Borgen (2010) s04e01 Episode Script

1 A NETFLIX SERIES "MAN IS THE ONLY ANIMAL WHOSE DESIRES INCREASE AS THEY ARE FED" -HENRY GEORGE Where are you going? I want to join in.
And have a coffee with me? No, man! I'm going to flense the Greenland whale.
Do you want to come? No, I'll go down there later.
I'm just having a coffee.
I'll be right behind you.
We've already done some, uh, preliminary tests, and they look very promising.
This today's just gonna give me final confirmation about what I think, so, let's take a look.
And it looks really good.
Congratulations, boys! You found oil.
You have a tight schedule.
At 1:30 p.
m.
you have the Chamber of Commerce, then the PS has asked for 15 minutes.
No, Oliver, no abbreviations.
"Permanent Secretary" or "Rasmus".
And I'd like to talk to the Permanent Secretary today.
- Birgitta? - Speak of the devil.
Yes.
I sent a mail about the Chamber of Commerce you need to read before your meeting.
- I'll do that.
- Good.
So, Katrine Fønsmark's inaugural reception at TV1 this afternoon.
- Maybe we can skip that.
- No, we'll keep that.
Then I can move something to tomorrow.
Dinner with your son at 7:30.
Maybe we can reschedule.
I don't see my children often, but when I do, I never cancel.
You'll figure it out.
I need five minutes.
Yeah.
We have a press conference on the Chinese trade agreement at the panda enclosure in 30 minutes.
The Chinese have sent Trade Minister Lao, but the business attaché is unable to join us.
- Oh.
- We expect 40 or 50 to show up.
Journalists, staff from the embassy and businesspeople.
And the secretary informs us we don't have to mention Tibet - unless given a direct question.
- When do we start? We're seven minutes early.
The interview with you and the prime minister is out, and the photos are great.
"The future is female".
That's the hashtag on her social media.
- So now I'm officially part of her brand.
- "The power women of the new government.
" "Denmark's Prime Minister, 41-year-old Signe Kragh from the Labour Party, and 53-year-old Foreign Secretary Birgitte Nyborg from the New Democrats are ruling the world together.
" I wonder if that's everyone that's coming.
That's so strange.
Welcome, everybody.
Today, we celebrate that China and Denmark have signed a strategic partnership agreement that will tie our two countries even closer together.
And here we have it, ladies and gentlemen.
Exactly like our furry friend behind me, in black and white.
Why were so few people there? Is there something happening we don't know about? I don't think so.
Look.
There it is again, her selfies.
"The future is female.
" Every time.
"I look forward to letting you know how we will make life easier for families with young children.
" Uh, the Ministry of State sent us an email at 9:56 a.
m.
to let us know they're holding a press conference at 10:15.
Same as ours? Argh! That's not okay.
- No.
- It looks like obstruction.
To: Signe Kragh - Your press conference clashes with mine.
Don't understand.
Call me, please? From: Hans Eliassen Look, Birgitte, oil! Let's talk? Yours, Hans They found oil in Greenland.
Congratulations.
Or, I mean, are we glad? No, it could become a huge problem.
We have to know how they're handling it.
Hi, Birgitte.
That was quick.
Calling to congratulate me? That has to be your oldest wet dream, Hans.
And of the Danish government too.
No, which you know perfectly well.
The Danish government obviously thinks that fossil fuels are environmentally indefensible and are a thing of the past.
Yes, but what about the fuel in the car you're in? I don't need to remind you what this will mean for our independence, and the press up here will take an interest in the matter.
I'd like for you to put a hold on the press.
It's not the first time some raw material up there has proven too expensive to extract.
Last time I checked, Birgitte, natural resources fall under our own jurisdiction.
So we're not coordinating our press strategy with the State Department.
We have to set up a meeting with the Arctic ambassador today.
Okay.
Hans, the Danish government believes you should wait to make this public until you have more information.
Oh, that's noted, Birgitte.
Take care.
You too, and we appreciate your - Did he hang up? - No, I just think it was a mistake.
Oliver, I know this is only your second week, but that man clearly just hung up.
Well, okay, he hung up on you.
We need to schedule a briefing with the Arctic ambassador as soon as possible.
- Do we have any more vases? - Huh? Do we have more vases? - Wow! Who's that from? - The board at TV1.
Speaking of them "Katrine Fønsmark will take the job as maybe the most prestigious journalistic executive in the country as she becomes the head of the news department of TV1.
