Denmark’s EU presidency is likely to prioritise reinforcing the bloc’s security capabilities, accelerating decarbonisation, and addressing migration challenges amid growing geopolitical uncertainties.
Image Source: Thierry Monasse/ via Getty Images
On 1 July 2025, Denmark took over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) from Poland. This will be the eighth time that Denmark holds the presidency, the last being in 2012.
After the ‘Security, Europe!’ theme from Poland’s presidency, which tackled security as a multi-dimensional concept, the Danish presidency has adopted the motto ‘A Strong Europe in a Changing World’ — as it prepares to navigate a backdrop of rising economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The Danish presidency is part of the current trio comprising Poland, Denmark, and Cyprus, which is working together to set the EU’s strategic direction and policy agenda.
Security, competitiveness, and decarbonisation comprise the overarching priorities in the Danish presidency programme.
Continuing the momentum from the Polish presidency, security and defence are high on the Danish agenda, which is focused on strengthening the defence industry, furthering joint procurement, and developing capabilities by implementing the initiatives adopted as part of the ReArm Europe plan and the White Paper for European Defence - Readiness 2030. The programme asserts, “By 2030, the EU must be able to defend itself” and do so “in complementarity with NATO”. Rather than putting forward new proposals, it is likely that Denmark will focus on the implementation of initiatives already adopted by the European Commission, and conclude negotiations with the European Parliament on the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP). Denmark itself currently spends around 2.4 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence.
EU enlargement is another key priority, and Denmark hopes to further accession negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans.
As the transatlantic partnership undergoes a fundamental restructuring, Copenhagen also grapples with US President Donald Trump’s threats to annexe Greenland, Denmark’s autonomous territory. Although Denmark’s Ambassador to the EU, Carsten Grønbech-Jensen, clarified that this issue would remain outside the presidency's ambit, Trump’s aggressive posturing and Russia’s war against Ukraine have resulted in a markedly pro-EU shift in Danish attitudes away from their historic Euroscepticism. Just last month, to adapt to new realities in favour of rearming Europe, Denmark quit the so-called “Frugal Four” grouping created in 2020 to keep common spending in check.
EU enlargement is another key priority, and Denmark hopes to further accession negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans. Copenhagen also aims to continue supporting Ukraine while maintaining sanctions against Russia. Passing the 18th package of sanctions, currently opposed by Hungary and Slovakia, will be an important goal.
The bloc’s green transition and climate action will remain a key focus, reinforcing Denmark’s capabilities and leadership in green tech and environmental innovation. In the lead-up to the COP30 conference scheduled for November this year, agreeing on the bloc’s 2040 climate target will remain central to facilitating the EU’s path to climate neutrality by 2050.
In the lead-up to the COP30 conference scheduled for November this year, agreeing on the bloc’s 2040 climate target will remain central to facilitating the EU’s path to climate neutrality by 2050.
The previous Polish presidency, while achieving many successes on the security front, was ambiguous on decarbonisation goals. Yet even for Denmark, getting member states on board may pose challenges, particularly given the demands to factor in emissions reduction projects in third countries into the EU target. The focus on phasing out Russian energy imports through the Commission’s RePower EU plan may also face ongoing pushback from countries like Hungary that remain dependent on the same. Further, in addition to implementing the Clean Industrial Deal and balancing both decarbonisation and competitiveness goals, Copenhagen’s presidency also aims to launch negotiations on an “Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act".
The EU presidency is a chance for member states to also push forward national agendas at the EU level. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen perceives immigration and its related security risks as a top challenge and has adopted a strict approach to deal with this issue at home. Copenhagen’s presidency is likely to extrapolate this approach to the EU level by tackling migration through cooperation with third countries and externalising asylum processes, stricter border controls and rules for asylum seekers, and devising “new and innovative ways to control irregular migration” into the EU. In May, Denmark was among nine countries to call for a revised interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to migrant protections, driven in part by the dramatic increase in the number of inhabitants of foreign origin in Denmark from 3.3 percent in 1985 to 16.3 percent in 2025.
The Danish presidency also intends to push ahead with the EU focus on strengthening economic resilience and competitiveness through the Commission’s Competitiveness Compass and other tools. This will be complemented by reducing bureaucracy and regulation through Omnibus packages aimed at simplification in areas such as sustainability reporting.
With regards to the Indo-Pacific, it specifically mentions “an ambitious strategic agenda for EU-India relations, with a potential EU-India Summit in 2025 serving as an important milestone”.
In the context of geo-economic fragmentation, the Danish programme emphasises deepening partnerships with third countries, including those in the Gulf, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. With regards to the Indo-Pacific, it specifically mentions “an ambitious strategic agenda for EU-India relations, with a potential EU-India Summit in 2025 serving as an important milestone”. At the same time, the programme also reiterates the need for the EU to “defend itself against unfair trade practices, dumping, and economic coercion from other actors”.
As the EU continues to navigate a complex global landscape, maintaining cohesion among its 27 member states will be central to the implementation of presidency priorities.
Shairee Malhotra is the Deputy Director of the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation.
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Shairee Malhotra is Deputy Director - Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation. Her areas of work include Indian foreign policy with a focus on ...
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