site.btaBy 2030, Europe Should Be Able to Defend Itself on Its Own, Danish Ambassador Says

By 2030, Europe should be able to defend itself on its own, Danish Ambassador to Bulgaria Flemming Stender said on Thursday, presenting the priorities of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2025. He spoke during a joint meeting of the Foreign Policy Committee and the European Affairs Committee of the Bulgarian National Assembly.

On July 1, Denmark took over the rotating EU Council Presidency for the eighth time. It has set itself the goal that by the end of the year it should make progress in matters of security, defence, migration, enlargement and the common budget.
    
Ambassador Stender noted that the EU Council Presidency is always a very important job and responsibility. He said Europe should be stronger politically, economically and militarily. The EU needs to be able to cope with the challenges it faces, he stressed.

The diplomat spoke about the imperative to respond to any attack against Europe, ensure stability along the bloc’s external borders and fight disinformation and fake news effectively. According to him, current developments highlight the need for EU enlargement to be based on results and merits in line with the Copenhagen criteria. The Danish EU Presidency sets priority on Moldova, the Western Balkans and Ukraine in the enlargement process, he added.

The focus will be placed on economic security. European policy should remain open to the development of the market, Stender said, noting that breaking away from Russian energy remains a key objective. By 2050, Europe should be a climate-neutral continent, he said.

The programme of the Danish EU Presidency says that the EU should work with NATO to enhance security and defence. It stresses that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed the urgent need for accelerated development of European defence production and for deterrence of hybrid threats. Support for Kyiv is among the foremost priorities of the six-month Presidency, the programme says. It notes that today’s geopolitical challenges show the need for EU enlargement. This has particular relevance to Ukraine, which is why the Danish EU Presidency will work for considerable progress on that front, and also regarding Moldova and the Western Balkan countries. Denmark will strive for concord on the next EU budget, the programme says.