Analysis of Denmark Aarhus City in the Context of the European Union - Case Study Example

Analysis of Denmark Aarhus City in Context of European Union By: Professor: Class: University: City: State: Date of submission: Analysis of Denmark Aarhus City in Context of European Union Summary With the inception of European Union and Euro, many countries including Denmark experienced economic, social, cultural, and political challenges. Despite being a culturally and socially rich, Aarhus faces many problems including changes in lifestyle and cultural erosion due increased growth of the region presented by integration of states by the EU. Moreover, EU opened up the market making the city suitable for many business activities; as a result, it boasts of steady economic activity and performance. The dynamics of the Denmark’s political situation has been changing due to struggle for supremacy among the member states. Despite such challenges, the integration has been able to deliver economic, social, cultural, and political benefits. Introduction Aarhus is a modern city located in Denmark considered to have a vibrant mixture of energetic youth. The city wished that in 2017, it would be the European Capital of Culture. This is a project supported by the Central Denmark Region and various municipalities within the region (Moravcsik, 2006). As a result, it will be a city of high profile, politically, and culturally in Denmark in years to come which is likely to represent a once in a lifetime opportunity for investment in Aarhus and the entire region. In August 2012, the city was designated a European Capital of Culture; however, in 2017, the foundation has been driving the process from the successful bid to the active delivery phase, development of the visions, communications, and finances (European Union, 2012). The development of the city involves many people across the geography, sectors, and demography. With such developments, the municipality aims to create value from the culture and for culture for both the city and the region in a bid to attract trade, tourism, and talents. Considering that Her Majesty the Queen is the patron of such development project, such developments are considered national projects with international reach with Aarhus and Central Denmark Region acting as the epicenter. The city is designed in a manner that creates growth, change identity, and building pride. For success, various authorities work together; this also guarantees the delivery of extraordinary and transformative 2017 supported by the potential of, art and culture for change precipitation. Economy The major factors driving the development of Aarhus economy are knowledge and services, which are influenced majorly by the large healthcare industry and the Aarhus University. The most dominating sector within the economy is the service sector and continues to grow with the transition away from the manufacturing activities. The city has a large port, which benefits the trade and transportation sectors beside the central position of the rail network. Even though the city’s manufacturing sector continued to experience sluggish growth but steady reduction since 1960s, the agricultural sector has remained for many years the marginal employer in Aarhus (Jutland Station, 2015). In addition, the city has been able to create 175,000 job opportunities and about 100,000 within the private businesses while others from the region and state. The region is also the major producer of agricultural products with the majority of farms located within the outlying districts. The city receives many people from Randers, Skanderborg, and Silkeborg with the majority of those employed by Aarhus municipality commuting from the neighboring communities. Among the Nordic and Baltic countries, the city is the retail centre that boasts of expensive shopping centers, populated urban core with numerous specialty shops, and the busiest commercial streets in Germany. In Aarhus, knowledge and services form the foundation of the job market with entities operating with the healthcare, consulting, and education offering the greatest opportunities. Aarhus has more high and middle-income jobs but fewer low-income jobs compared to the national average. With the current developments associated with the European Union, most of the largest businesses operating within the municipality are from the media, transport, and trade sectors (Visit Aarhus, 2016). In Denmark, the wind power industry has strong roots in the city, Midtjylland. Nationally, most revenues are generated by the industry in the Aarhus. Currently, the wind industry offers employment to thousands of people within the municipality, which makes it the major contributor of the local economy. Moreover, the city’s industrial industry is properly established within the city as small and medium sized entities focus on research and development. Considering the economic stability of the city, it hosts the headquarters of several major businesses including Arla Foods which is one of the largest dairy groups operating in Europe. Jysk which is a global retailer that specializes in the household commodities, furniture, and interior design; Vestas, a major wind turbine producer; and Dansk Supermarked, the largest retailer in Germany. Of the 10 largest companies located in Germany, four are based within the city. Since 2000, Aarhus has been experiencing influx in the larger and properly established businesses moving from various parts of the Jutland peninsula. There are other large employers operating in the city including the trade union organization (Krifa) and the telecommunication firm (5R) while electronics and metallurgy remain significant sectors. Culture Aarhus boasts of diversified culture. Aarhus is a home of several cultural events, theatre and sport events, and festivals and museums that occur annually at both international and national levels, which are of great importance. These activities present some of the largest cultural attractions in Denmark. Moreover, the city enjoys a long tradition in music of various genres with several emergences of Danish bands Aarhus. Institutions such as libraries, educational, and cultural centers contribute in opportunities to the Germans to participate in various cultural and productive activities. There are several annual events that Aarhus holds annually ranging from festivals, concerts, and events. The most popular festival is Aarhus Festuges besides other sporting activities. This is the largest multicultural festival that Scandinavia holds. The event is mostly based on special themes taking place annually fro ten days between August and early September to transform the inner city with festive activities and decorations of various kinds. The city enjoys several music festivals including the Aarhus International Jazz Festival that takes place within eight days and features jazz in various areas across the city. The festival started in 1988 and takes place annually in July, August, and September. In addition, there are other annually occurring music festivals for the contemporary popular music within the city. The commonly known band is NorthSide Festival that presents various bands on large outdoor arenas. Spot festivals aims to display up-and-coming talents of the Danish and Scandinavians at the selected avenues within the city. The citizens also enjoy Grøn Koncert, which is an outdoor music festival