Three months later the Russian invasion of Ukrainethe majority of Δανώνalmost 67%, were in favor of joining its common defense policy yesterday, Wednesday The European Unionaccording to the almost complete count.
The victory of the “yes” in the referendum held in Denmark is recorded after the submission of the requests of Finland and Sweden to join NATO, as the armed conflict in Ukraine pushes many European countries to drastically change their defense policy.
“Denmark has sent an important message. To our allies in Europe and NATO and to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. “We have shown that when Putin invades a free country and threatens stability in Europe, we are rallying,” she said.
“There was a Europe before February 24, before the Russian invasion, and there is a Europe after that,” he added.
Opposition Conservative leader Seren Pipe, for his part, told parliament after the first exit polls were published that “everything points to the fact that after thirty years, the Danes have decided today that we must abandon the ‘opt out’.” “our exception in terms of defense and we need to work more closely with Europe.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel praised the “historic” result of the vote in Denmark.
“I applaud the strong message of commitment to our common security sent by the people of Denmark,” the head of the Commission said on Twitter, “convinced that Denmark and the EU will both benefit from this decision.” “The people of Denmark have made a historic choice,” said the head of the European Council.
An EU member state since 1973, Denmark dropped the first cannon of Euroscepticism in 1992, rejecting (50.7%) the Maastricht Treaty, something unprecedented at the time.
To break the deadlock – which threatened the implementation of the founding treaty throughout the European Union – Copenhagen secured a series of exceptions, “opt outs” in the Brussels idiom, and the country finally said yes the following year.
Since then, Denmark has decided to stay out of the euro – rejected in the 2000 referendum – and also out of European politics in the field of home affairs and justice – rejected in the 2015 referendum – as well as in defense.
As a result of this latest decision, the Nordic country, a founding member of NATO, has not participated in any joint EU military mission.
Once considered marginal, the 27-nation common defense policy has gained momentum in recent years, although the idea of a eurozone continues to meet resistance in several capitals.
Two weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Danish prime minister announced that she had reached an agreement with most parties in parliament to put the referendum to an end in a referendum, as well as to invest heavily in defense to increase the level of of 2% of GDP for military spending that NATO wants.
Eleven of the 14 parties, which occupy three-quarters of the seats in parliament, called on their supporters to vote yes.
Two factions of the Eurosceptic far right, the Danish People’s Party (DF) and the New Conservatives, voted in favor of no.
The radical left-wing Unity List also opposed joining the EU’s common defense policy.
Following the nominations of Sweden and Finland for NATO membership, the three Nordic countries will soon join the European Common Defense Policy and the Atlantic Alliance.
The referendum did not concern the autonomous regions of Denmark, nor Greenland – which remains outside the EU – nor the Faroe Islands.
Source: News Beast
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