Mette Frederiksen: Europe must be stronger in the face of crises

The Danish Prime Minister today presented Denmark’s priorities for the EU presidency in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Mette Frederiksen (S) has today given her first presidential speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, after Denmark took over the EU presidency on July 1.

Under the heading “A strong Europe in a changing world”, Mette Frederiksen presented the most important priorities for the Danish presidency over the next six months.

Safety first

She struck a serious tone from the beginning, pointing out that Europe is facing major crises that can only be solved together.

– We must protect Europe in every conceivable way, therefore the Danish presidency – of course – has an overall goal of arming Europe, to enable Europe to defend itself against the threat from the east, said Mette Frederiksen, referring to Russia.

According to the Prime Minister, the EU must be able to protect itself by 2030 at the latest, and Ukraine must have support for as long as it is required.

Migration and climate on the agenda

According to Mette Frederiksen, part of strengthening Europe’s security is also about migration. She emphasized that EU countries must strengthen external borders and send more rejected asylum seekers home.

– Another part of our security as Europeans is migration. It challenges Europe, affects people’s lives and the cohesion of our countries, she said.

Climate was also an important point. Mette Frederiksen said that Europe is falling behind in the green transition, and therefore climate will be a top priority during the Danish presidency.

– We must do it together, I hope for fantastic cooperation over the next six months, Mette Frederiksen concluded, adding “let’s build a stronger Europe together” and thanking the entire Kingdom of Denmark, “including Greenland” for their support during the presidency.

Apart from thanking Greenland for its support, Greenland was not mentioned.