NordenBladet – In Estonia the electricity prices have already been very high for several months. The record was December 7th 2021 when the power price reached as high as 1000 euros per megawatt-hour, i.e. for a kilowatt-hour, before VAT and other taxes (excise + network price) a full euro had to be paid. December’s unusually expensive electricity prices were reflected on January’s bills, which in many cases exceeded people’s monthly income.
Table 1. Power prices in Estonia on December 6th and 7th 2021
Although the valid stock exchange power price is today, on January 13th, more favorable than earlier (almost a week the price has been in the yellow zone), the prices, as compared to Finland, are partly 20 times higher. While a Finnish citizen pays 1.3 euro cents for electricity’s kilowatt-hour, then in Estonia up to 21 euro cents per kilowatt hour must be paid.
Table 2. Comparison of Finland’s and Estonia’s power prices. Today’s (January 13) power prices in Finland (left column) and Estonian prices in the right column.
What can a simple homeowner do in order to alleviate their complicated situation created by the high power price?
1. Observe power prices daily – you will find real time power prices from the power prices LIVE guidelines. Estonia’s power prices are on NordenBladet.ee site and Finland’s power prices are on NordenBladet.fi website. All who have concluded an hour-based tariff electricity package, for you the amount of the bill will depend on the amount of electricity consumed each hour and on the stock exchange price valid during that hour. Thus it is very important to daily observe the hourly power prices!
NordenBladet’s hour-based power prices graph (electricity market’s PRICES GUIDELINE) allows you to easily and conveniently observe power prices and plan the day’s more power consuming activities to a more favorable time zone. The price guideline functions as a traffic light (red light warns that the prices are high and the green light lets you know the prices are in a favorable zone). We define a price favorable when it is up to 10 euro cents per kilowatt hour.
(Those who have a fixed price stock exchange package need not worry, since the kilowatt-hour based price has been fixed for a certain time period and the bill shows a similar kilowatt-hour price every month).
2. Be aware of the amount of home appliances (technology) that are consuming electricity in your home. A long and thorough insight about domestic appliances that consume power can be found HERE. By knowing how much an electric stove, television, washing machine, computer and other home appliances consume energy, you will be able to make decisions that in conclusion will positively be reflected on your electricity bill.
3. It is possible to cut electricity costs by using several saving tips at home – beginning from a simple “switch the lights off” principle to a proper heat insulation of the building. You can find various tips and recommendations on how to limit electricity consumption HERE.
NordenBladet – People have received their first enormous electricity bills and those who did not yet observe the power prices have carefully started checking the electricity prices and have limited or even completely avoided electricity consumption during the expensive hours. If you are not willing to lose all your salary due to the rising prices of electricity, then the daily power prices should be calculated and you should plan doing laundry, using the oven for several hours or having the floor heating turned on during the more favourable hours, in order to consume electricity in a smart way.
The following is a major and thorough insight – all that you might like to know about power prices and electricity consumption!
1. HOW MUCH DOES ELECTRICITY COST right now in real time? How much does electricity cost today and tomorrow? How do I know when electricity prices are good and when it is expensive?
NordenBladet.fi (Finland’s power prices) and NordenBladet.ee (Estonia’s power prices) hour by hour electricity price tables (electricity price guidelines) give you easy and clear information about electricity market prices (stock exchange of the moment). Simple, intelligible and convenient info about all day’s hour by hour electricity price in a graph showing the current electricity price.
Electricity prices are displayed on NordenBladet home pages sitewide, in the right hand side of the page, in a table. You can look up the exact electricity price from one full hour to the next.
2. How to use NordenBladet’s electricity guideline so that you would be able to consume less power and thus receive a smaller bill by the end of the month?
For a start, check the general provisions of the contract that you have with the service provider and understand exactly what type of conditions you have. In case you have an hour-based stock exchange package then it is vital that you observe the power prices!
Electricity price guidelines can be read as the traffic lights:
? Red – expensive price zone, i.e the day’s highest prices (20-… euro cents kWh) (In order to save money, try using less electricity during this period of time!)
? Amber – average price zone (10-20 euro cents kWh)
? Green – the day’s best price zone (… -10 euro cents kWh). (If you wish to save money and economize, we recommend that you use power during the green time zone!)
