“Europe will be forged in crises, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises.”
These are the words of Jean Monnet. One of the pioneers and founding fathers of European cooperation.
And today, ladies and gentlemen. These words seem truer than ever before.
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Dear Members of the European Parliament.
Madam President of the European Parliament.
And commissioners.
Thank you for inviting me today.
For the next six months, Denmark will hold the presidency of the European Union.
We do so at a time when Europe is facing the greatest challenges since the 1940’s.
Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine.
Pressure on Europe’s external borders from migration.
Conflicts in the Middle East.
Risk of trade war and tariffs on the rise.
Increasingly competition on the future of strategic technologies.
And on top of it all, the climate and biodiversity crises.
Our security, our values, our economies and our way of living is under pressure.
We need to address the challenges head on.
And we need to do it together.
Members of the European Parliament and Member States.
We share the responsibility to find the right compromises on the difficult question ahead of us.
Solutions that work for all of us. First of all, our citizens. But also our Businesses. Labour unions. And civil society.
That is why I am pleased to be here today.
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The threats may be many. And they are indeed serious.
But I have trust in Europe.
Trust that we can move our continent forward.
Build a more secure Europe. A greener and more competitive Europe. A new Europe of tomorrow. With possibilities and welfare for our citizens.
But only if we remember what we are capable of. What our societies are built upon. And who we really are as Europeans.
Europe’s strength comes from within.
We are much more than the reach of our countries and the sum of our populations.
Europe is – first and foremost – an idea.
It is the way we think.
Our fundamental values. Freedom. Democracy. The rule of law. Our firm belief in progress, science and common sense.
That we always seek to make tomorrow better than today. Our social model.
That we are free to think as we want. Believe what we want. And speak as we see fit. These are the fundamental ideas on which our continent is built. And they run in the blood of all Europeans.
Europe is cooperation. Discussions. And difficult compromises.
But above all. Europe is a magnificent, rich and diverse continent that has managed to rise again and again.
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And in a time, where fundamental values are being questioned. The response from our side needs to be firm and clear:
We must – in every way possible – be willing to protect our democracies. Our freedom and rights. And our prosperity.
Therefore, the Danish presidency has two overall priorities:
Of course, first of all, a secure Europe. And secondly, a competitive and green Europe.
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First of all. We must take responsibility for our own security.
Cutting our defence spending in the past 30 years was a huge mistake. And we shall never repeat.
We cannot take lightly the threat from East.
Russia’s military rearming means that they could – within two to five years – pose a credible military threat to Europe and NATO.
And Russia is not working alone. We see it in Ukraine. North Korea providing soldiers and ammunition. Missiles from Iran. And military technology from China.
We must act now to respond to this threat.
We need to build a much stronger European defence industry. We have to invest more.
Strengthening Europe’s defence industry is an absolute top priority.
And we have to be able to defend ourselves by 2030 at the latest. We support an ambitious roadmap to get us there as outlined in the June European Council conclusions.
We have made a rearm Europe investment plan.
And the Danish presidency will take forward the proposals on defence simplification and the European a defence industry program.
At the same time, we have to learn from Ukraine.
In a very short time, they have established an impressive defence industry.
Producing weapons and ammunition much faster than we can. Developing advanced drones and weapons. While fighting a war. That is quite impressive.
We have to continue our support to Ukraine in every way we can as Europeans. For as long as it takes.
With military support. Ammunition. Missiles. Air defence systems.
With investments into the Ukrainian defence industry. Engage in partnerships with Ukrainian companies and integrate the Ukrainian defence industry into the European. To our mutual benefit.
And with financial, civil and, of course, political support.
We need to look at our donations for Ukraine in a different way.
Our donations are not a gift. And they are not charity.
They are a direct defence of Europe. Our life and our freedom.
We must also increase pressure on Russia with the toughest possible sanctions.
We will drive forward the proposals to stop all import of Russian gas.
And all these measures are interlinked, so you have to applause once more, because we have to take the next steps in the enlargement process for Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans.
