Partner Article

Cashless society debate in Denmark raises issues of national pride

Is the Dannebrog on fire? Denmark’s triggering a move toward a cashless society causes growing popular discontent surrounding the “loss of oneself” and many other concerns.

According to Inge Adriansen, inspector at the Museum at Sonderborg Castle, “National symbols are the embodiment of community, independent of class, social, political, or cultural differences. They serve to define the boundaries of a state in relation to other states and impose limits (in defining a people) with respect to national minorities within a nation’s borders.” For a growing part of Danish population, the prospect of cash disappearance embodies the end of a national emblem, a symbol of sovereignty. For all that, is Denmark really losing what makes it ‘Denmark’?

To tell the truth, there is an identity crisis going on in Denmark as more and more symbols of the country seem to be fading away. The Danes don’t agree and the extreme right political party Dansk Folkeparti (DF) seems to surf on that wave. Yet the Danish identity is a preoccupation for the Danes all around the political spectrum, but the Government seems to care very little in the eyes of Danes and is about to get rid of one of Denmark’s most important symbol and pride; the Danish Krone coins and bills.

The flag, the royal family, the borders, the krone, are certainly some of the most discussed topics these days in Copenhagen’s pubs. Immigration debates have been raising just like in many other Northern European countries and, with it, many questions on what defines the Danish identity. More and more Danes believe that their country is “becoming more and more European” says Morten, a restaurant owner in downtown Copenhagen; “we feel like the European Union is taking decisions for us whether we like it or not. Immigration isn’t my main concern, we always had people from many origins here. But I don’t want Brussels to make decisions for us, we are a nation and we shouldn’t have to beg to keep our sovereignty”. Just like Morten, more and more Danes are protesting against the Government’s announce to get rid of cash by year 2030. They regret to see their flag shown as a symbol of pride less and less and kept for only special occasions, soccer games, or the Dansk Folkeparti meetings.

But in Copenhagen, the eradication of banknotes is the way the cookie crumbles. The Danish krone has always been a source of pride and their bills, a piece of history that each Dane could have in hand. But these pieces of history have been sentenced to death by the Government following pressures from major commercial banks and online payments lobbies that wish to abolish “uncontrollable” cash hoarding.

In today’s Denmark, the banks aren’t trusted anymore and many Danes often refer to the ‘Iceland crisis’ saying the same could happen to them in the future. Without cash, the Danes’ only option will be to trust their banks… and many of them don’t.

Frederikke, a bus driver in Copenhagen’s suburban areas regrets that she has less contact with the people she transports since cash payment is disappearing. “I have been seeing the difference, yes, it’s true that it might be easier now with electronic payments, but I miss the contact with the people, talking to them while giving the change, and we always loved our Kroner, I taught my daughter every historical figures on them. For Frederikke and others, losing the cash is losing part of the Danish history. From Karen Blixen, to Carl Nielsen, Niels Bohr, Johanne Luise Heiberg, or Anna and Michael Ancher, it’s many figures of the Danish pride that are going away with the paper notes and the same goes for the coins.

If many Danes agree that money can be easily replaced by cards or other types of payment, they regret that they weren’t asked if they agreed on abolishing the kroner bills and coins before the decision was made. “It is my deep conviction that Denmark is nothing more but a full-scale laboratory for the banking system experiments”, says Vilfred, a 60-some years old retired professor. “In my opinion, the push toward the killing of cash is nothing else than a way to promote their mobile payment tools”, he adds. “Even at my age I do not resist technological change, but I can’t stand the idea that private financial interests deprive us of our freedom of choice. This is a denial of democracy, and our government is guilty for that”.

For Denmark just like for other Nordic countries that are actively pushing for a cashless future, passing laws to prohibit the use of cash and stopping printing is considered as an attack on the national identity, and furthermore as a decision in restraint of their free will. In Denmark, the announce has certainly reinforced the extreme right party and will continue to do so as the Government has mentioned they have no intention to come back on their decision.

At the University of Copenhagen, some students are also evaluating the consequences of a world without cash, and for their own country they believe that it will “slowly make what is Danish a little less Danish” says Carl, Master student in economy. But his main concern is with the consequences of the end of cash on civil liberties: “Everywhere in Europe, we can see how far-right parties are gaining popularity. Just imagine that they come to power in a near future. I wonder if a complete electronic-induced traceability of our lives won’t open an irreversible breach in privacy.” His friend Niels tempers: “Anyway, states and large companies already have access to your personal information, be it your internet browsing habits or your purchases!” Precisely, this seems to be the problem. The disappearance of cash does not affect one part of our freedom… but maybe the last?

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Justin Hernandez .