H.E. Mr. Lars Thuesen:

Yes, with pleasure. Of course, the Middle East will be one of our main foreign policy priorities but all have to recall that this kind of Presidency is different from those I participated in before. This is my fifth Danish Presidency. What has happened over the years, not least with the Lisbon treaty, is that it has not been a case of presidency of the European Council. Nowadays, the President of the European Council is former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa. In fact, we are not leading the European Council and that is a big difference. In my country’s view and that of Ireland, this is the right way to run the European Council. It is great to have some kind of continuity in the European Council and not to have a new country take over every six months, but that also means that when it comes to the European Council, we do not really have presidency. We are an individual member state. What I am saying also goes for the Foreign Affairs Council, where we now have a High Representative, Kaja Kallas, former Prime Minister of Estonia. In this regard, presidency has been delegated to an elected representative. That is just to give the context. When it comes to foreign relations, of course the Presidency plays a major role, because we have to tie the knot and co-ordinate with other councils.

To get back to the subject of the Middle East, what is important for us is that we try to maintain the unity of the EU. We have certain viewpoints, as do Ireland and basically all the other countries, when it comes to Israel, Gaza, Iran and the Middle East. It is not easy to achieve unanimity at the Council on these kinds of issues but it is a requirement. It is in the conclusions of the European Council, which every country has signed up to. This represents our aim. If we want to play a role – it is very difficult for the EU to play a major role when it comes to solving the conflicts in the Middle East – we have to do it together. If we send different signals from each country, including small and big states, and have different actions and so on, we are not presenting a united EU, which is necessary if we want to play a role in solving the conflicts.

When it comes to the association agreement, we are of course behind the European Council conclusions last week, and we take note of the report on Israel’s compliance or non-compliance with Article 2 of the agreement. We support the continuation of discussions and we understand that there are contacts with Israel on its interpretation of the report. We will get to the discussion but we are not at the point at this stage where we are going to take actions on the basis of the report. That is probably going to happen at the next European Council, in July.

There was a broad question on migration and Danish migration policy. Maybe before I answer, I will come back to the security part. As members probably know, Denmark had an opt-out from the defence and security policy of the EU. This followed the Danish note to the Maastricht treaty back in 1992. We do not have the opt-out any longer. We had a referendum two years ago and 60% of Danes voted in favour of getting rid of it. That means we can fully participate in the defence and security policy of the EU.

On migration, there is a lot of attention on Danish immigration policy. As in many member states, immigration has been a huge issue for many years. I can honestly say it has been a major political issue in Denmark for the past 20 years or so. Our starting point, of course, is that we want to help refugees – there is no doubt about it – but we also believe the current asylum system is broken. It allows migrant smugglers to make huge profits while people drown in the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas. This is simply not a sustainable system. We are advocates of the UN resettlement scheme and the orderly resettlement of those most in need, not those who can afford to pay the migrant smugglers. It is not always the most vulnerable refugees who make it to Europe. The more irregular migrants we need to handle on our borders, the fewer the number in acute and humanitarian circumstances we can help through the UN Refugee Agency. That is why we have taken a different approach during recent years. We have taken the agenda to the EU.

Let me say a few words on Danish immigration policy because I am aware that some of the members have expressed an interest in the issue. It has involved a long process, of more than 20 years, and various consecutive governments have focused on the issue. I am referring not only on the rights of migrants but also to their duties in Danish society. We believe the numbers matter. The Danish Government wants to control the inflow of migrants so we can maintain successful integration. It is crucial to the broader cohesion of Danish society.

There are three components that have been important over the years: temporary residence for refugees; effective return policies; and limited rights to extended reunification. It goes without saying that all the changes are in accordance with international conventions. This has been a part of Danish immigration policy in recent years.

With regard to migration at European level, the adoption of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in 2024 marked a major step forward in tackling shared challenges linked to irregular migration. The pact reinforces external borders and streamlines asylum procedures. Supporting member states in implementing the pact will be a central focus of the Danish Presidency, in line with the Commission’s implementation plan for the pact. We will also explore new solutions to break the incentive structures behind irregular migration and dangerous journeys to Europe.

This will include advancing negotiations on the proposals concerning amendment of the concept of safe third countries and the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level in the asylum procedure regulation.

Effective border control remains essential. The Presidency will continue efforts to strengthen the EU’s external borders and counter the threat of the instrumentalisation of migrants. Preventing and combating migrant smuggling, a serious cross-border challenge, is essential to dismantling the multibillion euro trafficking industry and addressing the incentives that fuel dangerous journeys to Europe. It is a priority for the Danish Presidency to advance negotiations of the regulation on combating migrant smuggling, as well as on the directive establishing minimum rules to prevent and combat migrant smuggling.

There are many other activities in this field but I will stop here. If I do not, it will take up the whole hour.