AARHUS, Denmark — Denmark launched its presidency of the European Union on Thursday with a name for Europe to unite to tackle conflict in Ukraine and chaos brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump’s world tariff hike that are prone to mark the Nordic nation’s six-month time period on the helm of the world’s largest buying and selling bloc.
“We’ve conflict on European soil. We face commerce wars, and new tariffs, and now we have our closest ally, in the US, turning more and more inward,” stated Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre. “Europe can not be within the shadow of the US. We want now to face on our personal two ft.”
Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen and European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen have been within the western metropolis of Aarhus for a day of celebratory occasions as Denmark began its eighth EU presidency since becoming a member of in 1973.
Presidencies rotate between the 27 EU member international locations each six months. The nation in cost units coverage priorities and organizes the bloc’s working agenda. It is imagined to act as an “sincere dealer,” setting apart nationwide pursuits to foster consensus.
Denmark is coming into its time period with the motto “A Robust Europe in a Altering World.” Its purpose is to assist make sure the EU can take accountability for its personal safety, enhance financial competitiveness and sort out local weather change.
The ceremony was held as giant components of Europe sweltered in excessive temperatures.
Russia’s conflict on Ukraine, now in its fourth 12 months, is seen as an existential problem in Europe and can weigh closely on most coverage debate. Financial turmoil additionally lies forward. Trump’s 90-day tariff pause ends on July 9 with no EU-U.S. commerce deal in place as but.
NATO has warned that Russia might be able to assault one other European nation in 3-5 years. To arrange, the navy alliance — most of whose members are EU international locations — has agreed that nationwide navy and defense-related funding ought to rise to five% of GDP.
Denmark’s precedence will probably be to set Europe on monitor to correctly defend itself by 2030. That can require laying the groundwork for international locations to purchase the navy tools wanted to execute NATO’s protection plans with Trump’s safety priorities mendacity outdoors Europe.
That can imply wrapping up negotiations on proposals that can assist international locations buy and make navy tools collectively.
Serving to Ukraine, but additionally Moldova, to hitch the EU quickly is one other safety precedence. Moldova has been shaken by Russian meddling within the type of power coercion, election interference and disinformation campaigns.
Denmark says it goals to maintain the 2 transferring towards membership collectively, however Hungary is obstructing Ukraine’s path. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insists that Ukraine ought to stay a buffer zone between Russia and NATO international locations.
With contemporary elections in Moldova in September, stress is mounting for the EU to “decouple” their accession tracks. Bjerre stated “all political and sensible means” will probably be used first to steer Hungary — a small EU nation and the one one standing in Ukraine’s means — to carry its veto.
She stated it’s essential to ship clear indicators to Balkans international locations. Most have waited a few years to hitch.
As Trump wages tariff conflict, commerce has modified drastically. The EU has sought new commerce agreements with different international locations, equivalent to India, whereas different commerce pacts are being revamped. Denmark says it is essential to speed up that course of.
The federal government in Copenhagen says it is also looking for to chop extra bureaucratic crimson tape with a view to pace up innovation.
A significant problem looms within the type of the EU’s subsequent long-term price range. Von der Leyen plans to unveil the fee’s blueprint for the seven-year spending bundle, which ought to enter drive in 2028, on July 16.
With protection spending will increase weighing closely on nationwide purses, member international locations are unlikely to wish to stump up extra funds for European priorities. Denmark’s purpose is to get the talk — which may run for 2 years — off heading in the right direction.
Regardless of some backsliding, the EU nonetheless holds to its objective of reaching local weather neutrality by 2050, by slicing greenhouse gases and compensating for any remaining emissions. Denmark will lead work on setting a 2040 goal to information local weather motion and funding to maintain the bloc on monitor.
A part of that would be the transition away from fossil fuels to inexperienced power kinds. Russia’s conflict on Ukraine has highlighted the hazards of power dependence on anyone provider.
Sanctions and political stress haven’t stopped some EU international locations of getting their oil and gasoline from Russia, though the extent of dependency has dropped markedly since 2022. Denmark says the continued section out stays a precedence.
Copenhagen additionally says it must be simpler for farmers to respect EU guidelines. It needs the bloc’s agricultural coverage to be easy and enterprise pleasant. One objective is to finalize negotiations on a rule simplification bundle.
In 2021, Frederiksen spoke of a imaginative and prescient of “zero asylum-seekers,” and her authorities will proceed down the EU monitor of looking for “progressive options” to raised handle migrants.
Unable to agree how finest to manage, EU international locations have largely centered on deporting individuals. They’ve tried to ascertain “return hubs” in international locations outdoors the bloc the place rejected asylum-seekers might be despatched. That method will proceed. Denmark says it is essential to steer individuals to not set out for Europe within the first place.
Work may also proceed on getting ready the huge asylum and migration coverage pact to come back into drive subsequent 12 months. The pact was seen as the reply to Europe’s migration woes, however international locations nonetheless differ on how finest to sort out the problem.
Beneath worldwide regulation, individuals have a proper to asylum in the event that they worry for his or her lives, security or persecution.