that takes place annually in various cities across Denmark. There are also other events that the city holds which are dedicated to specific art genres. Aarhus has a bi-annual festival known as International Living Theatre (ILT), which has a vision of showcasing the best plays ad staging the art experiences across the globe through presentation of the best stage art businesses globally (Aarhus, 2015). In addition, the festival sets attracting stage art that interested people from Denmark and Europe at large attend. Aarhus actively participates in the promotion of gay and lesbian communities and celebration of Aarhus Pride, which is a gay pride festival with Aarhus festuge, involves exhibitions, concerts, and events meant for the LGBT communities. Some of the notable events at local levels include the university boat race that has been taking place in University Park since 1991. The event has become one of the most spectators that attract about 20,000 people. The race brings teams from the university departments against the inflatable boats with an aim of winning the Golden Chamber Pot trophy. Politics The integration of the Europe has been one of the most decisive developments since the occurrence of the Second World War. There was destruction of Europe and the major question to was how to avoid war in Europe amid the cold war. When Berlin fell in 1989, Europe experienced a remarkable transformation that had significant consequence on the most important international organizations of the region including the European Union. From the external perspective, the EU has been slowly outcropping as the main player across the global scene; however, its internal system aims to strike a balance between the escalating enlargement and increased political integration (Michael, Senem & Julia, 2006). In the recent years, both the European Union and European Cooperation have been facing serious crisis associated with issues such as Brexit, the Euro, and refugees. There have been significant changes across the European countries since the countries accessed the EU membership in 1973. Although the changes have been highly relevant, it has not been able to address one-dimensional issue associated with bilateral relationship, which are the changes in the EU because of investment. Denmark experienced the greatest impact after its membership to the EU/EC especially due to the impacts of Europeanization. Nonetheless, the concept remains elusive, contested, and fashionable. Despite the trend of Europeanization, the concept is contested highly since it is very hard to measure the precise size and Europeanization impact. Researchers claim that Europeanization has not been able to produce the seismic shift in the operations associated with the policy making process at the national level and institutions. Such point is valid for Denmark. Denmark is considered a small country among the member states of the EU because it has one of the highest life quality standards. This is accredited to the welfare state system which is strong. Among the members of the EU, Denmark has been cautious on the EU integration. Besides, from historical background, Germany has experienced Euroscepticism (Olesen, 2013). The major reason behind such is the fact that most of the Danish citizens are worried of the country’s small size; as a result, Denmark might not have the much influence every country desires in the decision making process within the EU institutions. Therefore, it fears that it could no longer be in control of its territory. Another argument is that on the EU topics is the level of misunderstanding in most people which is true among the younger population representing the future of the state. The EU managed to change the political landscape of Aarhus. For example, there are many young people interested in political issues; however, the EU made the political dynamic very complicated, which most people are not able to why the state would not do things outside the EU. Aarhus is found in the Aarhus Municipality and the Aarhus City Council, which is also the municipal government. The city holds municipal elections after every four years and has a council that consists of 31 elected members to serve in a span of four years. After the election and determination of both the council composition, there is election of the mayor, the two deputies, and five council members among the elected members (Grove, Madsen & Pedersen, 2000). Whoever is eligible to vote and lives within the municipality has the ability of running for any seat within the city council only if they have the ability of securing endorsement and signatures from 50 inhabitants within the municipality. In 1919, Aarhus publicly elected the mayor; however, in 1970, the Danish Municipal Reform formed the current municipality through merging about 20 municipalities. Until 2007, Aarhus remained under Aarhus County before Danish Municipal Reform that substituted the Danish counties with the five regions. This led to the replacement of Aarhus County with the Central Denmark Region. Conclusion Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark, east coast the Jutland Peninsula. Based on the analysis, Aarhus is at the culturally and economic center of the region enjoying the largest centers of trade, industry, and services within Jutland. In the European Union, the city ranks at 92 while globally it is number 234. In addition, it is the principal industrial port in Denmark in regards to container handling and important hub of trade within Kattegat. The major factor contributing to the cultural, political, economic, and social growth of the city is that most Danish businesses have based their headquarters in Aarhus with people commuting for work and leisure from wider geographical scope of Region Midtjylland. The city also boasts of being the centre for research and education within the Nordic countries. This is also the home for Aarhus University, which is the largest university in Scandinavia and offer other services including Aarhus University and the INCUBA Science Park. Considering that Aarhus is a Danish city with the youngest demographics including the 48,482 inhabitants living under the age of 18, the city also the second growing city in Denmark with an average growth rate of about 4,500 people annually since 2008. The EU and Euro have been able to influence these features. References Aarhus. (2015). European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017/ Strategic Business Plan. Retrieved March 13, 2017, from http://www.aarhus2017.dk/media/1975/strategic_business_plan.pdf European Union. (2012). Selection of the European Capital of Culture 2017 in Denmark. Retrieved March 13, 2017, from https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/sites/creative-europe/files/files/ecoc-2017-panel-report-denmark_en.pdf Grove, K., Madsen, I. H., & Pedersen, E. K. (2000). Geometry and topology, Aarhus: Conference on geometry and topology, August 10-16, 1998 Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society. Jutland Station. (2015, December 4). Denmark votes ‘no’ on EU referendum for further integration | Jutland Station. Retrieved March 13, 2017, from http://www.jutlandstation.dk/denmark-votes-no-on-eu-referendum-for-further-integration/ Michael, E., Senem, A., & Julia, D. (2006). Just What is this 'absorption capacity' of the European Union? 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