Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Denmark government is planning to exempt the Ukrainian refugees from the controversial ‘jewellery law’. Rasmus Stoklund, immigration spokesperson for the Social Democratic government, was quoted by Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet saying the law should not be applied to the Ukrainians who come to Denmark to escape Russian military action.
The ‘jewellery law’ was passed in 2016, under which the police was allowed to confiscate valuables and cash above 10,000 kroner (Norwegian currency) which is equivalent to USD 1,100 approx from the migrants and asylum seekers. The valuables collected from asylum seekers were to be used to fund their stay in Denmark,
Since its launch, the law has faced criticism from across the globe. When the law was passed in 2016, Independent had quoted Per Fiig, the chief of the National Police Immigration Centre, saying “Danish police are paying daily attention to whether those asylum seekers and foreigners we encounter, who are here illegally, have valuables that can help to finance the costs of their stay. Now, police have found valuables that could be seized.”
Though it was passed in 2016, based on reports of 2019, the law was almost never implemented. Especially when it comes to jewellery, nothing was confiscated from the immigrants. The aim of the law was to fund the stay of the immigrants and asylum seekers in Denmark using valuables of the refugees themselves.
In Denmark, the majority of the refugees came from war-torn Syria at the time when the law was enacted. Speaking about the case of Ukrainian, Stoklund justified the plan to waive off the law suggesting they were regional neighbours of Denmark. He said, “The jewellery law is made for if you leave the nearby region where you are safe, and travel through (other) safe countries. But that is not the case for Ukrainians. We are in their nearby region.”
Demark plans to enact special residency law for Ukrainians
Another specific step that Denmark plans to take for Ukrainian refugees is to amend its rules for allowing them to stay for a longer duration. Currently, Ukrainians can stay in Denmark for 90 days without Visa. Though it is unclear what the changes would mean the government is set to introduce a bill to make it easier for the Ukrainians to stay in Denmark. Also, the government is planning to make amendments in Danish Labour Law to make it welcoming for the Ukrainian refugees.
