Denmark to boost defence spending and phase out Russian gas & More News Here

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen holds a information convention in Copenhagen, Denmark March 6, 2022. PM Frederiksen introduced Sunday night that Denmark is to maintain a referendum on its EU defence opt-out on June 1. Ritzau Scanpix/Emil Helms through REUTERS

COPENHAGEN, March 6 (Reuters) – Denmark will considerably improve its defence funds and goal to develop into unbiased of Russian pure gas in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen mentioned on Sunday.

The Nordic nation will improve its defence spending steadily to attain 2% of GDP by 2033, equal to a rise in annual defence spending of round 18 billion Danish crowns ($2.65 billion) beneath an settlement between the primary parliamentary events.

The events additionally agreed to put aside 7 billion crowns over the subsequent two years to strengthen Danish defence, diplomacy and humanitarian efforts.

“Historic times call for historic decisions,” Frederiksen mentioned at a press briefing in Copenhagen, including that this was “the largest investment in Danish defence in recent times”.

Denmark, a NATO member, agreed in 2019 to improve army spending from 1.35% of its financial output to 1.5% by 2023, however had been beneath strain from the United States to attain the NATO goal of two%.

Germany mentioned final week that it might sharply improve its spending on defence to greater than 2% of GDP and shortly scale back its dependence on Russian power. learn extra

“Putin’s pointless and brutal attack on Ukraine has heralded a new era in Europe, a new reality,” Frederiksen mentioned.

“Ukraine’s struggle is not just Ukraine’s, it’s a test of strength for everything we believe in, our values, democracy, human rights, peace and freedom.”

To accommodate larger defence spending, Denmark’s present funds restrictions will probably be eased, and the deficit will flip unfavourable after 2025.

Frederiksen mentioned the primary parliamentary events had agreed that Denmark ought to develop into unbiased of Russian gas “as soon as possible”, though no timeframe was stipulated.

They additionally agreed {that a} referendum must be held on June 1 on whether or not to take part within the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), nearly 30 years after Danes selected to decide out.

Participating within the CSDP would allow Denmark to participate in joint EU army operations and to cooperate on growth and acquisition of army capabilities inside the EU framework.

Denmark gained exemptions from some EU coverage areas, together with the euro foreign money and defence and safety coverage, in a 1992 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty that laid the groundwork for the fashionable European Union.
($1 = 6.8038 Danish crowns)

Reporting by Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Stine Jacobsen; writing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Kevin Liffey

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

I’ve tried to give every kind of stories to all of you latest news today 2022 via this web site and you’re going to like all this information very a lot as a result of all of the information we all the time give on this information is all the time there. It is on trending subject and regardless of the newest information was

it was all the time our effort to attain you that you simply preserve getting the most recent information and you all the time preserve getting the knowledge of stories via us totally free and additionally inform you individuals. Give that no matter data associated to different sorts of information will probably be

made out there to all of you so that you’re all the time related with the information, keep forward within the matter and preserve getting today news all sorts of information totally free until at the moment so to get the information by getting it. Always take two steps ahead