Danish Ambassador: What Opportunities Does Serbia Have During the EU Presidency and What Are the Key Agenda Priorities?

During its presidency of the Council of the European Union, which it assumed on July 1st, Denmark took the helm at a time when the Union was facing numerous global challenges but also significant opportunities for its transformation. Throughout its six-month mandate, Denmark will focus on key issues such as enlargement, security, the green transition, competitiveness, and migration — all topics of vital importance for the future of the Western Balkans.

"Enlargement is of high priority, as it is a geopolitical investment in securing Europe. The inclusion of Serbia and the Western Balkans is crucial for us, as is the focus on Ukraine and Moldova. We live in uncertain times, and this calls for ambitious solutions. We need to build a secure, stronger and competitive Europe that can stand more in its own right, and enlargement is a key element in achieving this. This is no longer a question of whether, but rather how we achieve an ambitious merit-based enlargement. Ukraine is the engine for the momentum, but countries in the Western Balkans, including Serbia, are very much included too. Denmark has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in a turbulent time, but this has helped us create a vision forward. We are very ambitious, but humble enough to know that it requires a lot from all parties to contribute to making enlargement possible sooner rather than later.

The headline for our Presidency is 'Strong Europe in a changing world', which includes 2 key priorities that we will focus on:
A Strong Europe, A Competitive Europe and a Green Europe– enlargement is the key to securing Europe, while the growth plan is an accelerator for accession.

I encourage Serbia to take advantage of the current momentum, and we will support making the progress needed.
Denmark was one of the hesitant countries towards enlargement. But not anymore. We are very serious about it. It concerns our security, and it concerns the world we want to leave behind for our grandchildren. The geopolitical situation has brought us to this new momentum, where we need to strengthen our global standing, ensuring our security by strengthening our defence and unity."

· The Danish Presidency comes at a time when Europe is redefining its security policy. How does Denmark see the EU’s role in responding to global crises — from the war in Ukraine, through the Middle East, to tensions in the Indo-Pacific?

"The current geopolitical situation, especially the war in Ukraine, has indeed influenced our presidential priorities. In the current geopolitical reality, we need a European Union that can stand stronger in its own right. That requires an investment in defence, which is happening, and during our presidency, we will work to build a more robust and resilient EU; Europe needs to be able to defend itself. Europe must boost its defence by 2030. We need to continue delivering support for Ukraine, and we need to maintain pressure on Russia, including through sanctions. Our focus will be on developing critical defence capabilities, meaning strengthening the European defence industry through increased production and wide cooperation, and expanding partnerships with third countries.

Strengthening defence also means supporting a secure, open and responsible digital future, including through the implementation of the Global Digital Compact that will provide a shared vision for a responsible technological future. We will continue our cooperation on defence with the United States, but we also need to develop our industrial capacities. We will work on developing domestic defence industries and technologies."

· Denmark is a global leader in green technologies. Will climate policy be among the top priorities of your Presidency, and in what ways? Does Denmark see an opportunity for the Western Balkans to become part of this "green transition"?

"Climate policy is part of one of our two main priorities; without taking care of our environment, we fail at having a strong and competitive Europe. Denmark is a frontrunner in the green transition. This has been possible because private and public institutions have done a tremendous effort in cooperating on a joint mission: to reduce emissions by 70 per cent in 2030, and we are well underway to reach this goal. It is important to note that no one knew how to get there when the goal was set in 2020. The EU is currently negotiating new goals for 2040. The ambition of the EU Commission is to reduce emissions by 90 per cent by 2040 before eventually reaching climate neutrality in 2050. Holding the Presidency, we are in a position to influence the agenda and discussions, and Denmark has an ambitious climate goal, working on environmental, nature and climate policies – especially towards COP30.

We are focused on increasing the pace of the green transition, including green technologies, renewable energy and overall better infrastructure. Denmark has excellent practice in sustainable cities and sustainable living, especially in district heating, and the best part of this is that it is transferable to other countries. Serbia has already shown dedication in transforming the society into greener solutions in several areas and towns, and we are ready to work more with Serbia on this – and other - areas that have to do with green transition.
Reliable energy supply is also a matter of security, and this being a top priority for the Danish Presidency, we will work on strengthening the energy market, which also means the EU must be independent of Russian energy."

· What will be Denmark’s focus in strengthening the competitiveness of the European economy, especially in light of growing global pressures from China and the United States?

"Focusing on competitiveness is, as you mentioned, a priority. We will work to make it easier for companies to compete in the open market, as we want to ease daily operations for businesses, including regulatory simplification and simplifying regulations. This will create growth opportunities and encourage innovation. We will also work on encouraging and clearing the way for research and innovation. As mentioned earlier, Denmark has succeeded in green transition because the public and private sectors have been working together; so, we are focused on encouraging this cooperation on a higher level, within Europe."

· How does Denmark plan to frame the topic of migration — increasingly present in the Western Balkans — within the common European policy during its Presidency?

"Migration is of importance for our Presidency as security is also related to migration, as it remains a key challenge for the EU, and is part of an effort to ensure stability at the EU’s external borders. The patterns of migration have shifted in recent years, and the Western Balkans route is an important transit route. Focus on irregular migration is of high priority, and we have a fruitful cooperation with Serbia in this area. These challenges require practical solutions and joint efforts to combat irregular migration while strengthening integration efforts and upholding the EU’s values. In this effort, Denmark has appreciated the opportunity to support Serbia. We have been supporting projects in cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Serbian authorities. Challenges and solutions that Serbia has picked up.

During our Presidency, migration will remain high on the agenda. We are committed to continuing to support initiatives that foster regional alignment with EU priorities and work for new and innovative solutions to manage irregular migration and control the flow of migration. Effective migration management also strengthens the EU’s global role by fostering strategic and comprehensive partnerships with the countries along the migratory routes, while promoting green growth and migration policies based on responsibility and mutual respect."

(EUpravo zato.rs)