Initial results show Danes vote to join EU defence policy
Denmark appeared headed toward joining the European Union’s common defence policy that it long eschewed, following a referendum Wednesday, in a new example of a European country seeking closer defence links with allies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The electoral commission said that with ballots fully counted in 55 of 92 electoral districts, 65.5% voted in favor of abandoning the country’s 30-year opt-out from the common EU policy, and 34.5% against.
“An overwhelming majority of Danes have chosen to abolish the defence opt-out. I’m very, very happy about that,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
“We have sent a clear signal to Putin," she added. "With the decision we have made, we show that when Putin invades a free and independent country and threatens peace and stability, we will move closer together.”
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, posted a message on Twitter saying the Danish people had sent a "strong message of commitment to our common security."
Ending Denmark’s opt-out would have limited practical effect for either Denmark or the EU. The referendum follows the historic bids by fellow Nordic countries Sweden and Finland to join NATO - something to be taken up at a summit next month in Madrid.
NATO member Denmark joining the EU’s defence policy would have a relatively modest impact on Europe’s security architecture, particularly compared to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. But Christine Nissen, a researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies, said both moves were “part of the same story,” and would strengthen military cooperation on a continent stunned by the war in Ukraine.
The main effect of abandoning the opt-out will be that Danish officials could stay in the
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