Denmark responded by allowing certain vessels to avoid paying the taxes and social contributions shipowners used to pay for sailors. One irony of the current situation is that Danes voted against joining the euro in September because they were afraid it would force Denmark to lower taxes and cut back on the welfare state. But here's an example of Denmark unilaterally cutting back shipowners' taxes and having the same feared effect on Sweden. Dutch farmers are buying up Danish farms, which is making it harder and harder for young Danes to buy a place of their own. The landscape of Jutland boasts manicured pastures as far as the eye can see, interrupted only by the towering shapes of giant, electricity-generating windmills.
Dutch farms cost four times what they do in Denmark.
Considering that the price of milk is the same throughout the E.U., it's no wonder that Dutch farmers are moving to Denmark in large numbers. Hans de Vries, who came to Denmark as a farmer 14 years ago, now works as a real estate agent showing off Danish farms to Dutch visitors. The Dutch people easily integrate with the Danish. Not without some ill feelings, though. I had a delicious lunch of dumpling soup and roast beef one day at the Grindsted Agriculture College, where the topic of Dutch farmers was on everyone's minds.