At a meeting with a group of Brussels-based journalists in Copenhagen on Wednesday 2 July, the Danish Defence Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, called for a strong and more secure Europe capable of defending itself by 2030.
In this context, the Presidency’s “absolute priority” will be to ensure continued long-term support for Ukraine, including through new initiatives.
Having developed the ‘Danish model’, i.e. investing directly in Ukrainian defence companies - a model followed by several Member States, as well as Canada - Denmark now intends to invite Ukrainian companies to come and produce on its territory, particularly in the areas of munitions, missiles and drones.
“Last week, we announced with Ukraine that certain companies would be able to start production in Denmark. We’ll see the results in September or October”, said Troels Lund Poulsen, adding that this will also enable the Danes to learn from the Ukrainians. He announced that other Member States could also follow Denmark’s lead.
According to the minister, last year his country invested €475 million in the Ukrainian defence industrial base, in artillery, drone and missile systems. “This year, I think we will be able to invest around €1.5 billion”, he explained. According to Troels Lund Poulsen, last year the Bogdan pilot project for 155 mm artillery ammunition enabled 18 systems to be produced in Ukraine in two months, compared with two years for a European purchase.
Asked about the announcement by the United States that it would suspend the supply of certain weapons to Kyiv, the Danish minister claimed that this only underlined the “need for Europe to do more and also to invest more in Ukraine”, whose production capacities were not all being exploited.
In addition to supporting the Ukrainian defence industry, the minister stressed the need to strengthen the European and transatlantic defence industry and increase production. “We need to spend more, better, smarter, all together”, explained Troels Lund Poulsen, who also pointed out the need to simplify regulations.
At national level, Denmark does not intend to participate in the SAFE programme, as it has “a very strong economy and is able to finance and invest in defence in a better way than SAFE”. Denmark is expected to spend 3.2% of its GDP on defence in 2025.
Asked whether the development of European industry might conflict with the development of transatlantic industry, the minister explained that it was still necessary to invest in American equipment, citing the example of the F-35. “So I don’t see how we can avoid buying American equipment, but the EU can do more, concentrate on developing and buying new capacities”, he explained. In his view, the development of new capacities could also be a way of helping to reduce fragmentation in military equipment.
The minister stressed as well the need to strengthen resilience in the face of other threats, including cyber threats. Maritime safety, particularly in the Red Sea and off the coast of Africa, is highlighted, with greater synergies between EU operations.
The Danish Presidency has also made strengthening EU-NATO cooperation, civil-military cooperation and defence partnerships with third countries its priorities.
To see the Danish Presidency’s programme: https://aeur.eu/f/HFO (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)