" "But the expectations are high for Fønsmark, because truth be told, TV1 News have lost a considerable amount of viewers, and several commentators are saying that Fønsmark's real job will be to save the former flagship of the network.
" I'll get a handle on it.
Now, back to my speech! Oh, where were we? Erm Bernstein.
Bernstein's definition of journalism as the best achievable version of the truth, er "has always" has always been a guiding principle for me.
It is so important to me.
Why are you looking at me like that? Sounds like a lecture at the School of Journalism.
Yeah, okay.
If you were a football coach taking over a team that was just relegated from the Premier League to the First Division, what would you tell them? I'm sorry, I don't know the first thing about football.
What would you tell them? To get back to the Premier League, we have to be the best.
Michael Laugesen, as former leader of Labour, how do you feel that the current government is doing? Yes, well, I think Signe Kragh has done a nice job.
She has taken her place and lived up to expectation as prime minister.
It's a government which has been cast like a Hollywood movie being pushed to succeed.
The correct number of women, people of different ethnic backgrounds, alternative sexualities I could go on.
But what's not to like? It works.
And how about the other party in government, Nyborg's New Democrats? Well, Nyborg has let herself be side-tracked.
It looks like the last hurrah of a political has-been, who should be searching for someone to replace her who's 10, 15 years younger.
But, Michael, it's no secret that you and Signe Kragh are close friends.
You've always had a strained relationship with Nyborg.
I'm just saying her time is over and most people have forgotten her.
Let that be the last Signe Kragh on Twitter - Great press conference today.
Congrats to families! We'll just go around the table so everyone knows who everyone is.
 Kaare.
You want me to introduce myself as well? Yes, please.
Not everyone knows who you are.
I can do it.
This is Kaare Mathiesen.
He's our Arctic ambassador.
Next to him I'm so sorry.
- Rasmus, maybe you should just - No, no, it's okay.
I'm Asger Holm Kirkegaard, and I'm Kaare's deputy.
Asger is also our expert on Greenland.
Next to me is Katinka from legal.
Then there is Lars, Regitze, Nina, Claus.
You know Oliver.
I'm Rasmus, and I'm the Permanent Secretary.
Right.
What do we know? Well, we've known for a long time that they've been searching for oil in Greenland.
Let's not discuss what we've known for a long time.
Where did they find the oil? It's on page 13.
- Western Greenland, near the Disko Bay.
- And how much oil? We don't know yet, but we are talking to several experts in geology later today.
Am I right that there is no agreement on the revenue divide between Denmark and Greenland? Yes, absolutely.
It is quite complicated, but basically, no real deal has ever been finalised.
We'll have legal look at it.
I will make sure Denmark isn't cheated in those negotiations.
What do you mean? Well, they're very touchy.
And And what might also be a bit touchy is the fact that they have been drilling around here, next to the Ilulissat Icefjord, which is one of Greenland's areas of natural beauty and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It could be an environmental disaster.
Yes, the handling of the press will be crucial.
The secretary asked Hans Eliassen not to go public until we have more information.
Climate and the environment means nothing to Greenlanders.
Kaare, climate means a lot to me, and the government.
And as for being touchy, Denmark has ruled Greenland for more than 300 years, so they have a certain historical right to be touchy.
Well, I think we're done.
This was the first briefing.
Everybody knows what to do.
We'll call a new meeting when we have more details.
Asger.
Can I borrow that? - Yes, yes.
- Thank you.
That man is our representative in the Arctic Council and in all negotiations with the Greenlandic politicians.
He's only been there 18 months.
And the Greenlanders are already sick of him.
He was only here for a minute, and I'm already sick of him.
Kaare is an experienced diplomat.
Oliver? You called me "the secretary" at the meeting.
Just call me "Birgitte".
It's like those abbreviations.
- You like them, but just don't - Yes, copy that.
Er, security have tried to get an appointment to secure your home for weeks, so we have agreed that they can come today at 6:30 p.
m.
I'm sorry, but it's really, really bad timing today.
Excuse me.
Your ex-husband Philip is waiting downstairs.
He doesn't have an appointment, and you have to be at that reception in 47 minutes.
But? But there is always time for your kids, and therefore for your ex-husband.
So he can get 24 minutes, and if you're late, it's okay.
Thanks.
And I will go inform the PS of the SD that the secretary wants to cancel the PET.
