One-year master's programs and the transfer of municipal employees to care homes were among the key points discussed at today's press conference.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held a press conference this morning at the Prime Minister's Office to present the government's proposal on the reform plan "Denmark Can Do More 3". Participating in the press conference alongside the Prime Minister were Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen, Minister of Social Affairs and Senior Citizens Astrid Kragge, and Minister of Education and Research Jesper Petersen.

The proposal includes education sector reforms and a significant reduction in bureaucracy and related budgets. The Prime Minister repeatedly emphasized during the press conference that the plan aims to have many public sector employees spend hours directly interacting with citizens, including in nursing homes, daycare centers (kindergartens and nurseries), and nursing facilities, rather than working at computers typing and documenting.

These are the main points raised in the press conference:

• Municipalities in a single care area are exempt
  The government wants to leave it to each of the 98 municipalities to be almost completely free from government regulations and legislation in one of the main areas of social welfare chosen by the municipality itself: day care, primary (pre-secondary) schools, employment, or elderly care, in order to give municipalities the freedom to make decisions and take actions as they see fit to regulate what is best for the citizen in daily life.
• Freezing the rules in the event of introducing new rules
  The government wants to introduce a “freeze” rule, which means that if you want to introduce a rule in the public sector that takes up citizens’ time, then another rule must be removed, as the rule must be stopped by a new rule.
• Reducing the duration of some master's programs at universities
  The plan also includes a proposal that has already been discussed, which is to reduce the duration of some master's programs from two years to one year. This would make it easier for students to enter the job market quickly.
  This applies particularly to Master's programs in the humanities and social sciences, while Master's programs in health and medical sciences, natural sciences, and technical fields maintain a two-year duration. In addition, approximately 4,000 students annually pursue a professional degree, enabling them to work concurrently during their studies.
  In more detail, the plan states that master's students in one-year programs must receive at least 15 hours of teaching and mentoring per week, and for professional students, students must be able to work at least 25 hours per week during their studies, which must be two or four years long.

During the press conference, Education and Research Minister Jesper Petersen was asked why the government wasn't spending more money on vocational training. He replied, "We aim to be able to spend 2.5 billion kroner more on education than we do today. We have identified vocational schools as one of the areas where we believe funds can be used. There is no specific amount, but there is money available." He added that the amount depends on political negotiations. The Finance Minister explained that the 2.5 billion Danish kroner would have to be taken from municipalities and departments, adding that there is too much bureaucracy in the public sector.