(extra to the prices indicated, there will be + VAT, network price according to your network service provider and location of the domestic consumer’s zone, and excise tax)
Home owners and entrepreneurs that have a stock exchange package, are better off when daily observing today’s and tomorrow’s stock exchange price and completing the most power consuming procedures during the most favourable (green) time zone.
By observing the electricity prices you will receive a smaller electricity bill and will be able to save considerable sums (hundreds, in some case even thousands of euros)!
? NordenBladet LIVE electricity price table has been exactly adjusted to the local time (we are displaying Finland’s as well as Estonia’s prices) and it shows in kilowatt-hours the CURRENT POWER PRICE!
Easy, free and intelligible time-based price table for working days as well as weekends.With this Nordenbladet application we will be displaying the daily electricity price that you can easily observe from our website from a computer as well as from your smartphone. Great help every day! Many people who used NordenBladet’s electricity prices already last month, received half of the size of the electricity bills that they might otherwise have received!
3. HOW TO CONSUME LESS POWER and thus save money? What can I do to consume less electricity? I want my average electricity consumption to be less so that I could save electricity. How to limit the electricity costs?
a).Heat insulation
When your living space is not well insulated and your home does not maintain the warm temperature, this will bring forth greater energy consumption. You might consider a proper insulation for the basement, the window sills, and walls. Also during the dark time of the day, use window coverings to minimise the necessity of heating during cold weather. The quickest and cheapest way is to roll up and place a small blanket or a large towel on the window sill as a temporary „wind shield”.
b). Room temperatures
Should you need to heat the rooms directly or indirectly with electricity (geothermal heating / electric radiators), a great financial difference already comes from lowering the temperature just a few degrees. And again, switch the electricity on just during the good price time zone.
c). Review your lighting
About one fourth of the household’s energy costs is usually due to lighting! We recommend you to exchange all light bulbs/halogen lights for LED lamps. LED, i.e. light-emitting diodes is a semi-solid semiconductor that converts electric energy directly into light, as opposed to the light bulb where 95% of the bulb’s light is converted to heat. By using LED lamps/LED bulbs, you save electric energy up to 90% as compared to regular light bulbs!
The life cycle of a LED lamp is up to 50 000 hours which also means economizing on the maintenance side. Also check that the lights are not on without a purpose, in the rooms that are empty, switch the lights off.
d). using the washing machine
Set the program on the day’s best time zone, if necessary, use the machine at night in case the electricity prices are in the red zone (extra high) for long periods of time. Usually night time prices are two times better. Also, usually during the weekend the electricity prices are better. The drier consumes about 450 kWh a year. Drying the clothes on a laundry rack will help you save money.
e). Refrigerator and deep freeze
Quite a few households use more than one fridge and deep freeze. It is reasonable to place all things in one fridge and eliminate the other for winter time. Annually, the energy consumption of an older generation fridge reaches dozens of euros, which may turn out more expensive than the products that are kept in cold. When the temperatures sink and the weather is cold, you may just as well switch off the fridge in the garage or the shed for 24 hours, when the prices are extra high, and then switch them back on again.
f). See if you are at all using all the appliances
Plug off the appliances! When bringing home technology, be smart and choose the energy saving appliances. However… even though the domestic appliances are more and more energy efficient these days, the number of various appliances in homes is very high and thus our energy consumption keeps increasing. Studies have shown that more than one fourths of people keep their utensils on standby. This however means that each watt spent on standby regime brings along the cost of one euro a year. Plug off the utensils and the battery chargers that you are not using daily. The standby energy consumption of your utensils may make up as much as 10 percent of the household’s electricity bill.
4. HOW MUCH DO DIFFERENT UTENSILS consume power? Which home appliances consume most electricity? How much do home appliances /technology consume energy on an average?
The electric stove and oven consume the annual 23%, around 280 + 420 kWh. Considering the average one time consumption to be 1.4 kWh and considering that the stove is being used 300 and the oven 200 times a year, we get the annual energy consumption of 700 kWh. Glass ceramic stove generally consume less energy that metal top stoves with a heater.
Refrigerator – a ten-year-old refrigerator will annually consume 850 kWh electricity, at the same time, the new A+ fridges will use an annual 280 kWh. An average fridge will consume an annual 420 kWh. PS! The more ice gathers, the more grows the energy consumption!
