Brussels / Copenhagen: 20/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - Denmark will no longer take part in the EU's vote on common defence issues but will continue to take part in meetings of the EU Military Committee, it was announced on Thursday by Danish Foreign Minister Mogens Lykketoft. The minister said he had noted agreement within the foreign affairs committee of the Danish parliament over this issue.
The decision was announced after the polemic in Italy and Denmark over the election, by just one vote, of Finnish General Gustav Hägglund to the presidency of the Military Committee over his Italian rival, General Mario Arpino. The decisive vote was from Denmark. "It was a mistake to take part in such a vote", said Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, who specified that respect of the opt-out granted to Denmark on defence issues means that "we should not hold the decisive vote in such elections".
The practical consequences of the Danish decision are not yet clear, mainly because decisions on defence matters must, in principle, be adopted unanimously by the Fifteen according to procedures under the second pillar of the Treaty, say Swedish Presidency sources. The Council is proceeding to a legal analysis of the question, it is specified at the Council Secretariat. The procedure followed for election of the Military Committee's president was of a particular kind, since the choice of candidate was defined first of all by an informal majority vote, according to procedures used at NATO, then by a formal unanimous decision, notes one Danish diplomat. In principle, the derogation on defence issues granted to Denmark provides for "constructive abstention" for unanimous votes, but does not specify the procedure for informal voting, states the same source.
In Copenhagen, the government plans to clarify its reflection on Danish participation in military issues, in anticipation of the Danish EU Council Presidency during the second half of 2002. There are three grey areas, it is admitted on the Danish side, mainly concerning the future crisis management operations that include both military and humanitarian aspects.