But it's a smart move by her, right? Placing you as Secretary of State so you can't threaten her domestically.
Hm? She held a press conference at the same time as mine, without informing me.
What kind of behaviour is that? Well, you would never have done such a thing when you were prime minister.
Did you just come to enjoy the view? No.
It's, er Yeah, I have Ida is pregnant.
- God.
- Yeah.
That's amazing.
- Well, she's only 44, so it's - Yeah, but you're, erm I can't count that far.
We don't have to talk about that.
So, you're taking another turn on the merry-go-round.
It surprised us both, but, er But we are very fond of each other, so, yeah.
Birgitte, you need to come with me.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I just wanted to tell you in person.
A short while ago the Greenlandic Secretary for Natural Resources, Hans Eliassen, announced that oil has been found in Greenland.
In Western Greenland, I've personally signed the agreement, and I look forward to working with the Canadian oil company in charge of the drilling operation here.
Imagine if this is the first sign of full independence for Greenland.
Our very own Greenlandic national treasure.
It was on Greenlandic TV 30 minutes ago.
Every news outlet's picking it up.
Even though the Greenlandic home rule government decided recently to abandon any future oil projects, the Secretary of State for Natural Resources, Hans Eliassen, doesn't believe there is anything wrong with extracting the oil from this find since the permit was given in 2017.
Get Hans on the phone.
We need to shut this down.
The news was widely celebrated in Greenland, and we were able to get this comment from Prime Minister Signe Kragh a few minutes ago.
First and foremost, I want to congratulate Greenland and the Greenlandic people on the find.
There are some environmental consequences we have to take into account.
There are probably some environmental consequences.
Hopefully, there will be technological solutions to these, if we get that far.
Rasmus, why are we not the ones giving a statement? Well, officially, Greenland falls under the Ministry of the State of Denmark jurisdiction, so they are handling all statements regarding the Greenlandic oil.
The Danish Commonwealth falls under the prime minister, but the Arctic falls under the State Department.
And I'm more concerned about the climate than Signe.
This case is mine.
Did you answer that mail? No, but I read it.
It's a bit weak.
I didn't write it.
What the hell.
What the hell! - Jesus! - Well, you're early.
Yeah, I'm a bit early, I know.
Hi, Katrine.
- Hi, Pia.
- Like your first day at school.
- Feels like it.
- Hi, Katrine.
- Hi, Narciza.
- I was happy to hear that you got the job.
Thank you.
Yeah, working together will be good.
- Likewise.
- Put a lot of sugar in your coffee? Try it.
- Hi, I'm Benjamin.
- Hi.
- Less bitter that way.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Mikkel.
- Katrine.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
Everything looks so familiar.
Well, that worked.
Hello, everyone.
I'd just like to say a few words on my first day.
The world of journalism has fundamentally changed.
Er, news is more often created on social media than, er, in the real world.
Fake news is a part of everyday life, and we can't always trust what we see.
And unfortunately, in some cases, people haven't trusted what we have broadcast.
TV1 was once the most respected journalistic workplace in the country, and we need to be that again.
My mission is to create the best conditions for you to create the best content.
Ah, and here is my daughter.
- Hi.
- Hi, Molly.
Hi.
Do you want to join? It's nice to have someone to hold hands with.
Then you can do more.
Erm So I have decided that my office will be right here.
It's on the floor with you.
That way, I will always be nearby, and you can always come to me.
Because a very important reason that I'm able to be here is that there's also somebody who's looking out for me, and for us.
And that's the old, Marxist economist.
Thanks for your help, my love.
Thank you.
And as the red mercenary that I am, I have to tell you that when Margaret Thatcher took office as prime minister, she insisted on cooking dinner for her husband every day.
So I've been looking forward to you becoming boss, honey.
Yes, things will change at home.
So let's toast to that.
- Cheers.
- Cheers! Congratulations.
You made it.
- Almost on time.
- Yes, almost! And I brought wine.
Did you buy them yourself, or regifting? No, I didn't buy them myself, but I did remove the card and write a new one.
So is it good to be back in the State Department? You know, I'm actually having the time of my life.
- Are you really? - Yeah.
I mean, there are no kids at home, I have no husband who feels neglected.
I have no commitments.
I have so much energy, I can dedicate myself to the job.
I actually feel amazing.
And I just thanked Søren for doing everything back home.
I'm so glad that you're still together, and that some things last.
So am I.
I should invite myself over for dinner.