Television – a TV-set will consume the annual 100 kWh. The newest A+++ class led-televisions consume one third less energy than the regular A class efficiency television set, and about 60% less than plasma televisions.
Dish washer – it consumes around 280 kWh annually. On an average, the dish washer can take 12 sets of dishes, using 1 kWh energy. When washing the same amount of dishes by hand, the heating of the water would take an average of 2,5 kWh energy. Therefore the dish washer takes 60% less energy when compared to washing by hand.
Washing machine – consumes about 260 kWh annually.
Tumble dryer – this consumes a lot of energy, an annual 450 kWh. Since it is largely a convenience device, it would be reasonable to give it up to save money. Older machines consume 4 kWh energy per working cycle, for 200 working cycles it will sum up the annual 800 kWh.
Computer – the most energy efficient is a laptop, it consumes 80% less energy than a personal computer. Even more efficient are tablets. The PC consumes the annual 500 kWh electricity, the laptop 60 kWh and the tablet only 3 kWh.
Other home appliances – from smaller home appliances the kettle, the iron, the microwave oven and the vacuum cleaner consume most power. Less power consuming are the coffee machine, blenders and food processors, blow dryers, ventilators, air cleaners. Heating water with an electric boiler makes up about 20% of the annual energy consumption.
Observing the current stock exchange power prices, economizing and awareness of electricity consumption, knowing how much your home technology consumes power, you may save hundreds of euros per month. In case you have an hour-based stock-exchange electricity package, start observing the power prices already today!
NordenBladet – The government has announced a temporary scheme that will help ordinary people across Norway to cope with their electricity bills this winter, with energy prices recently reaching new record highs. The scheme will provide support to households to allow them to deal with extraordinary electricity prices through a deduction on their bill.
‘An extraordinary situation like this requires extraordinary measures in response. I am happy that we are now in a position to announce positive, targeted action that will help ordinary people to weather this electricity bill crisis. It is a forceful response to what we are aware many people are finding to be a difficult and serious situation,’ says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Support will be available to households for up to 5000 kilowatt hours of monthly electricity use. The scheme will take effect as of December 2021 and remain in place until the end of March 2022 and is to be administered by the Transmission System Operators (TSOs). The government will present the scheme as a proposition to the Storting as quickly as possible. The scheme is in addition to previously announced measures including housing assistance and student support.
‘This scheme will see about NOK 5 billion spent directly on paying the most expensive component of people’s bills. This will be in addition to reductions in the electrical power tax, increased housing assistance and improvements to student support. We have focused on helping as many people as possible – when spending this much money, it is important for everyone to feel the benefit. We hope that these measures will provide a little more breathing space for many people as we enter the Christmas period, regardless of whether you live in a draughty house, a flat or a farm,’ says Minister of Finance, Trygve Slagsvold Vedum.
The scheme will provide a deduction on household electricity bills at times when prices are extraordinarily high. When the average market rate for electricity exceeds 70 øre per kilowatt hour for one month, the state will provide a rebate of half the amount beyond this ceiling. The share paid for by the state will be deducted from the bill by the TSO or electricity provider.
‘Households will now see a reduction on their bill when electricity costs are extraordinarily high. Plans are already in place to implement the first reduction of this kind in January when electricity bills for use in December are due for payment. This scheme will benefit ordinary people throughout Norway,’ says Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Marte Mjøs Persen.
The scheme is designed to ensure that it will still pay to reduce your electricity use.
The household support scheme is part of a larger package of measures intended to help electricity customers.
Facts about the scheme:
If the average electricity spot price in a month exceeds 70 øre per kilowatt hour, the state will provide support for household electricity bills.
Norway’s power grid is divided into five different pricing zones. The spot price for electricity in the pricing zone that a household is located in will be used as the basis for calculating any support due.
The state will provide a rebate of half the price beyond the ceiling of 70 øre per kilowatt hour up to a maximum of 5,000 kWh per month. The rebate amount will be independent of which type of electricity package a household has.
Examples:
For a household living in a self-contained house that uses 3,280 kilowatt hours of energy in December, the scheme will provide support of up to NOK 1,025 for the month. For a household living in a flat that uses 1,336 kilowatt hours of energy in December, the scheme will provide support of up to NOK 418. The formulae use a sample rate for power in Southern Norway for the month of December that is equivalent to 120 øre per kilowatt hour.
