After being elected to the Danish parliament in 2019, Marie Bjerre’s local newspaper in Northern Jutland wrote that “Trump forced her to run for office.” A fear of Trump-style nationalism reaching Denmark and a profound belief in her global mindset spurred Bjerre on to run for office and leave behind her career in law.
Fast-forward to August 2024 and Bjerre was appointed as Denmark’s European Affairs Minister. Almost a year into the role, Denmark takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, with no shortage of challenges to address.
“We have not stood in a time like this since the Second World War. The geopolitical landscape is changing,” Bjerre told The Parliament.
Geopolitical turbulence and a changing global order have thrust the role of the EU into the spotlight in Denmark. As a country with traditionally strong ties to the US, Denmark has seen this relationship tested since President Donald Trump began his second term.
Despite new agreements to give the US access to its military bases, Danes have turned against the Trump administration. Disputes over Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, have seen Trump first offer to buy the territory and then refuse to rule out using military force to take it over in the interest of national security. Threats of tariffs have also prompted Danes to boycott US products and spurn new purchases of Tesla vehicles associated with former Trump adviser Elon Musk.
“There are, to put it in a light way, new winds blowing from the US and I think this has caused the pro-European attitude from us,” said Bjerre.
These tensions have driven increased support for the EU. A poll published in March of this year by Danish newspaper Berlingske found that 92% of Danes believe Denmark should prioritise European security over its alliance with the US; 42% also viewed the US as either a “significant” or “direct” threat.
EU support a new phenomenon
Support for the EU hasn’t always been so high in the Scandinavian country. A May 2016 poll by national broadcaster DR found that 42% of Danes wanted a Brexit-style EU referendum, with 38% rejecting the idea and 15% undecided – clear signs of discontent with Brussels.
A lack of willingness to cede powers was at the heart of much of this Euroscepticism, as was confusion about what Denmark as a country was able to get out of the EU. A lack of desire for greater integration and cession of powers to Brussels reached its peak in a 2014 Eurobarometer report which concluded that 74% of Danes were against the idea of a federal union, more than double the EU average of 34%.
Denmark has negotiated a number of historical opt-outs since it joined the EU in 1973. The country opted out of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) allowing it to continue to use the Danish krone, and rejected EU co-operation on justice and home affairs, both decisions upheld by public support in referenda since the turn of the millennium.
The country also had an opt-out on common security and defence policy, but this was scrapped following a 2022 referendum shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the country recognising the need to work more closely with its neighbours.
This greater desire to work together on defence was cemented in May. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen quit the ‘frugal four,’ an informal group of the fiscally conservative countries of Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, and instead promised to focus on spending to rearm Europe.
Incompatible social systems causing friction
Part of Denmark’s longstanding reluctance to deepen its EU engagement is driven by broad satisfaction with its national politics. “We do have regulation where we don't see it fitting for our national tradition, for instance when it comes to our labour market, and it is very hard for us to discuss these matters because there is consensus in the Danish parliament,” said Bjerre.
Denmark has been reluctant to engage in conversations around an EU-wide minimum wage, among other labour reforms proposed by Brussels. The country has a history of collective bargaining agreements and trade union movements, something it feels could be at risk from widespread changes.
Conversations on a minimum wage are stalled as Denmark, alongside neighbour Sweden, says it challenges the EU’s principle of subsidiarity, where decisions should be made at the most local level possible. Earlier this year, the Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice sided with Denmark on annulling the directive.
But on a political level, there is recognition that this is part of a trade-off, and mindsets must shift. “We know that we have to have more common regulation in order to be stronger together,” said Bjerre.
Active EU role for national politicians
Denmark’s national politicians play an important and active role in how the country interacts with the EU. Bjerre’s job as European affairs minister was previously temporary, focusing on preparations for the EU Council presidency, and was abolished following Denmark’s two previous tenures. But this time, the role is viewed as a permanent position to deepen engagement with Europe, beyond the role of the foreign minister.
“We made it clear that we saw this role as permanent as we see that more and more EU countries have got permanent EU ministers… because European politics has become way more important,” remarked Bjerre.
National lawmakers are also directly involved in EU legislation. For issues deemed by the government to be of major significance, representatives are unable to negotiate on an EU level without having a negotiating mandate from the European Affairs Committee in the Danish parliament. Recent reforms have brought greater power to the other relevant parliamentary committees.
“The level of knowledge from the Danish politicians is quite high; they know what they're talking about,” said Bjerre.
Denmark was the first country to adopt this model, something which most member states still do not have. But while broadly seen as positive and a way to make knowledge of the EU’s impact more widespread, the model isn’t perfect, according to Bjerre.
“We start the debate politically at all levels too late, when it's already running in the European system, for us to have a stronger influence on the legislation,” she explained.
Denmark ready to lead EU at a historic time
To get ahead as one of the EU’s smaller countries, Denmark must work with others. This involves greater engagement in EU-level discussions, which is reflected in the country’s refreshed approach.
“All the things we're struggling with in Denmark, our defence that we're not capable of defending our own country, climate policy, even migration policy – we have had a strict migration policy for many years – but we can't do all these things without co-operating together,” said Bjerre.
Denmark itself has taken a leading role on migration issues as the proponent of one of Europe’s strictest migration policies. It has hosted a series of pre-European Council meetings alongside the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and the European Commission to discuss a more hardline approach to protect the EU’s external borders.
“We have a strong stand on many of these agendas, so I think we have the muscle that it takes. And you know, sometimes it takes a small country to think big,” concluded Bjerre.
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