A parliamentary motion from the Liberals and Conservatives is looking to make it easier for Eastern European countries to take back their nationals who have been convicted of crimes in Denmark.

The centre-right motion calls for Denmark to fund, for example, new prison units or prison officer training for countries that agree to join the regime, Jyllands-Posten says.

An inmate in a Danish prison costs the state up to DKK1,900 (EUR255) per day. The savings made could finance the proposal.

“We spend almost a quarter of a billion kroner on inmates in Danish prisons who could just as well serve their sentences in their own countries,” says Liberal Justice Spokesman Karsten Lauritzen.

According to the report, there are currently some 1,100 foreigners in Danish prisons, 420 of whom have received their sentences. Costs for the 420 are at DKK229million per year, of which DKK64million is for EU citizens.

Under an EU agreement that has so far been signed by eight countries, prisoners should be repatriated if they have less than six months left to serve.

Conservative Justice Spokesman Tom Behnke says that the likelihood of being sent back to a Romanian prison would be preventive.

“They don’t care whether they’re caught. Because if they get sentenced to a Danish prison it’s still better than where they come from,” Behnke tells Jyllands-Posten.

The government is prepared to study the proposal during the upcoming negotiations on the prison service budget, but the Social Democrats remain sceptical.

“It would be wrong to think that bilateral agreements are a quick solution. They can take a long time to negotiate,” says Social Democratic Justice Spokesman Ole Hækkerup.

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