It is known that the Russia-Ukraine War, which began on February 24, 2022, led to radical changes in the European security architecture. One of the regions affected by this change has been Scandinavia. As a matter of fact, the Stockholm and Helsinki administrations have abandoned the neutrality policies they have been pursuing for many years and have applied to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
On the other hand, significant changes have begun to take place in Denmark regarding the country’s security policy. Prior to the start of the war, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on February 10, 2022, that they had begun negotiating a new defense treaty that would allow the deployment of United States (US) troops on Danish soil.
This is significant in that it shows the change in the security policy of Denmark,[1] which has not allowed foreign forces to deploy troops over the past 70 years. In this respect, there have been extremely important changes in Denmark’s security paradigm shortly before the war began.
Nevertheless, on March 6 Dec 2022, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that, according to an agreement between the political parties, Copenhagen will gradually increase its defense budget until it reaches 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2033 in line with the NATO target. Moreover, Frederiksen drew attention to the fact that energy policy is not only energy policy and emphasized that it is a security policy in a sense.[2]
In this context, Denmark reconsidered its security policy after the war and began to spend more money on the country’s defense. In other words, one of the most important consequences of the war for the Copenhagen administration is the increase in harmony with NATO.
However, after the war, serious changes also took place in Denmark’s energy policy. Until the war in Ukraine, Denmark carried out about 75% of its natural gas imports through a pipeline provided by Russia through Germany. On the other hand, the Copenhagen administration announced a “Renewable Development Program” in order to reduce its dependence on natural gas to Russia after the war. Within this framework, Denmark will strive to provide 97% of its electricity generation through renewable energy until 2035.[3] As can be understood, the Copenhagen administration has included energy in the scope of its security policy and has started to act accordingly.
On the other hand, as a result of the referendum held in Denmark on June 1, 2022, the Copenhagen administration has decided to join the common security and defense policies of the European Union (EU). Because 67% of the Danish people voted accordingly. Denmark, however, was the only EU member that had not been part of the union’s defence and security policy until then.[4]
Therefore, this is important in terms of showing the change and transformation in Denmark, which has been cold towards integrating more into the EU for many years. In other words, the war has led to the further integration of the country into the defense policy of both NATO and the EU.
On the other hand, the then Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov, who visited the United States on September 1, 2022, suggested that the new status quo formed after the war would lead NATO to focus on the “North” with an emphasis on the Arctic and the Baltic. In this context, Bodskov drew attention to the applications of Sweden and Finland for membership in NATO and thus emphasized that the “north” will gain importance in the alliance. Moreover, Bodskov stated that in addition to the tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea, the Arctic geography will turn into an area where more tension will be experienced in the future, and pointed out that Denmark will be at the center of this.[5]
As can be understood, cooperation between the Scandinavian countries occupies an important place in Denmark’s new security paradigm. In addition, the Copenhagen administration thinks that the “Arctic” will cause greater tensions between NATO and Russia in the future and therefore develops security policies that put itself at the center. Accordingly, it can be argued that Denmark will pursue more active policies within NATO in the future.
On the other hand, the Danish government’s desire to cancel one of the 11 public holidays in the country in December 2022 in order to increase defense spending has led to various controversies. In this context, the government wants the cancellation of the public holiday given on the Christian holiday “Great Prayer Day”, which dates back to the 17th century and falls on the fourth Friday after Easter. The Copenhagen administration wants to cancel the holiday and use this money to achieve the target of 2% of GDP in accordance with NATO criteria. Thus, Copenhagen wants to achieve this goal in 2030, before 2033. However, labour unions and clergy react strongly to this move of government.[6]
As can be seen, the war in Ukraine has even affected the social structure of Denmark. So much so that the Copenhagen administration is ready to give up the “one-day” public holiday in order to increase the defense budget and meet NATO’s GDP target of 2%.
Moreover, another issue that has recently come to the agenda in Denmark is related to the compulsory military service of women. In this context, the Danish Minister of Defence, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, stated on January 26, 2023, that the inclusion of women in the armed forces would help the country meet NATO requirements. As a matter of fact, women in the country can join the army voluntarily.[7] This is therefore noteworthy in that it shows how much of an impact the war has had on Denmark. Thus, the Copenhagen administration aims to include women in the new security paradigm that began to change with the Russia-Ukraine War.
In conclusion, after the Russia-Ukraine War, Copenhagen decided to increase its military expenditures to 2% of its GDP in accordance with NATO and proposed to make military service mandatory for women in the country. However, the Arctic and the Baltics have also become more important in Denmark’s security policy. Moreover, the country has started to implement policies that increase compliance with NATO and the EU in terms of defense. In this context, it can be argued that Denmark will start to assume more active roles in NATO in the future.
[1] “The Danish Government Has Used Fear of Russia’s Brutal War to Rush Through Major Policy Changes”, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, https://www.rosalux.eu/en/article/2130.the-danish-government-has-used-fear-of-russia-s-brutal-war-to-rush-through-major.html, (Date of Accession: 08.02.2023).
[2] “Denmark to Increase Defense Spending And Phase Out Russian Natural Gas”, Politico, https://www.politico.eu/article/denmark-to-increase-defense-budget-and-phase-out-on-russian-natural-gas/, (Date of Accession: 08.02.2023).
[3] “Denmark to Accelerate Renewable Power Development to Overcome Russian Gas Dependence”, Power Technology, https://www.power-technology.com/comment/denmark-renewable-russian-gas/, (Date of Accession: 08.02.2023).
[4] “Denmark to Join EU Defence Policy After Historic Vote”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/denmark-looks-set-join-eus-defence-policy-exit-poll-by-public-broadcaster-dr-2022-06-01/, (Date of Accession: 08.02.2023).
[5] “Danish Defense Minister: New Status Quo Will ‘Move NATO to the North,’ With Baltic Emphasis”, Breaking Defense, https://breakingdefense.com/2022/09/danish-defense-minister-new-status-quo-will-move-nato-to-the-north-with-baltic-emphasis/, (Date of Accession: 08.02.2023).
[6] “Danes ‘Furious’ Over Plan to Abolish Public Holiday to Fund Defence Budget”, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/26/danes-furious-over-plan-to-abolish-public-holiday-to-fund-defence-budget, (Date of Accession: 08.02.2023).
[7] “Denmark Proposes Making Military Service Compulsory for Women”, AA, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/denmark-proposes-making-military-service-compulsory-for-women/2798731, (Date of Accession: 08.02.2023).