The actual level of support will depend on how much electricity is used by each household and how energy prices develop in your local area.
Overview of key measures in the government’s electricity package:
Direct support for electricity customers in terms of the distribution network tariff: approximately NOK 5 billion (including VAT).
Reductions in electrical power tax: NOK 2.9 billion.
Housing assistance: NOK 1,500 per month per household for the period December–March. Households comprising multiple persons will receive a supplement of NOK 150 per additional person beyond the first resident.
Student support: Increased support for students worth NOK 3,000, of which NOK 1,200 will be a non-repayable grant. NOK 190 million.
Efficient energy use initiatives under the auspices of Enova: NOK 100 million.
Compensation to municipalities in relation to additional costs incurred around the provision of financial welfare assistance measures worth NOK 100 million.
Additionally, the government has initiated dialogue with the TSOs in order to enable the deferment of payments for more customers.
NordenBladet – NordenBladet launched today, on November 15, a new app that allows visitors of our websites keep track of daily electricity prices at any chosen time
Electricity tariffs will be displayed on NordenBladet’s front page and sitewide on the right side of the page in the form of a table. You can check the exact price of electricity during one full hour until the next. The Estonian site (NordenBladet.ee) publishes Estonian electricity prices, the Finnish language site (NordenBladet.fi) publishes electricity prices of Finland.
PRICE GUIDE*:
? Red – the day’s highest prices
? Yellow – the day’s typical price
? Green – the day’s most profitable price
(prices in the table are given before/without value-added tax)
Estonia and Finland belong to the Nord Pool Spot electricity market trade region. Besides Estonia and Finland, the NordPool also involves Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania. In the Nord Pool Spot, electricity prices will be determined separately for every hour of the day and separately for every region. Each country has the minimum of one price zone, countries with larger territories may have several zones.
Electricity’s market value will be calculated by Nord Pool electricity stocks individually for every hour. For each hour, all electricity production offers beginning with the most inexpensive will be ranked, and all electricity demand offers will be ranked beginning with the most expensive. In the intersection of these two lines the price of electricity will be shaped.
__________________________________ ATTENTION! * Electrical grid level depends on the electrical network service provider and the location of every individual consumer’s electrical substation. The price guide has been designed based on Nord Pool data in a supporting manner, with the aim of simplifying the price market overview – NordenBladet will not accept responsibility regarding your electricity consumption!
NordenBladet – The government on Thursday decided to change the spectator capacity restriction for public events starting next week, allowing indoor events to be organized for up to 1,000 participants, outdoor events can have 2,000 participants.
“Data from the Ministry of Culture shows that such major events are not scheduled to take place currently. The reason for this restriction is that is not reasonable to organize major events. Although we are in a downward trend, we are right on the edge,” Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reformierakond) announced at a press conference.
The government will also allow people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines to get booster doses after five months, because the efficacy of those two vaccines deteriorates faster in time.
Kallas added that the government also recommends family physicians issue sick leave permits for people home with someone infected with the coronavirus.
The prime minister said most Estonians are responsible and listen to recommendations. “Making things mandatory is complicated. Who monitors who lives with who? There are blended families. People have summer homes,” Kallas said.
The prime minister said all decisions are made with two goals in mind. “Number one: an open society. Number two: motivating people to get vaccinated. An order to stay in isolation would decrease motivation. Our vaccination rates are slowing down again,” Kallas said.
Minister of Health and Labor Tanel Kiik (Center) said people vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can receive a booster dose after six months, only people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines can receive an additional dose five months after the initial vaccination process was completed.
He noted that infection indicators are in a downward trend and hospitalization numbers are also improving. “Estimates show that we will enter a downward trend for hospitalization in the coming weeks, which gives hospitals and the Estonian healthcare system an opportunity to avoid the decisions, which would have seen additional hospital beds created for coronavirus patients and the suspension of scheduled treatments,” Kiik said.
“We do not have anything to cheer for, the crisis is not over. There are waves stemming from the Delta variant across Europe,” the health minister said. “The Covid crisis is our main challenge, but we must also look to the future and protect public health. We have agreed to initiate a Public Health Act. We will define terms and principles, which will be referred to when organizing healthcare.”
