On Sunday, September 6, the Danish Parliament celebrated newly naturalized citizens during the annual Citizenship Day held at the Danish Parliament building (Christiansborg), in an event that combined celebrating the new citizens with emphasizing the importance of democracy and participation in society, while thousands of other applicants are still waiting for the processing of citizenship applications to resume.
Parliament welcomes new citizens
The Danish parliament invited all people who obtained Danish citizenship during 2025 to participate in Citizenship Day, and expected that the number of participants in the event would reach about 2,000 people.
Parliament has organized this event annually since 2006, dedicating it to formally welcoming those who have become new Danish citizens.
Soren Gade opens the event with messages about democracy.
The Danish Parliament Speaker, Søren Gade, opened the celebration with a welcoming speech, during which he repeated a number of messages he had put forward at the previous year’s event, which focused on democracy, freedom and the importance of participation in associations and community life.
Søren Gade said that Danish society is shaped and developed through social ties and the active participation of citizens, adding that associations also provide opportunities for democratic formation and experience.
A call for participation and taking responsibility
Søren Gade urged the new Danish citizens to engage with society and participate in community life, noting that citizenship not only grants rights, but also entails responsibility towards society.
The Speaker of Parliament said that citizenship is both a right and a duty, explaining that the duty is to participate and contribute to society.
Soren Gade added: «We have given you something. We expect you to give us something in return, something we can share together.».
Music, singing and folk dancing in Christiansburg
Following the speech of the Speaker of Parliament, the program included musical performances, group singing, and folk dancing, as part of the celebration dedicated to welcoming the new citizens.
Participants also had the opportunity to speak with members of the Danish Parliament and to learn about the Parliament building and its halls.
The celebration coincides with the anticipation of thousands of citizenship applications.
While Parliament celebrated the citizens who received citizenship, other applicants are still waiting to find out the fate of their applications for Danish citizenship.
According to DR, the Danish government stopped processing citizenship applications in March 2026, and has not resumed processing applications six months after the decision to stop.
The continued suspension of processing means that thousands of applicants are still waiting for a response to their applications, at a time when Parliament has officially welcomed people who obtained citizenship during 2025, according to DR, quoting Ritsau.
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