The Danish Parliament has reached an agreement that will see those who have been convicted of serious crime denied their disability pension, senior pension or early retirement for five years.

In addition to this, the current quarantine scheme will be tightened so that gang members and others who commit serious crime will be excluded from receiving a number of other public benefits for five years, extending the quarantine period from three to five years.

After the five years is over, individuals can apply again to receive the benefit if they meet the conditions.

The agreement received backing from across the Danish government (Social Democrats, the Liberals, and the Moderates), as well as from the Danish Democrats, the Liberal Alliance, the Conservative People's Party and the Danish People's Party.

Announcing the new rules, the government stressed that there must be noticeable financial consequences for committing serious crimes and at the same time receiving welfare benefits from the public sector.

"With today's agreement, we clearly say no to bikers and gang members who are capable of engaging in criminal activity being able to simultaneously raise the highest welfare benefit we have," Minister of Employment, Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, said.

"In 'The Black Swan' we saw a very dark side of Danish society, where criminals are unscrupulously exploiting the welfare society that we all pay for. Early retirement is intended for our most vulnerable citizens, not organized criminals. That is the injustice we are now putting an end to.

Adding to this, Liberal Party employment spokesperson, Kim Valentin, said: "The examples we have seen where bikers and gang criminals receive early retirement are unacceptable.

"If you commit serious and organized crime, you should, of course, not receive early retirement. It undermines trust in our welfare society, and it must therefore be met with harsh consequences.

"That is why we in the Liberal Party are very pleased that we are now introducing a new disqualification scheme and expanding the existing quarantine scheme considerably."

This sentiment was shared by Moderates employment spokesperson, Nanna W. Gotfredsen, who agreed that "early retirement pension should be reserved for citizens with such a significantly reduced level of functioning that they cannot work and thus cannot support themselves and their families".

"It should in no way constitute a permanent basis for covering rent and other fixed expenses, while people, often more than full-time and typically for the purpose of enrichment, commit extensive, serious crime," Gotfredsen said. "Steps are now being taken to put an end to this."

Employment Spokesperson Charlotte Munch, Danish Democrats employment spokesperson, Charlotte Munch, agreed, arguing that "if you can commit gang crime, then you are also healthy enough to work".

"We are therefore satisfied that the rules are now being tightened so that early retirement pension can be taken away from deeply criminal gang members who turn their backs on the labor market - not because they cannot work, but because they do not want to contribute to society," she continued.

Despite the cross-party support for the new agreement, concerns remain in some areas, as Munch said "we will not hide the fact that we would have liked to have gone even further than this agreement in the fight to deny early retirement pensions to criminals".

Liberal Alliance housing, interior and church spokesperson, Carl Andersen, said that the Liberal Alliance will also continue to press for an "even stricter line" that ensures that the welfare system supports those who are truly in need, and not those who abuse it.

This was echoed by Danish People's Party employment spokesman, Nick Zimmermann, who said that he would have liked to see it expanded to include, for example, terrorism and terrorist condoning and other serious violations.

"It is also important to point out that even though these people are deprived of their early retirement, they are still roaming around our society, committing new crimes and are a threat to the Danes," he added.

"Therefore, we in the Danish People's Party want to send all criminal foreigners back to their home country - without a return ticket. There must be an end to warnings and poor excuses."

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