Brussels, 13/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday morning during a meeting with new Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, welcomed the government announcements cancelling the construction of customs infrastructure at its borders, as well as the planned referendum on further integrating Denmark into European policies, particularly in the area of home affairs.
President Barroso pointed out that these border controls announced by the previous government had been “a subject that had caused us a lot of concern”. He welcomed the decision “as part of the Danish tradition of openness” and the fact that they could now put all that behind them ,
The Danish prime minister indicated that abandoning reinforced customs controls did not mean they did not want to fight against crime but that they wanted to do it better by cooperating with their neighbours, particularly the Germans.
Last May, the former Danish government, under pressure from its populist wing, announced the gradual reintroduction of permanent border controls on the country's borders, particularly with Sweden and Germany. This led to Germany publicly protesting and the Commission addressing a series of letters to Denmark requesting explanations from the country. (SP/transl.fl)