NordenBladet – According to tax return data for the year 2020, in Finland the most money was made by mobile game creators. Earnings were highest in the case of mobile game company Supercell founder and previous creative director, 45-year-old Mikko Kodisoja – 93.5 million euros. The second highest was 43-year-old Ilkka Paananen from the same company, earning 86.7 million euros.
Behind the men’s income is the selling of the company and the popular mobile games Clash of Clans, Boom Beach and Clash Royale. Currently the majority shareholding belongs to the Chinese company Tencent Holdings.
The third highest earnings belong to the deceased Finnish billionaire Niklas Herlin’s son, heir of the elevator company Kone, 31-year-old Heikki Herlin, whose income was 28.3 million euros.
Jyväskylä’s father of a large family and psychologist Joni Kettunen, who sold to Garmin the physiological analysis service health firm Firstbeat Analytics, earned 27.9 million euros.
A proper profit from selling an IT company was made also by Juha Tommila who sold majority shareholding of the infosystems and financial services company Staria. Staria offers local and international infosystems, solutions for finances, personnel and payroll, and RPA. Vaaka Partners took up Staria’s majority shareholding in 2020.
Head of programming company Supermetrics, Mikael Thuneberg, earned, mainly from dividend income 24.7 million euros.
Founder of Scandinavian IT company Smartly, Kristo Ovaska, sold the company and earned 23.4 million euros. The company Smartly.io that helps advertisers automate their campaigns in Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, sold majority shareholding to Providence Equity Partners.
Finland’s youngest IT-millionaire Tuomo Riekki, also behind the firm Smartly.io, earned 23.3 million euros.
One of Supercell’s founders, John Derome, earned 17.1 million euros.
Head of software company Admicom, Jyväskylä based 73-year-old millionaire Matti Häll, earned 15.7 million euros. Admicom, listed with Nasdaq First North stock exchange in Helsinki, focusses on ERP-systems and also offers accounting services.
Profit makers TOP 10 was as follows:
Kodisoja Mikko 93 499 919Paananen Ilkka 86 707 807
Herlin Heikki 28 305 626
Kettunen Joni 27 904 330
Thuneberg Mikael 24 730 853
Ovaska Kristo 23 360 264
Riekki Tuomo 23 289 937
Derome John 17 082 848
Häll Matti 15 734 335
Tommila Juha 14 642 693
The list may not be exhaustive, since more than 2000 Finns have requested their names to be removed from public tax information materials that are communicated to the media.
NordenBladet —A provision on fingerprinting that supplements the relevant EU Regulation will be added to the Identity Card Act. In future, fingerprints will be taken from any person applying for an identity card, except for a person under the age of 12 or from a person in respect of whom fingerprinting is physically impossible, for example. The President of the Republic approved the amendment on 29 June. The Act will enter into force on 2 August 2021.
The Identity Card Act has been updated to be in line with the EU Regulation on identity cards. Because of the EU Regulation, the information content and appearance of identity cards will also be reformed. The aim of the Regulation is to improve the reliability and security of identity cards of EU citizens.
Fingerprints taken for a passport can in future be used to apply for an identity card
The fingerprint is a biometric identifier, and it is a permanent and immutable part of each individual. For such biometric identifiers, specific requirements for data security are needed to ensure the protection of privacy. For this reason, separate provisions on data security related to the chip of an identity card are laid down in the Identity Card Act.
As fingerprints and facial images are particularly sensitive data, they may be accessed by authorities issuing identity cards — police departments, Finnish missions, the police and the Border Guard — and by Customs when it acts as a criminal investigation authority or carries out the duties of a border control authority.
“In Finland, passport applicants must already have their fingerprints taken and stored in the passport register. Similarly, the Identity Card Act includes a provision on the storage of fingerprints in the identity card register. To make it easier to use the services, every applicant can in future use their fingerprints taken for the passport to apply for an identity card. Fingerprints taken for the identity card can also be used for passport applications in future,” says Marja-Leena Härkönen, Senior Specialist from the Ministry of the Interior.
The storage of fingerprints in the identity card register will not only protect the rights of the person giving the fingerprint but also the rights of other persons to their personal data and their appropriate use. The storage of fingerprints in the register and the comparison of fingerprint data with the register are aimed at preventing identity misuse.
