Danish Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard moved his ministry to Nakskov for a day on September 21, 2026, to collect local input for a planned government program on geographical balance.
Hummelgaard, a Social Democrat, spent the day in the renovated Havnebygningen on the Nakskov harbor front. As DR reports, he said he does not yet have a clear idea of how to close the gaps between parts of Denmark. He added that finding the answers will require courage.
Lolland Mayor Marie-Louise Brehm Nielsen from the local list Din Stemme received the minister and held the first meeting of the day. Residents from nearby islands, representatives of the local education center and 16 tenth-grade pupils from Byskolen in Nakskov also met him, according to DR.
Several officials from the ministry, including the permanent secretary, traveled with him. The Ministry of Finance said on September 9 that Nakskov was the first stop on a nationwide tour, with the next announced stop in Nykøbing Mors on October 5, 2026.
The ministry said the tour involves meetings with local companies, politicians and organizations. The stated aim is to gather input for a comprehensive plan for better balance across the country.
Hummelgaard told DR he is not merely worried but very, very worried about the differences across Denmark. Pupils at the meeting have experienced school closures linked to Lolland’s long-running financial problems. The education center pointed to difficulties attracting students even though local employers have jobs available.
Structural measures, not new grant pools
Hummelgaard said the outcome must not be another series of grant pools for municipalities to apply for. Relocating state jobs and education programs is also not enough, he said. He called instead for structural measures covering both public finances and business development.
The government has announced a comprehensive plan for better balance across Denmark. According to Hummelgaard, the Finance Ministry will play an unusually weighty role in that work. SF’s Signe Munk holds the portfolio for towns and rural areas, while Interior Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr of SF is preparing a new equalization reform.
He drew a parallel to Copenhagen in the 1980s, a city he described as close to bankruptcy, with industrial ruins and severe social problems. The turning point, in his analysis, was that the state engaged itself.
Hummelgaard repeated that Denmark is too small for large differences. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen used the same phrase at the Social Democrats’ recent annual meeting, and it headlined a 2018 party proposal reported by TV2. He rejected the suggestion that he is late to the debate.
He credited books by fellow Social Democrats Kaare Dybvad and Bjørn Brandenborg with putting the issue into the government platform. He also acknowledged that his party faced challenges in these areas at the last general election and the local elections, as it did in 2015.
The minister said he wants to identify which structural levers can be turned. He told DR that is what he needs to learn more about.
