The Danish People’s Party says that it will not accept a further DKK700million in defence cuts during the course of the current political Defence Pact, inferring that the recent political Tax Agreement could be in danger.

Under the Tax Pact, the government envisages cuts of DKK2.7billion in the defence budget, while the Defence Pact speaks of DKK2billion in cuts up to 2014.

“There is no reason to close barracks and remove the rest of national service and we plan to stand firm during the current agreement period,” DPP Spokesman Kristian Thulesen Dahl tells Politiken.

“Nonsense. Kristian Thulesen Dahl and the Danish People’s Party have not understood how an agreement is made. There will be no problem in finding funds from the defence in connection with the Tax Pact,” says Social Democratic Tax Spokesman John Dyrby Paulsen.

He adds that a new defence pact will be entered into covering 2015 and years after that.

“That will include savings of DKK2.7billion. That is something the Tax Pact partners have agreed to, and that is what will happen,” Dyrby Paulsen says, adding that the pact does not envisage the savings being introduced before 2015.

Defence Pact parties are due to meet this autumn to discuss defence savings and when to introduce them.

“The DPP is party to those discussions, but with these statements it seems that the party has excluded itself from the discussions about 2015 and ahead,” Dyrby Paulsen says.

FACEBOOK – Follow Politiken’s News in English