Parliament passed the government bill for amending the Identity Card Act on 4 June 2021. On Tuesday 29 June 2021, the President of the Republic approved the bill passed by Parliament. The Act will enter into force on 2 August 2021, at the same time as the application of the EU Regulation begins.
NordenBladet – If your native language is not Icelandic, and you’re between 16 and 25 years old, living in Iceland, here is an opportunity for you:
On Wednesday, June 23, a development project will be launched in Reykjavík, which aims to increase community participation of people aged 16 to 25, whose native language is not Icelandic. The event is scheduled by Tengivirkið/Connecting Communities at Hitt húsið, Rafstöðvarvegur 7-9, between 3 and 5 pm.
Discussion groups will meet up, participants will get to know one other and chat. Assistance will be provided for those interested in applying for sports or extracurricular activities, requiring help with applying for admission to high school or university, or needing assistance with their CV or job search.
The main goal is to have fun together and get to know the district and all of its benefits. There will be complimentary food and beverages, short presentations, a concert and finally a free raffle.
Isabel Alejandra Diaz will lead a short discussion. Isabel moved to Iceland from El Salvador when she was very young. Since then, she has served as the president of the student council of the University of Iceland – the first person of a foreign background to do so.
Sayed Khanogli will talk about his experiences in Iceland from 2019, when he arrived as a refugee from Afghanistan. Sayed is currently a student at Fjölbrautaskólinn við Ármúla secondary school, but plans to transfer to Borgarholtsskóli secondary school to focus on cinema. He is also the chairman of the Youth Movement of Amnesty International in Iceland.
Among the many raffle prizes will be the following:
A whale watching tour with Elding Adventure
Access to the adventure course in Adrenalin park
Family tickets to the Wonders of Iceland exhibition in Perlan
For more information, see the Facebook page of the event.
NordenBladet – Greenland heads to the polls on Tuesday in snap elections which could have major consequences for international interests in the Arctic. The vast territory, which belongs to Denmark but is autonomous, lies between North America and Europe and has a population of just 56,000.
Greenland’s economy relies on fishing and Danish subsidies, but melting ice and a planned mine could change the course of the vote – and the territory’s future.
Here’s what you need to know.
What’s at stake Disagreement over a controversial mining project in the south of Greenland has split the government and paved the way for this week’s election.
The company that owns the site at Kvanefjeld says the mine has “the potential to become the most significant western world producer of rare earths”, a group of 17 elements used to manufacture electronics and weapons.
The Siumut (Forward) Party supports the development, arguing that it would provide hundreds of jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually over several decades, which could lead to greater independence from Denmark.
But the opposition Inuit Ataqatigiit (Community of the People) party has rejected the proposal, amid concerns about the potential for radioactive pollution and toxic waste.
The future of the Kvanefjeld mine is significant for a number of countries – the site is owned by an Australian company, Greenland Minerals, which is in turn backed by a Chinese company.
Why is Greenland important? Greenland has hit the headlines several times in recent years, with then-President Donald Trump suggesting in 2019 that the US could buy the territory.
Denmark quickly dismissed the idea as “absurd”, but international interest in the territory’s future has continued.
China already has mining deals with Greenland, while the US – which has a key Cold War-era air base at Thule – has offered millions in aid.
Denmark has itself acknowledged the territory’s importance: in 2019 it placed Greenland at the top of its national security agenda for the first time.
And in March this year, one think tank concluded that the UK, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – known collectively as the Five Eyes – should focus on Greenland to reduce their dependency on China for key mineral supplies.
Mining isn’t Greenland’s only issue, however.
The territory is on the front line of global warming, with scientists reporting record ice loss last year. This in turn has significant implications for low-lying coastal areas around the world.
But it is the retreating ice that has both increased mining opportunities and raised the possibility of new shipping lanes through the Arctic, which could reduce global shipping times.
This changing reality has also increased focus on long-running territorial disputes, with Denmark, Russia and Canada all seeking sovereignty over a vast underwater mountain range near the North Pole known as Lomonosov Ridge.
Russia, meanwhile, has been increasing its economic and military activities in the Arctic, where it has a long coastline, prompting concern from western governments.
