Denmark votes to scrap EU defense opt-out
Russia’s war in Ukraine prompts Danes to ditch
skepticism about closer security integration.
BY ELINE
SCHAART
June 1,
2022 9:22 pm
https://www.politico.eu/article/denmark-votes-to-scrap-eu-defense-policy-opt-out/
COPENHAGEN
— Denmark voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to scrap its EU opt-out from
security and defense policy in a historic referendum triggered by Russia’s war
in Ukraine.
Almost 67
percent voted in favor while 33 percent were opposed, according to the final
results.
“When there
is war again on our continent, then you cannot be neutral. Tonight, Denmark has
sent a very, very important signal to Putin and to our allies,” Prime Minister
Mette Frederiksen said in a speech after the exit polls were released.
“The text
messages are trickling in from colleagues abroad who are happy on behalf of
Denmark,” Frederiksen added.
One of
those colleagues was European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who
said on Twitter that she welcomed the “strong message of commitment to our
common security sent by the Danish people today,” adding that both Denmark and
the EU will “benefit from this decision.”
The
scrapping of the opt-out was supported by the Social Democratic government and
nine other parties. Just three parties were in favor of keeping the opt-out,
two on the far right and one on the far left.
The move is
a break from longstanding Danish skepticism over further European integration.
Although Denmark is a big supporter of the single market and further economic
cooperation, the country is highly skeptical when it comes to more EU
decision-making, voting in two previous referendums to keep in place opt-outs
on the single currency and on justice and home affairs.
It’s also a
major win for Frederiksen as she is the first Danish prime minister to succeed
in removing an EU opt-out, and it provides a welcome boost as her popularity
dropped amid an ongoing inquiry into her government’s move to illegally cull
the nation’s entire mink population in 2020, ahead of national elections that
will take place within the next year.
Opting in
The end of
the opt-out, which has been in place for 30 years, means that Denmark will be
able to take part in joint EU military operations and cooperate on the development
and acquisition of military capabilities within the EU.
It is still
unclear in which of the seven ongoing EU military missions Denmark will
participate. But several of the Yes-supporting parties pointed during the
election campaign to the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the
anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia as missions they could see Denmark
being a part of.
Separate
from the referendum, the government and main parliamentary parties have also
agreed to increase Denmark’s defense budget until it reaches 2 percent of GDP
by 2033, in line with NATO’s spending goal.
The
referendum comes as other European nations also overturn long-held positions on
defense and security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Finland and Sweden
have applied to join NATO while in Germany, the coalition government and the
conservative CDU/CSU alliance agreed on a €100 billion boost to the country’s
military spending.
It also
comes as Russian gas giant Gazprom confirmed Wednesday that it stopped gas
supplies to Shell Energy Europe and Denmark’s Ørsted after the two companies
refused to pay in rubles.
However,
the No-supporting parties have accused the Danish government of misusing the
situation in Ukraine for their own benefit. Morten Messerschmidt, the head of
the far-right Danish People’s Party, said that the Yes side “has tried to abuse
the war in Ukraine to make Danes feel that it is important that we stand
together.”
The parties
rallying for a No vote warned during the campaign of the additional costs and
loss of sovereignty that could result from overturning the opt-out.
This article
has been updated.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário