Europaudvalget 2023-24
EUU Alm.del Bilag 505
Offentligt
Denmark’s priorities for the next European Commission
The EU is facing the greatest geopolitical challenges in the history of the Union, not least in light of
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. In an uncertain world, we need a strong and resolute EU
standing increasingly in its own right. A Union capable and willing of more – and a Union which can
quickly and effectively translate its visions into results to avoid losing its foothold in an intensified global
competition.
The EU must be more robust, more competitive and more capable of defending and promoting
European interests and positions of strength. The EU needs to be better equipped to address challenges
across EU Member States more effectively. Ambitious climate targets, significantly more renewable
energy and circular economy will contribute to ensuring the green transition, increased energy
independence and competitiveness. More strategic trade and industrial policies are needed to strengthen
the EU’s security of supply and geopolitical relevance. In the context of intensified strategic and
technological competition as well as the digital transition, the EU must be assertive and reduce critical
dependencies, develop its economic, industrial and technological base, protect critical infrastructure and
shape global norms and rules for emerging technologies. With regards to artificial intelligence and
quantum technologies, common EU rules as well as research and development projects are required to
support innovation in Europe while at the same time protecting citizens and ensuring responsible
development and use. Europe must strengthen democratic control of the services of the tech-industry so
it takes responsibility for the consequences of its business models for the safety and well-being of children
and young people. Free and fair movement within the European Union must be ensured based on decent
working conditions as well as respect for well-functioning labour market models. The EU needs strong
external borders and must work towards a new asylum system. The EU must use its economic strength,
diplomacy, capacity building and technical assistance to build reliable and long-term partnerships, in
particular with the Global South, to promote its interests globally.
Enlargement must make the EU stronger. Consequently, we must strengthen the EU’s competitiveness
and resilience
and
our ties with our neighbouring countries. We should not lower the bar for accession
but ensure the necessary support in order for countries to become ready for membership. The EU must
continue its political, financial, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine – in the long term and
across sectoral policies. At the same time, the EU must also prepare itself for enlargement. This will
require reforms and new thinking.
In an uncertain world, Denmark will work to strengthen the EU, both
externally
and
internally. Externally,
it is essential for the EU to strengthen its tools and its ability to use these tools strategically.
Internally,
the
EU must promote its competitiveness, develop its own capacities, maintain a sound economic policy and
become more robust and resilient, not least in order to be ready for enlargement.
 EUU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 505: Regeringens indspil til hovedprioriteter for en ny Kommission
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A stronger EU
externally
The EU must assume more responsibility for its own security and deepen cooperation within security and
defence policies, thereby strengthening European and transatlantic security.
The
resilience of the EU defence industry should be strengthened
by increasing production capacity through
long-term and strategic investments. To this end, Denmark supports the proposal to appoint a Commissioner
for Defence, responsible for inter alia strengthening the EU’s defence industry.
Cooperation with the Ukrainian defence industry must be reinforced with a particular focus on
integrating
Ukraine into EU defence-industrial programmes
such as EDF, EDIRPA and EDIP.
The EU’s geopolitical impact must be enhanced through equal partnerships, strategic trade policy and
increased coordination of EU policy tools.
The Commission's Global Gateway project on
green corridors for maritime transport,
supported by Denmark,
should be implemented with broad ownership across the Commission, Member States, the private sector and
partner countries.
The internal organisation of the Commission should support the coordination of internal and external policies,
including through the appointment of a
Commissioner for Global Gateway.
The EU's external borders must be reinforced while ensuring long-term solutions in neighbouring regions.
We should work towards a new European asylum system that ensures EU control with arrivals and removes
incentives for irregular migration.
The EU must strengthen cooperation with countries of origin and transit as well as develop
new partnerships
with third countries
in accordance with the EU's international commitments. Inspiration could be drawn from
the 1:1 model of the EU-Turkey Agreement as well as the EU's comprehensive partnership with Tunisia.
"Place
of safety arrangements"
where migrants rescued at sea can be brought to safety in third countries should
be established.
A stronger EU
internally
To bolster long-term competitiveness, including the EU’s role in the technologies of tomorrow, we must
reduce burdens and barriers for European businesses and increase access to green energy. EU decision-
making should be based on solid analyses, including more transparency about consequences and costs of
Union legislation.
EU industrial policy must rest on long-term and large-scale financing tools to mobilise private investments. The
Capital Markets Union must be deepened, and a
guarantee instrument through the EIB
should increase the
financing of green and innovative technologies such as wind, where appropriate, in cooperation with national
financing instruments.
The EU should promote
automatic business reporting
and make new EU legislation ”digital by default”.
Furthermore, an efficient use of the European Digital Identity Wallet could be expanded as a common solution
for digital identity across borders and sectoral legislation.
There is a need for increased attention to better regulation, impact assessments and implementation. A
dedicated Commissioner
is needed to ensure that Commission impact assessments thoroughly and consistently
assess the consequences of EU legislation for national budgets and businesses as well as socio-economic
consequences. At the same time, the EU must develop a
green calculator
to ensure that costs and consequences
of the green transition are better reflected.
An ambitious green transition will contribute to making the EU better positioned in strategic competition
with increased energy security as well as better growth opportunities for the EU’s industry.
An EU 2040 climate target of at least 90 percent should be achieved by modernising and strengthening the
climate policy architecture. An
EU emission trading system for agriculture
should be introduced together with
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a regulatory framework that promotes cost-effective reduction efforts as well as technology development, such
as CCS and green hydrogen.
The EU must engage massively in the
development of renewable energy at sea
and
strengthen European energy
infrastructure,
allowing the North Sea to become the green power plant of Europe. This will require, among
other things, joint EU investments in infrastructure.
The EU must adopt a
Circular Economy Act
based on a comprehensive revision of the Waste Framework
Directive.
A successful enlargement of the EU with continued support for ambitious and joint European solutions
requires stronger tools to safeguard cohesion, common values, democracy and respect for the rule of law.
Big tech should be obliged to take greater responsibility for the democratic dialogue online.
The link between the EU's fundamental values and principles and the EU budget should be strengthened and
apply to EU spending more broadly through the
use of the conditionality tools
built into NextGenerationEU.
The big tech industry must be made more responsible for protecting minors against exposure to harmful and
illegal content online. This requires stronger
enforcement and effective implementation of EU legislation
as well
as new initiatives, including
effective tools for age verification
to ensure that minors are only exposed to age-
appropriate content.