The political game
Referendum (1st June): Prime-minister Mette Frederiksen announced a referendum on 1st June, on the topic of defense cooperation with the other European Union states.
- To agree with the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992, Denmark put three conditions: They will not adopt the euro, they will not join the European legal system and they will not be part of European defense cooperation.
- In 2000, there was a referendum on adopting the euro as currency. 53,2% of the Danes said “No”.
- In 2015, there was a referendum on joining the European legal system. 53,1% of the Danes said “No”.
- The political parties that want Denmark to join the European defense cooperation are: Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats), Venstre (Liberals), SF (Socialists), Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals), Konservative (Conservatives), Liberal Alliance, Alternativet, KD (Christian Democrats), Moderates, Vegans and the Free Greens.
- The political parties that are against joining the European defense cooperation: Enhedslisten (former Communist Party), DF (Nationalists) and Nye Borgerlige (Libertarian Nationalists).
Enhedslisten vs. NATO: The former communist party wants to take Denmark out of NATO. They also voted against the investments in the Danish army. A politician from the party said “NATO is an aggression alliance that is forcing Russia to act.”
New laws and strategies
New testing strategy: You should only get tested for corona if you are at risk to become seriously ill (elderly, pregnant or vulnerable), according to the National Board of Health.
Defense budget: Today, Denmark has a yearly defense budget of 36.3 billion DKK (1,47% of the GDP). By 2033, we need to reach 2% of the GDP in defense spending, in accordance with NATO recommendations. That means 18 billion DKK more yearly.
Investments in the army: Denmark will spend 7 billion DKK in the next two years to upgrade the Danish Army. According to different experts, the current military capabilities are not enough to defend Denmark. They recommend the money to be invested in…
- Missiles for the Navy (Tomahawk)
- More ships for the Navy (10 corvettes + 2 submarines)
- Ammunition and tanks
- 30 F35 fighter jets to upgrade the Air Force
- Military drones
- More soldiers hired, longer service for conscripts (up to 12 months), more volunteers in the Home Guard (from 13,000 to 30,000)
Law proposals
Independence from Russian gas: Denmark wants to stop buying gas from Russia. In the meantime, the government is looking at alternatives.
More conscripts: Every year, less than 5.000 young people (3,463 men and 1,307 women) begin the military service. Venstre (Liberals), Conservatives and DF want to increase that number to 10,000 – 15,000 yearly. The government is also positive towards having more conscripts.