By bringing these countries closer to Europe, we can help them flourish and grow. And make the EU even stronger.
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Another part of our security as Europeans is about migration.
It is challenging Europe. Affecting people’s lives. And the cohesion of our societies.
We saw it very clearly in the European Parliament election last year. Migration was a top priority for many Europeans. Including myself.
Our citizens expect us politicians to find new solutions. With a good reason.
And European citizens have a right to feel safe in their own countries.
That is why we need to strengthen our external borders. We have to lower the influx of migrants to Europe. We need to help stabilise EU’s neighbouring countries. And make the process of returns easier and, of course, more efficient.
What has been mainstream among our populations for quite many years, is now mainstream for many of us politicians as well. Finally.
Maybe not in parliament but gladly, I am really happy about that, in the European Council.
So, of course, we will as presidency prioritise the proposals on the table.
And also provide a much more effective response to Russia who is using migration as a weapon at our Eastern borders.
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So that was some few word on security.
We also need a competitive and green Europe.
As we all know, Draghi published his report last year.
He painted quite a black picture. Of too much regulation. High energy costs. A significant innovation and investment gap. And a shrinking workforce.
Europe is falling behind, and we ourselves bear a large part of the responsibility.
These issues have become a top priority, and luckily there is a general understanding that we need to act with urgency already this year.
It has to be a top priority for all of us.
And therefore, we must simplify our rules. We have to reduce burdens. On businesses, citizens and public authorities.
The Danish Presidency will aim for less red tape for European companies and individuals. Therefore, we must make progress on the omnibus proposals and simplification agenda.
But of course, already now we know that more is needed.
To increase EU’s long-term competitiveness, we need to boost our ability to innovate, develop and produce the technologies of tomorrow.
And we need to do it with urgency and ambition.
But, of course, without compromising what makes Europe special:
Our social balance. Our democratic stability. Our green ambitions.
And climate change remains one of the greatest challenges of the world right now.
Billions of people around the world already feel the consequences: Extreme weather. Fires. It is leading to migration. Poverty. Political instability.
Europe needs to keep pushing for an ambitious global green transition.
That is why we need to agree on an ambitious 2040 climate target.
I don’t see the applause coming from the whole on the whole speech. But this is important.
Also, to demonstrate that we take our climate leadership on our shoulders globally.
We have to create a stable and clear political framework. So businesses can be assured of our long-term direction.
A just green transition. Providing clean and affordable energy. New jobs and new opportunities. And it means a better future for all of us. That is key part of our long-term competitiveness.
We have to build more of our own, clean energy. More and better infrastructure. And work towards a stronger Energy Union.
Ensuring low and stable energy prices for citizens and our businesses. Strengthening our security of supply. And, of course, at the same time get out of the dependency on Russian energy.
We can use our trade policy to diversify and make supply chains more robust.
And while others build tariff walls, we should form new trade partnerships.
Get the agreement with Mercosur over the line. And push on with partnerships enabling access to critical raw materials.
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To enable EU to deliver results, the Danish Presidency will help set an ambitious and responsible course for negotiating the EU’s next long‑term budget.
We have to rethink the structure of the budget. We have to make it more flexible to manage unforeseen events. We have to make it simpler. Mobilise more private capital. And make it more focused on the political priorities. Status quo is not an option.
Last time, we called the long-term budget negotiations for the most difficult. It was just after Covid-19 and brexit.
This time, I believe they will be the most important.
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Dear friends in Parliament.
Jean Monnet also once said: “Anything is possible in exceptional moments. As long as you’re ready.”
We have to trust Europe. A Europe that will no longer seek shelter behind others.
Europeans that are ready to stand up for ourselves. And to defend ourselves.
Together. We have to do it together. So, we count on you – the members of the European Parliament. Directly representing European citizens as co-legislator. We cannot do it without each other. Of course.
I hope for a great cooperation for the next six months. Let’s build a strong Europe together.
Thank you.