Poland to Denmark: EU Presidency

Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union July - December 2025

Denmark has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the period 1 July to 31 December 2025.

Security. Competitive growth, and green transition.

Those are the two main headlines for the next half year’s work in the EU decision fora. Under the slogan ‘A strong Europe in a changing world’, the Danish Presidency will work for a secure Europe as well as a competitive and green Europe.

The EU is facing a new international order marked by uncertainty, global strategic and economic competition, and rising levels of conflict. That is why the EU must be able to act in its own right. The EU’s strength lies in European unity, a solid economic foundation, stable democracies, and socially balanced societies, among other things. This strength must be developed further and used to promote and defend both European interests and the international legal order. The Danish EU Presidency will work for a strong and resolute EU that takes responsibility for its own security and for strengthening its competitiveness. This calls for the EU to match words with action and deliver on the challenges it faces. The green transition is essential to building a more secure and competitive Europe.

Today 3 June is the formal ceremony of transfer of the Presidency, chairmanship, of the EU Council from Poland to Denmark. The position as chair of the EU Council of Ministers, similar to the upper house of the EU parliamentary system, rotates between member countries for half a year at a time. The role is not assigned to a person but to a state, functioning as a full-scale secretariat for the Presidency. It is the 8th time that Denmark fills this role since 1973. In later years, EU has also instituted a person as permanent chair of the Council, which is António Costa.

The work of the presidency is first to define and obtain consent for a program and some headline goals for the 6-months period, second to organize a long series of meetings, see the number here, including 2 summits, one in Denmark and one in Brussels, and dozens of ministerial resort meetings. Setting the agenda and running the meetings is a large task for a small country with limited central government resources, but experience helps, having done the same multiple times over since 1972.

Program of the Presidency

In preparation of the Presidency, the new Danish Minister of European Affairs Marie Bjerre has visited all 27 member countries and 8 direct candidate countries. She has revealed what she sees as the first priority of each country, see below.

Visiting the Witches of Bucha, in April, Danish Minister for Europe, Marie Bjerre (left of center). Photo from Instagram.

A secure Europe and a competitive and green Europe.

Excerpts from the program:

International developments require the EU to become a stronger geopolitical actor. By 2030, the EU must be able to defend itself. This means taking responsibility for its own and Euro-Atlantic security, working closely and in complementarity with NATO. Russia’s war against Ukraine has shown the urgent need for the EU to speed up development of the European defence industry and production. The EU must also better address critical capability gaps in Europe. The Danish Presidency will work to ensure that the EU is able to protect European interests by strengthening its resilience, robustness, and deterrence against complex and hybrid threats.

A competitive and green Europe Rising global competition calls for targeted joint and national action to boost the EU’s competitiveness. This includes reforms that improve conditions for businesses to grow and strengthen their prerequisites for innovating and investing in new technology, skills, production and jobs. The green transition can and should drive growth, and climate and energy policies should continue to be closely linked to competitiveness policy. Similarly, the life science sector promotes both health and growth in the EU.

A competitive and resolute EU calls for a fresh look at the EU’s multiannual budget. The Danish Presidency will work for a financially responsible EU budget that delivers a focused, simple, and effective response to the EU’s strategic challenges. To strengthen long-term competitiveness, burdens on businesses, citizens, and authorities must be reduced. This means simplifying current laws and ensuring that future regulation is clearer and more targeted. The Danish Presidency will give high priority to the Commission’s simplification proposals and promote measures to ensure better regulation across Council configurations, with a stronger focus on implementation and improved impact assessments.

The Presidency will contribute to strengthening the Single Market, encouraging innovation, and developing the Savings and Investment Union to increase the supply of risk capital and mobilise private investments.

As mentioned above, Mette Bjerre summarized her observations from her preparatory visits to all 27 member countries and some 8 candidate countries, in preparation for taking over the chairmanship. In an interview in Jyllands-Posten, yesterday, she briefly addressed each country. Interpreted in just a word or two for each, here is what she has found:

Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs. Photo: Udenrigsministeriet

Germany: Migrants. ‘…refugees create division and right-wing populists in German domestic politics’ and ‘a great desire to lean heavily into European political agendas’.

Poland: Security/Russia. ‘security policy takes up an extremely large amount of space’. ‘It was really an eye-opener for me about why it is so important that we take care of our rule of law.’

Finland: Security/Russia. Really impressive that they have hermetically sealed the border with Russia.

Estonia: Ukraine. ‘I took with me the enormous support of the Estonians for Ukraine.’

Sweden: Migration. Differences in relation to migration policy are less than before. Same picture also with many other countries, getting aligned with a more hardline policy.

France: Economy/competitiveness. France is challenged on the economy, and considers unpopular reforms that Denmark has implemented earlier to strengthen the economy. We normally see France as a little more protectionist, but they are more open to free trade agreements now.

Netherlands: Migration. The Netherlands are very concerned about difficulties with integrating people from the Middle East and other places.

Ukraine: EU membership — being able to see a future perspective gives them the fighting spirit.

Czech Republic: Economy/competitiveness. Prague says if we are to have an ambitious climate policy, it simply has to go hand in hand with competitiveness. Otherwise we will lose.

Italy: Migration, we will have to find some common solutions in the EU.

Greece: Migration. Also feeling the pressure on the borders, they kept saying that of course they do not push back dinghies.

Cyprus: Cohesion. Upon visiting, it was pretty clear that this is really a European country that shares the soul, values, culture of Europe.

Portugal: Cohesion. About a third of the budget goes to areas like regional development, and EU would probably like to try to change that somewhat.

Latvia: Security/Russia. They spend almost 5 percent of their GDP on defense already, and they are ‘not the richest country’.

Lithuania: Security/Russia. They don't say if there's going to be a war. They talk about when the war will come. It was a very intense experience.

Romania: Security/Russia. Democracy has been affected because Russia has sponsored candidates and TikTok profiles and influenced voters with algorithms.

Slovenia: Cohesion. A national affiliation that means a lot to their identity.

Hungary: Cohesion. If you don’t play by the EU’s very basic rules, you shouldn’t be able to draw on the community either. That principle applies to all countries.

Croatia: Enlargement. Western Balkans means a lot here. The US is leaving the Balkans closing USAID, creating a vacuum and the risk that Russia will fill it. That is the EU case for a strong role and work for enlargement in the Balkans.

Malta: Migration.

Slovakia: Cohesion. Respect for the rule of law.

Ireland: Climate. Energy and regional development.

Bulgaria: Security. Weapons production in Bulgaria is of great importance for Europe.

Austria: Competitiveness. Too cumbersome reporting requirements.

Luxembourg: Green transition. Top priority for the Luxembourgers.

Belgium: Economy. They want Denmark to take leadership in that field - also in European politics.