Then you could cook.
You wouldn't want that.
But, Birgitte, how do you want me to answer that? That unfortunately we can't.
Of course, the news director for the country's biggest TV station and the Secretary of State cannot socialise.
- But it would have been a blast.
- It would have been.
- Honey? - Yeah? - Hi, Birgitte.
- Hi, Søren.
Hi, hi.
- Er, TV1's board would like to - Yeah.
Congratulations.
Thanks for the second-hand bottles.
See you later.
Hi there.
And I think someone else Yeah.
Well, they seem okay.
From: Signe Kragh - Hi Birgitte, apologies for the late reply.
Been very busy.
Wasn't aware of your press conference.
Hope all went well.
Love, Signe.
Hi, Torben.
Hi, Birgitte.
- Congratulations on your new boss.
- Thanks, thanks.
Exciting with all that oil in Greenland, right? It could end up as a huge thing.
I assume it's the prime minister I should ask for a statement? No, actually, Torben, in this particular case it's me.
We're ready.
Denmark has put an end date to our oil production at 2050, when we would like to be C02 neutral.
We're also co-signers of the Paris Agreement, so the question is if this is the time to go all-in fossil fuels.
I promised the voters ambitious climate goals, and I'm not going to break that promise.
Few places is climate change more obvious than in Greenland, so I really hope the Greenlanders will consider once more if nature and the ice, and not an oil adventure, should be the true legacy of Greenland.
The prime minister seems rather enthusiastic.
Do you care to comment on that? Er, even though the prime minister and I are from different parties, we both believe in a green agenda.
And children the prime minister mentioned in her statement this morning should be able to experience a world with glaciers and icebergs.
Thank you.
From: Signe Kragh Could you stop by my office tomorrow for a chat? Love, S I promised the voters ambitious climate goals To: Signe Kragh - Okay and where is climate change more obvious than in Greenland? So I really hope the Greenlanders will consider once more if nature and the ice, and not an oil adventure, should be the true legacy of Greenland.
Why are they so small? They will be fattened.
It's sick.
Let's go.
Come on! Go, go, go! - Fuck.
- What's wrong? It's not the truck that was here last week.
- What do you mean? - The gears are different.
Semi-automatic.
- Come on! - I don't know how they work.
Come on, man.
There.
Go right here.
- Left over here.
- Yes, left.
Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Bloody hell, the barrier's down.
What's going on? Phew! Out.
Get out.
- On you go.
- Come on.
- Let's go.
- You're free now.
- Come on.
On you go.
- Go.
- Shoo, shoo.
Go on.
- Out.
Hey, hey.
- Okay, go.
- Come on, let's go, come on.
- Huh? - What happened? You're bleeding.
- A lot? - A bit.
Does it hurt? What would your girlfriend say to you kissing me? Run! Run! Run, man! - Okay.
Magnus! - Shit, shit, shit! Come on! Come on.
Hurry up! so I really hope the Greenlanders will consider once more if nature and the ice, and not an oil adventure, should be the true legacy of Greenland.
Yes, I moved Greenland up.
And the little story about the hijacked pig transport.
I don't know if it's strong enough for a segment.
It's funny that vegans choose to hijack a truck full of pigs that end up running out onto a highway so half of them were killed anyway.
Yeah, maybe a brief segment on the pigs.
But, er, regarding Greenland, I think we should send one of our own up there.
- Mie, I thought you could do it.
- Yeah, I'll do it.
Great, Mie.
Thanks a lot.
- Okay, but can I talk to you? - Yeah, 'course.
Pia, we're done, right? - Well, yeah, yeah.
- Thanks.
I just wanted to give you a heads-up.
My boyfriend and I are beginning fertility treatment.
No, no, no, Mie.
You can't do that to me.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Er I'm really happy for you.
It's great.
I'm sorry.
Erm, I was just making the duty roster, and we're a bit sparse after all the firings, and I just thought about But it's not your problem.
Erm Wonderful you're going to Greenland, and I think, er, it'll be great, so let's talk when you get back.
- Yeah.
- Thanks.
Niels Erik! Behold, the Foreign Minister's still waiting after 20 minutes.
You used to let people wait when you were prime minister, Birgitte.
There's been some changes made since you moved to a different floor.
- How many square metres do you need? - Don't ask a civil servant.
The state is insatiable.
Many new faces.
Yeah.
But, er, suppose you know all about it from the government meetings.
