Aarhus, DENMARK – As Denmark took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union this month, top politicians from the EU reinforced the need for a stronger European defense and better support for Ukraine.
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Denmark officially took over the presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1 with the motto, “Creating a Stronger Europe in a Changing World.”
The Council is an EU institution responsible for passing legislation together with the European Parliament.
At the official opening July 3, commissioners along with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Danish Government came together to officially open the presidency.
During the entire day the overarching message was to create a stronger, self-standing Europe.
Russia is not going to stop the war on Ukraine, so Europe needs to weaken Russia’s economy by placing more sanctions on it, said Frederiksen at a press briefing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Council President António Costa held an unplanned meeting with von der Leyen and Frederiksen to discuss how to best support Ukraine and its path to becoming a member of the EU.
Their meeting took place at Marselisborg Castle, the royal residence in Aarhus.
Denmark’s King Frederik received Zelenskyy for an audience, according to a press release from the prime minister’s office.
The EU is buying weapons for Ukraine with the windfall profits from old Russian military equipment, von der Leyen said at a press briefing at the castle.
Member states will also be able to use Security Action for Europe, or SAFE, a financial aid loan proposed by the European Commission for member states to use to invest in defense, to help invest in weapon manufacturing in their countries to create weapons for Ukraine, said von der Leyen.
The EU will be sending 2 million shells to Ukraine by the end of the year said von der Leyen.
Seeking EU membership, Ukraine first sent a formal application in 2022 and is now at a point where it is able to begin having accession talks.
Von der Leyen, Frederiksen and Costa agree that Ukraine is part of the EU family and deserves to become a member state in the EU.
Europe needs to become stronger in trade and to continue to try to make trade agreements with, for example, the United States and India while still creating the best for the EU, von der Leyen said.
Frederiksen said migrants who come to Europe to commit crimes and do not follow “our values” are not welcome and should be expelled.
In March, the European Commission proposed a new law that would allow member states to send asylum seekers to non-EU countries that respect international human rights standards in accordance with international law, according to a press release from the European Commission.
This would only be possible when all legal avenues to obtain international protection have been exhausted and the person has been given a definitive return order, the European Commission said.
Frederiksen, who leads the Social Democrats – Denmark’s left-wing majority party – also mentioned creating overseas asylum return centers to send back migrants.
The day featured different visits and events for the visitors including a visit to Aros, a modern art museum in Aarhus. The day finished with a dinner at the Aarhus City Hall.
Noah Haynes is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
