Another consequence of the war against Ukraine. According to 97% of ballots, the overwhelming majority of Danes voted Wednesday for EU defense policy.
"Tonight, Denmark sent a significant signal. Our NATO allies and (President Vladimir Putin). We demonstrate that when Putin invades an unfree country and threatens stability within Europe, the rest join hands," stated Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, and Charles Michel, leaders of the European Union, hailed the "historic" vote. "I salute the strong message sent by the Danish people to our common security," wrote the President of European Commission on Twitter. He "convinced Denmark and the EU of this decision". "The people of Denmark made a historic decision," said the President of European Council.
Denmark, a member state of the EU, had fired the first shot of euroscepticism in 1973 when it rejected the Maastricht Treaty at 50.7%. This was unprecedented at that time. Copenhagen had secured a number of exceptions to the blocage that threatened to end the European Union's founding treaty. The country then voted yes in a new referendum the next year.
Denmark has remained out of the euro since 2000, when it was rejected by a referendum. However, Denmark is still excluded from European foreign policy. This exception meant that the Scandinavian nation, which is a founding member NATO, was unable to take part in any EU military mission.
Although once marginalized, the defense policies of the 27 have gained momentum in recent decades, even though the ideas of a European Army are still a foil to many capitals.