Of course.
How much have you been told? Er - The new appointments? - That's what they're called.
tell me who's organising catering for this evening's party? All of them? Birgitte, I have seen a lot in my career.
But I'm still surprised that Laugesen is coming on as chief of staff, and that he has to lead others and gets a seat on the Coordination Committee.
The press release will go out in 48 hours alongside a new bill increasing the Danes' holiday allowance.
Very clever.
It's not without problems that she hires her friends.
You must have it hard accepting Laugesen.
I certainly did.
Times are changing.
The prime minister's department has really changed.
I want to signal something new, like you did back then, so new rooms and new art.
- New management style? - What do you mean? Maybe you could inform me when you hold a press conference.
I did.
In an email 15 minutes before.
Well, this is a government, not a nursery, Birgitte.
Anything else I should be aware of as a member of the government? Can't imagine what that could be.
That wasn't the reason you wanted me to come? I think you know why I asked you to come.
Ah, yeah.
To tell me that Greenland is a part of the Danish Commonwealth, which falls under the prime minister's office.
I would answer that natural resources in the Arctic are under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry, and then we would both conclude that both of us had an equal right to take up the case.
Maybe 56,000 Greenlanders feel they have the right to decide what to do with their oil.
Yes, but you know as well as I do if there are enough natural oil resources it becomes a matter of foreign policy, and then they won't decide anything for themselves.
You don't get to decide whether or not Greenlanders get to extract the oil, Birgitte.
And I can't have my foreign minister going solo and leading her own climate policy in a matter which is potentially this important.
I would like you to set things straight in the press as quickly as possible, and then the prime minister's office will take charge of it.
So that was basically what you invited me up here to say? Is that you're in charge? You're not the prime minister any more, Birgitte.
And that's why I would like to set things straight, because I can understand some have misunderstood my statements about the Greenlandic oil.
Of course, it is still Greenlanders who decide what is to be done with their own natural resources.
Have you been sent out by your boss to retract some of it? - Thanks.
- Thanks.
Torben, this is Birgitte Nyborg.
Yeah, how about buying me a coffee? Sounds good.
I don't know what you drink.
I think it's a double-shot soy latte.
Or whatever it's called.
In 48 hours, the prime minister's office will announce a new high level position for Michael Laugesen where he would de facto be as powerful as if he was a part of the government.
Michael Laugesen? Why are you telling me this? Maybe because I am a bit old-fashioned with regards to democracy.
You know I can't use something like this if it can't be confirmed.
Then get it confirmed.
- Who's my source? - Certainly not me.
And black coffee will do next time.
Hm? Is that for me? A confidential source close to the government.
And yes, I've had it confirmed.
This is really good.
Pia? Michael Laugesen has been a prominent figure in Danish politics and media for the last 20 years, and recently he has been a political commentator for TV2, but now, TV1 has received confidential information which shows that Laugesen will get a newly created and very powerful position as chief of staff at the prime minister's department.
The position will give him actual powers and a seat in the most powerful committee in the government.
The question is whether this sort of position ought to be attainable by someone who hasn't been elected, and, who in his past, has even served a prison sentence for invasion of privacy.
Why didn't we know anything about this? Birgitte? Did you know? I'm the last one to be told.
I think it's quite disturbing that the prime minister has created a position this powerful which should only be held by an elected official.
I've spoken to the supporting party, Solidaric Unity, and we feel that democracy will be overridden if this is allowed to pass.
Stine, final question.
- Do you still support the government? - We can't support this.
That's for sure.
Today's menu.
Okay.
Salad of yellow turnip with organic nuts and cranberries.
Nordic ratatouille made of root vegetables.
- Mmm, yum.
- Yum, yum.
Slowly braised beef with baked shallots and red pesto.
I don't know what you like, Karoline, but there's a little of everything.
Well, I eat everything, so that's great.
- Easy.
- Yeah.
Yeah, we'll have to do something about that, right? - Yeah.
- Green Meal Box? - Grab the bread? - Yeah.
Can I serve? - Yes, please.
- How are your studies going? How can it be called a "Green Meal Box" when they still serve beef? - Yeah, his usual mantra.
- Yes, I know.
You need more than 15,000 litres of water to produce one pound of beef.
And countless areas of good farmland are used to produce animal feed, even though millions of people starve every day.
Can we not do this right now? I think you have to accept that not everyone is as enlightened as you are.
