The Viking Spirit
The Vikings made Denmark known – and feared – 1,000 years ago when their kings “ruled England” for more than a century and plundered foreign lands in a fashion that was innovative of the day.
Some say they were bandits, others that they were bold traders – but most agree that they presented design in an original and typical Danish way: simple, elegant and extremely useful as for example the Viking ship. And their success was based on the fundamental value of mutual trust - crucial for their commercial expeditions as well as their raids. This is still today a major building stone in the Danish way of life.
Today, a small nation is measured by its ability to distinguish itself in fields such as openness, innovation, trustworthiness, sophistication, democratic values, etc. This is how we see Denmark's greatness, or as jokingly put by the Danish architect, poet and philosopher Piet Hein: “Denmark is bigger than it is small”.
So what is Denmark, this small nation at the top of Europe? Who are the Danes, the 5.4 million mostly fair-haired descendants of the Vikings?

Happiness and equality
Judging by various international comparisons Danes are among the happiest, the most peaceful, the most globalised, flexible people on earth with one of the highest standards of living and the highest degree of social equality. Even paying the highest taxes in the world is a source of pleasure – as long as the money is spent wisely and for the good of all citizens.
Here we are at the core: the modern welfare society where prosperity is shared also with those who are less fortunate, where everybody has access to free school education, academic studies, medical treatment, benefits for the elderly, roads and nature. Where “few have too much and fewer too little” in the words of a song by another Danish icon, politician, writer and clergyman N.F.S. Grundtvig.

Flexibility and Security
“Flexicurity” is a keyword on the Danish labour market. The rapid changes in industrial production and the need for a flexible workforce have been met by a well-organised labour market combined with generous and flexible social benefits for the unemployed, which makes it easy for companies to lay off and hire workers in order to meet and adjust to the demand. This may, in turn, explain why Danes are among the most “globalisation ready” people, who see globalisation as an opportunity rather than a threat. Production may shift to countries with lower salaries – but then other, more advanced production will be introduced, which is favourable due to the available well-skilled workforce.

Taking on globalisation
Denmark manages to both meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities that come with globalisation. The country is ranked as one of the world's most competitive nations, and the Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Denmark as the world's best place to do business. With a higher GDP per capita and lower unemployment than the average for EU-15 countries, Denmark demonstrates that a high level of competitiveness does not have to come at the expense of social cohesion.

A green nation
“Green”, in both the visual and eco-friendly sense, is the word that best describes the Danish landscape. Decades ago, Denmark recognised the need to protect the environment and to promote and safeguard sustainable development. This in turn has given the country a useful lead in tackling issues like sustainable generation of energy, energy efficiency, district heating, waste water treatment and waste management.
Today, green technology is one of Denmark's biggest exports. The country has well-established programmes of research and numerous companies with expertise and production capability in the field of sustainable technologies.

Fighting climate change
The hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 15, in December 2009 in Copenhagen, is a reflection of the Danish dedication to fighting climate change. The ambition is a binding agreement that includes as many countries as possible, contributes to a reduction in man-made greenhouse gases, and combines respect for the environment, living standards and long-term security of energy supply in the best way possible.
Denmark not only brings ambitions and political will to the global scene, but also solid proof that caring for the environment and the climate does not conflict with aspirations for growth and welfare. And Denmark is capable of providing a wide range of solutions and technologies that the world needs in order to address climate change.
Following the oil crisis in 1973, Denmark has converted production processes and facilities from being based solely on fossil fuels to more diverse sources of energy. Simultaneously, energy efficiency measures have been developed in order to cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In addition, combined heat and power plants, district heating, waste and waste water management, and the fact that Danish environmental policy is integrated into all major policy sector objectives place Denmark among the world leaders in developing and commercialising cleantech technologies.
Danish exports of energy technology and equipment have more than tripled in the last decade, outperforming most other Danish export items. Danish expertise in wind energy is second to none and Danish companies are still market leaders when it comes to wind power technology.