NordenBladet – Crown Princess Victoria is often referred to as the ‘Godmother of Europe.’ She received this rather unusual nickname because she has 18 (yes, eighteen) godchildren.
Crown Princess Victoria is one of Europe’s most popular royals. Every single year she is voted the most popular royal in her own country of Sweden. Many royals seem to like the Crown Princess, as well, as they have often asked her to be godmother to their children. Crown Princess Victoria almost has a godchild in every European country with a monarchy. In addition, she is the godmother to three future Kings and Queens.
Crown Princess Victoria has a very close relationship with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. Victoria is the godmother of the Danish Couple’s firstborn, Prince Christian. Crown Princess Mary is godmother to Victoria’s and Daniel’s firstborn, Princess Estelle, while Frederik is godfather to Prince Oscar.
Princess Catharina-Amalia, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, is also lucky to have Crown Princess Victoria as her godmother. In return, King Willem-Alexander is also one of Princess Estelle’s godfathers. Victoria is also listed as one of Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway’s godmothers. Crown Prince Haakon is conversely godfather to Princess Estelle, while Crown Princess Mette-Marit has Prince Oscar as a godchild.
Other royal godchildren of Crown Princess Victoria, who will not become King or Queen one day, are Princess Eléonore of Belgium, daughter of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark, son of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. In 2014, Princess Katharina of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was added to the long list. She is the daughter of the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the heirs of the Ducal Family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Most of their parents chose Victoria as a godmother to their son or daughter because she is the Crown Princess and future Queen of Sweden, and royals often want other royals to become their children’s godparents. Of course, the bond between Her Royal Highness and the parents of her godchildren is often quite close.
Crown Princess Victoria is godmother of her niece, Princess Leonore (Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Kungahuset.se)
The Crown Princess is also the godmother of various family members. She became Princess Leonore’s godmother in 2014 when her younger sister, Princess Madeleine and brother-in-law, Chris O’Neill, became parents for the first time. Her most recent godchild is Prince Alexander, son of her brother Prince Carl Philip and sister-in-law Princess Sofia. Thus, Victoria is both their aunt and godmother. In return, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine are respectively godparents to Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar. The children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden created the tradition that the aunts and uncles of the children will also become the godparents according to the birth order.
On her mother’s side, Crown Princess Victoria is godmother to many Sommerlath children. Her first godchild was Vivien Sommerlath, now 24-years-old. She is the daughter of Victoria’s maternal uncle, Jörg Sommerlath. Vivien is also a godchild of Queen Silvia. Giulia Sommerlath, daughter of Victoria’s maternal uncle Thomas Sommerlath is also on the list. Crown Princess Victoria’s cousin, Patrick Sommerlath and his wife Camilla Lundén also asked Victoria to be their son Leopold’s godmother.
On her father’s side, Crown Princess Victoria is the godmother of Ian de Geer, son of Princess Désirées, daughter/ Victoria’s cousin, Tina and Hans de Geer. Also, Madeleine von Dincklage, the daughter of Victoria’s cousin, Sybilla von Dincklage, is one of Victoria’s godchildren. Then there is also Gustaf Magnusson (son of Victoria’s aunt Princess Christina), who asked Victoria to be the godmother of his and Vicky Andrén’s daughter, Désirée.
Crown Princess Victoria is the godmother of her nephew, Prince Alexander. Photo: Mattias Edwall, The Royal Court, Sweden
Furthermore, Crown Princess Victoria is godmother to several children of her good friends. She is a godparent of friends Caroline and Peder Dinkelspiel’s son, Willem; friends Andrea Brodin and Niclas Engsäll’s daughter, Diana; friends Caroline and Jesper Nilsson’s daughter, Chloé; and friends Karl-Johan and Leonie Persson’s son, Ian.
At the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, many of these godchildren were part of the bridal party. Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Christian, Vivian, Leopold and Giulia Sommerlath, Ian de Geer and Madeleine von Dincklage were pageboys, flower girls and bridesmaids at the wedding. The other godchildren were either too young to participate or not born yet.
After seeing this long list of children, it is no surprise that the Crown Princess of Sweden is also called Europe’s godmother. Victoria has many gifts to buy each year for her many goddaughters and godsons.
Featured image: Elisabeth Toll, The Royal Court of Sweden