Yeah, but You won't get any closer to your goal by senselessly repeating yourself at every meal.
Okay, and should we have kept cooperating with the Germans in 1943? Comparing meat eaters to Nazis? It's not helpful.
But I share your concern for the environment.
Right now I'm working on convincing the Greenlanders not to exploit the oil.
It's really, really good.
Thank you.
So, how are your studies going? Well, you could say that corona has shown us that it's a bad habit.
We changed our way of life from one day to the next.
You have a really bad habit of being evasive, don't you? Why won't you tell me about it? - Honey, why don't you just - Could you please? Mind your own business for two seconds.
- Okay.
- Thanks.
Please, may I use the bathroom? - Of course.
- Thanks.
Be nice to Karoline.
- Yeah.
- What's wrong? Karoline and I aren't doing so great right now.
What's that? Your head.
What? Oh, yeah.
I fell off my bike.
Oh, sweetie.
Yes, Birgitte, it's been a busy couple of days, but I am happy to say that I have things under control.
And we are joined by an expert from GEUS who has some figures for us.
She is born and raised in Greenland, and her name is Hanne Knudsen.
Johanne Knudsen.
Thanks for coming.
What do we know about the company doing the drilling? It's Canadian Energy Contractors.
I've met their representatives on several occasions.
They're experienced people who know everything there is to know about drilling in the Arctic.
What can you tell us about the find itself, Johanne? According to the latest adjusted tests by the US Geological Survey and the drilling by the Canadians, we are looking at a very significant find.
It is not unlikely that we are looking at something similar to Ekofisk, the largest Norwegian oil field.
At its height, it produced around 100 million barrels of oil a year.
That's enough for 30 years.
How much is that in monetary terms? Well, right now, the current market price is at around $95 a barrel.
That's around $285 billion, if the dollar is sitting at around 6.
5.
That is to 1,850 billion kroner.
POTENTIAL DISCOVERY: DKK 1,850 BILLION Yes, and I have to say that the oil is already practically a reality according to the Greenlandic media.
Hans Eliassen is calling.
I have to go.
Yeah, bye.
- Hello? - Hi, Birgitte.
Hi, Hans.
Good to hear from you.
I saw you on the news yesterday.
Does your little U-turn mean that you've changed your mind regarding the oil? No, I think you know very well that it doesn't.
Well, we're moving ahead up here.
Isn't it very hot in here? Er, Hans, we have to negotiate.
My Arctic ambassador is heading up to meet you.
That's great.
Kaare and I usually take care of things over lunch.
This is too big to be negotiated over lunch.
What is your premier's position about the oil and climate change? I'm heading into the harbour now and have to pull in at the port, so I'll call you back later, okay? Goodbye.
- He did it again? - He did it again.
He just hung up.
I'm hot.
Let me start by saying that I've decided to keep the civil servants out of this as I was shocked by the leak regarding the expansion of my department.
Both the opposition and our own supporting parties are on the attack.
But let's focus on the oil in Greenland.
Well, maybe I can jump in here.
My people had been working on it before the prime minister's department got involved.
We have made a brief memorandum regarding the climate changes that are more pronounced in Greenland.
And the way oil production will make the conditions more serious.
It doesn't say much about the size of the find.
No, that is still purely guesswork.
Ekspres.
dk quotes your Arctic ambassador saying there's been as much oil as in the largest Norwegian oil field.
That's right.
Worth over 2,000 billion.
Which, to put it mildly, can make a decisive difference for the Danish economy.
I don't know where the Ekspres are getting their numbers, but I have to maintain that our declared goal is to be CO2 neutral in 2050.
Well, then we'd have 28 years to produce oil without breaking our promises to the taxpayers.
That's a fair point as well, of course.
Do you know realise how many nurses and kindergarten teachers you can get for 2,000 billion? Yes, and we are also aware of the consequences of a mean temperature rise of more than two degrees.
The opposition and our support parties have summoned me to an emergency consultation tomorrow regarding the new chief of staff.
Now they are starting to call it "abuse of power".
It would be really nice if you could handle the case for now, Birgitte.
You know it pretty well.
Of course.
Would you prefer to postpone this meeting until there's less pressure? Yes, that might be Sorry, but it is hard to ignore 2,000 billion when we have to finance a welfare state.
Birgitte? Is there something wrong? Yes, please excuse me.
I think we have just re-evaluated.
Right? Birgitte, are you? Well, to conclude.
