in Europe.

The opening ceremony of the genome research center was held at the Bio-center in University of Copenhagen last Friday, and it was attended by Pia Olsen Dyhr, Minister of Trade and Investments, Professor Huanming Yang, Co-founder and Chairman of BGI, and Professor Thomas Bjørnholm, Vice Chancellor of University of Copenhagen, among others.

The current international slowdown entails new risks for the Danish economy, which so far had been recovering only slowly and unevenly from the unwinding of a massive domestic property boom and the global crisis that erupted in 2007 08.

The main challenge is to secure the necessary space for policies to cope with potential further adverse shocks by sticking to the current plans and to bring about strong, sustainable and greener growth.

The economy displays a number of strengths. The fiscal position is relatively sound. The flexicurity system helps adjust to shocks while limiting the social cost of unemployment and the risk that it becomes entrenched. The welfare system ensures low poverty and inequality. However, competitiveness has deteriorated in the past decade and productivity growth has been weak, eroding potential growth. Moreover, vulnerabilities remain in the financial sector.

Denmark’s green growth ambitions might translate into new sources of growth, but energy and climate change policies need to be reviewed to achieve better results at low cost.

Download the Overview of the Economic Survey of Denmark 2012

The New Year will usher in a myriad of new tax rules. But whether those new rules will put pluses or minuses in your budget all depends on who you are. Check out our overview below of the coming changes to Denmark’s tax rules and see where you’ll stand in 2012.

Tax breaks

The unpopular ‘multimedia tax’ – the 3,000 kr per year tax on work-related telephones and computers – has been eliminated. Work computers used at home will no longer be taxed, but employer-provided mobile phones will still be hit with a 2,500 kr tax.

The ‘household help’ tax deduction of up to 15,000 kr per year per adult has been extended through the end of 2012, lowering the cost of professional household improvements and maintenance by up to one-third.

Higher ‘green checks’: The state’s tax refund to all tax-paying adults and their children will increase slightly to compensate for increased energy and water taxes (see below).

The 35,136 kr maximum child benefit per family is eliminated, allowing families with several young children to receive more in state child support checks.

Business deduction for research and development costs: Companies recording losses in 2012 due to research and development investments will now be allowed to take a deduction of up to 1.25 million kr.

Tax hikes

Tap water: price increasing from 5.23 to 5.90 kr per cubic meter – a 13 percent increase.

Coffee and tea: higher excise taxes on imported coffee and tea and coffee as well as tea extracts.
Cigarettes, alcohol, chocolate, sweets: all of the ‘sins’ will cost a little more in 2012. A pack of cigarettes, for example, will cost three kr more. (Increases go into effect April 2012.)

Maximum tax-exempt pension deposit lowered from 100,000 to 50,000 kr per year. Analysts expect that as a result Danes will shift some four billion kroner into other retirement savings accounts and up to five billion kroner into private savings, reports Jyllands-Posten.

Employee stock ownership schemes no longer tax exempt.

Stocks-for-salary payments no longer exempt from payroll taxes.

Employer-provided supplemental health insurance plans no longer tax deductible.

Taxes on business ownership transfers between family members will increase. Before 2012, as much as 75 percent of a family-owned company’s liquid assets were exempt from the transfer tax. Now, just 50 percent will be. Powerful family-owned businesses, including the owners of retail giant Jysk, put the kibosh on the left-leaning government’s initial plan to lower the exemption to 25 percent, reports Jyllands-Posten.

Increased duties on nitrogen oxide (NOx), a harmful chemical used in fuels, which is released into the atmosphere during combustion. (Increase goes into effect July 2012)

Multinational corporations will have fewer tax loopholes and more oversight from the tax authorities.

Source - The Copenhagen Post

Copenhagen has one the best living standards in the world, according to a new 2011 survey of the world's most livable cities.

Copenhagen beats popular European cities such as London, Barcelona and Stockholm in a recent survey of the most livable cities in the world.

Copenhagen ranks number nine in the world according to the Mercer 2011 Quality of Living Survey, which ranks cities by the quality of life they offer expatriate executives and their families across the world.

- The rating reflects the fact that we have much to offer when it comes to providing a good base for expats coming to work in Denmark. I think one of the most important things to emphasize is the good work-life balance in Denmark, where the management structure is mostly flat and informal, and everybody can speak out their opinion. Also, the Danish welfare state provides its citizens with high standards of social welfare such as free education and healthcare, says Pia Olsen Dyhr, Minister for Trade and Investment in Denmark.  

Copenhagen beats Stockholm and Oslo

In Europe, Vienna takes the lead in the rating followed by Zürich. Bern shares a ninth place together with Copenhagen, which gets the highest ranking of all Scandinavian cities. For instance, Stockholm is ranked number 20, Oslo is number 33 and Helsinki is number 35.

Mercer, a provider of advice to multinational companies on international assignments, conducts the yearly survey to help governments and multinational companies compensate their employees fairly when placing them on international assignments.

The survey covers 221 cities in the world where living conditions are evaluated according to different factors such as the political and social environment, public services and transportation, health and sanitation and more.

Are you well connected to high-tech companies in the USA and in Scandinavia?

Please read on… Here

Low cost airlines from all over the world were behind the rating of Copenhagen Airport as the world’s best low cost airport at the World Low Cost Airlines Congress in London.

CPH Go, Copenhagen Airport’s low cost facility, was a major reason for the award going to Copenhagen.

At a recent conference held in London attended by with participation of low cost airlines and airports from all over the world, Copenhagen Airport was named the best low cost airport in the world. In its motivation for the award, the jury pointed especially to CPH Go, a dedicated low cost pier that has increased the availability of low cost seats and destinations.

“The winner has built a modern, efficient facility that offering the low cost airlines unique services and opportunities”. The jury also noted Copenhagen Airport’s innovative marketing strategy promoting Copenhagen as a destination.

“The service provided by an airport is no longer a standard off-the-shelf product expected to fit all customers. It is crucial to our approach to the airlines that we can offer them differentiated products and prices. That applies both to airport charges and infrastructure, as well as our marketing and product offering, such as self-service facilities, all of which play a major role in attracting new routes to Denmark,” said Ole Wieth Christensen, CPH’s Director of Airline Sales & Route Development, who accepted the award on behalf of CPH.

Low cost growth continues
At the beginning of this millennium, low cost airlines accounted for 1.5% of traffic at Copenhagen Airport; that percentage had grown to 17.7% in 2010. With 2,692,000 low-cost passengers from January to August this year, the growth continues in 2011, and the number of low cost passengers travelling through Copenhagen Airport in the first eight months of the year exceeded the number for the full year of 2010.

Norwegian is the biggest low-cost operator at Copenhagen airport, followed by easyJet, which, as the first airline at CPH Go, agrees with the favourable assessment by the jury:

“At easyJet, we are very pleased with Copenhagen Airport’s new low cost facility, and we have been the first to move our operations to CPH Go. We have also collaborated with Copenhagen Airports using our experience in efficient infrastructure and logistics focusing on what the passengers want, namely easy access to affordable travel. We are therefore very pleased that CPH has received the award," said Thomas Haagensen, General Regional Manager, easyJet.