We agree that I will take it from here? Well, I think Helle has a point, that we can't just ignore the Treasury's view.
And then Jon notified us while you were out that the Canadian oil company has expanded its group of owners, and some Russian groups have bought a share.
We will have to look into that, but otherwise, the ball is in your court, Birgitte.
Jon.
What was that about some Russians? I wondered why you didn't bring it up.
One of my department heads saw it in the Financial Times.
Damn it.
Fuck.
 Kaare.
We simply have to investigate it.
We need to know what kind of company it is and what the hell they're doing up there.
PET operates in Greenland.
Can your ministry assist? - Birgitte.
- Hi.
- I'll contact intelligence.
- Good.
Is he on his way? Yeah, he's almost here.
Oliver's bringing him up now.
- And have you - I will take care of it.
I have just been informed at a committee meeting that you have been passing the numbers of the oil findings along to the Ekspres.
Birgitte, I did, but before our meeting.
And I never expected it to be such a big story.
Did you imagine that you could mention discreetly that we might have found something worth 2,000 billion kroner? And, furthermore, the Minister for Justice informs me that several Russian companies are now shareholders in the Canadian company you had completely under control.
- Hold your horses for a second.
- Hold my horses? Do I need to remind you how embarrassing it is to sit in the most powerful committee in government and be lectured by a colleague about something I ought to have known because it's been in the Financial Times? Canadian Energy Contractors are a giant company with an international ownership group.
That some of them are Russians isn't incriminating in itself, is it? Why do you think I'm interested in whether or not there are Russian owners? Do you think it might have to do with the fact that Russia isn't considered a democracy? That Russia is under international sanctions because they attacked Ukraine? And that our relationship to the US would be put under immense pressure if we allowed a Russian company to drill in Greenland? Should you have known this and informed me before the meeting with the committee? Yeah.
Point taken.
We will, of course, look into it before I go back up there.
Yeah.
But, Kaare, there is something we haven't had a chance to discuss.
We will be doing some reshuffling at the ministry.
We've been missing a good man as Consul General in, er, Manila.
We will need an experienced man like yourself.
What? Yes, I know it's a bit sudden, but, er - We really want to send the best.
- Exactly.
Shouldn't we? Let's discuss it in my office, you and I.
- Oliver.
- Yes? - Will you get Asger back here? - Yeah.
I had seen the article in the F inancial Times, and I had a really bad feeling about that company, and I wanted to investigate it thoroughly Asger, I'm going to stop you.
I've read your report.
And it's excellent.
We need to start negotiations with Greenland, and the prime minister's put me in charge.
My priorities are crystal clear.
It is deeply irresponsible and outdated to even consider extracting the oil.
Yeah.
So that is the main point you need to make the Greenlanders understand when you go up there and begin negotiations.
Er In In w-what capacity? Denmark's new acting Arctic ambassador.
- Can I sit down for a few seconds? - Go ahead.
I think I need to tell you something first.
I have a fear of flying.
And, in general, I suffer pretty badly from motion sickness.
And then you choose to work for the Foreign Ministry? Yes, it might seem a bit But I am seeing a hypnotist.
Kjeld.
He has helped me a great deal.
But I've never been to Greenland.
But I've read all there is to read, I've read everything, and I've read everything by Knud Rasmussen as well.
Hm.
Okay, but you accept the promotion? Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, you have a lot to look forward to.
You're on the first flight.
Hm? Hi, Erik.
It's Asger Holm Kirkegaard.
You're still in Moscow, right? Good.
Listen.
I need to know something about a holding company which, according to the Financial Times, is part of the company that has found oil in Greenland.
Yes, I have it here.
Two seconds.
It's called Novikov Holding, and it's part of the Stravka Group.
Thank you so much.
Yes, I'll hold.
To: Aura Kjeld - I need an appointment ASAP Going to Greenland! No, I'm still here.
Yes.
From: Aura Kjeld - Apologies.
On a course.
Excuse me, do you know where I can find Malik Johansen? Johansen! Damsgaard! - Hey.
- What are you doing here? I'm sailing with the Bear which is in harbour at Nuuk.
- Good to see you.
- You too.
Wow! Congratulations.
Yes.
Lieutenant captain.
I'm just in Ilulissat for a few days and thought I'd say hello.
But, er, yeah.
- Do you miss it? - Yeah, dammit.
Yeah, yeah.
You need to know that I didn't think it was fair of them to kick you out like that.
- PET has asked me to talk to you.
- Okay.
They know you've started to work for the company that has found oil.
They need some information.
It has to be done discreetly.
So they wanted to ask if you would help them out.
And, you know, one favour is worth another.
Who knows? Maybe I could help you get back to the Navy.
Then you could sail again.
Isn't that your dream? Yeah.
Give it some thought, Malik.
Give it some thought.
I'll be in town for a few days, okay? Right, well, let's just play.
No, no.
Stop, don't open that.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Hans is on the phone with Copenhagen.
There's coffee.
Have some coffee.
- Malik! - Hi.
Hi, bro! What are you doing here? I'm picking up Hans.
He's going to the drill site with, er, a couple of Canadians.
Look.
Why don't we get a tattoo like this? It's so cool.
What, like that one? Shouldn't you get dressed? Easy! So did you party yesterday? We We just had one drink.
One of your colleagues posted a video.
Of you, with a joint.
Fuck's sake! We agreed.
You wouldn't smoke that shit.
You can't control it, and you can't afford it.
You have a good job.
Stick with it.
Do you understand me? We're so, so proud of you.
I want you to know that.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I handle the relationship between Denmark and, by extension thereof, Greenland and the rest of the world.
And I sincerely hope that Greenland will embrace the fact that climate change affects all of us.
Even when faced with the tempting possibilities and riches of a potentially huge oil find.
The oil finding in Greenland Foreign Minister Birgitte Nyborg says that her ministry internationally during her time Nyborg says her ministry handles the matter.
I would like to repeat that I, at no point, had any intention They're not pulling any punches.
The prime minister's getting grilled tonight at Parliament.
- Yeah, Dan, can you excuse us a minute? - Yes, of course.
Thank you.
I hired Michael Laugesen I have to know your source.
No, Katrine, stop it.
- We're not at that point yet.
- You better believe we are.
The PM is getting reprimanded in Parliament, and the director general is on my neck.
- Can't you guess? - I have to know for sure.
Let me hear it.
Who was forced to make a U-turn regarding the oil in Greenland? Who is doing the rounds in every single international media to mark off her territory? Is it that hard? - It's smart.
- Mm-hmm.
Kragh and Laugesen are good friends.
She feeds him a lot of bullshit about Nyborg, which he then spreads.
She finds out, of course.
Then it's payback time.
It's clever.
She's never been so aggressive.
She's under pressure.
She and Kragh are like Yeah.
to disregard anything.
It was never my intention to disregard the democratic rules at any point in time.
This afternoon, Prime Minister Signe Kragh decided to give up the appointment of Michael Laugesen as her new chief of staff after massive amounts of pressure from nearly every party in the Parliament.
When even the government's support parties, the Environmental Party and Solidaric Unity, joined the criticism, the prime minister had to acknowledge that the battle was lost.
Yes, this is a wild overreaction and political spin which the opposition used in a clever way.
The prime minister has suffered her first defeat.
Personally, I've been fired before, but it's the first time I've been fired before I was even hired.
He's nice, isn't he? - Oh, that Jeff guy? - Yeah.
Yeah.
Birgitte? Can we? Congratulations.
On your fine performances on the BBC and CNN.
- You're really good at it.
- Thanks.
Don't think I don't know who gave the media the story about Michael Laugesen.
I won't forget.
As you said, this is the government, not a kindergarten, right? The matter of the oil in Greenland is on your table now.
That's how you wanted it, right? You're alone on that small ice floe.
I can only hope the fucker doesn't melt underneath you.
Let's do it like that.
It's Asger.
He's a bit incoherent.
Asger? Birgitte, I am in a cab heading for the airport, so if I throw up, it is not because of you.
Oh, well.
That's good to know.
Are you somewhere where you can speak freely and nobody can hear what you say? Yeah.
I talked to the embassy in Moscow, and they used their connections in the Russian business community.
One of the companies which now owns part of the drilling company seems to be Stravka Group in St Petersburg.
It is owned by a large Russian oil and gas company and a gentleman by the name of And sit down if you're standing up.
Mikhail Gamov.
Gamov who, of course, resigned as secretary in 2015.
He is the Russian president's personal friend.
Absolutely a part of the inner circle.
- Holy shit.
- Yes.
So we are in very, very deep shit, and we're about to sleep with the devil.
Subtitle translation by: Helle Kaiser-Nielsen