Today’s big topic: In 2015, Danes voted no. Now the government is opening the door to a referendum on the justice opt-out during this parliamentary term
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) does not rule out changing the agreements Denmark has today — a shift that could ultimately mean confronting another referendum on the justice and home affairs opt-out.
What’s happening?
The government opens the door to calling a referendum on Denmark’s justice opt-out during this parliamentary term.
In an interview with Politiken, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) points to wording in the government platform on cross-border crime stating that it should be examined »whether the Europol agreement is sufficient«.
»It’s based on the old parallel agreement, which I negotiated myself. Even when I negotiated it, I knew it risked becoming outdated over time as digital development moved on«, Løkke says, adding that there are »ideas in Europe about strengthening cross-border criminal cooperation within the supranational sphere«
The remarks came Friday afternoon as part of a wide-ranging interview with Lars Løkke Rasmussen after the formation of the government. In advance, Politiken had written, in a small catalogue of themes, asking how it squares that Denmark is described as a »core European country« when the Danish E.U. opt-outs are not mentioned.
Why it matters!
Unlike many other government platforms in recent times, the S-SF-M-R-government’s program has been scrubbed of language describing the United States as our »closest ally«. Now it simply says the United States is creating »uncertainty about cooperation, including in NATO«. Mr. Løkke compares the transatlantic relationship to a young person preparing to leave the nest:
»Europe’s emancipation process is a bit like teenagers and separating from their parents, and when do you move out. Here it’s important that there’s still a tether in those relationships while we do this.«
Where the superlatives about the transatlantic relationship have vanished, Nordic cooperation is described in warmer and more binding terms than before. The 62-year-old Løkke notes that Nordic cooperation in his own childhood with, for example, the Nordic Passport Union and agreements on mutual recognition of diplomas was »trendsetting« for integration across European borders.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– Conscripts are headed to Greenland: »The Danish military is expanding its capabilities«
On Tuesday, Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus said in a response to Parliament that Danish conscripts will be sent to Greenland: »With the new 11-month conscription term, conscripts are trained to be able to take part in the Armed Forces’ mission. The conscripts will be used for tasks that do not require longer specialist training«, it said. It went on to say that the deployment is happening, in part, »in accordance with the regular rotation of units assigned to carry out the mandated task of an increased presence in Greenland«. »It’s really a sign that the military is increasingly relying on conscripts to fill its assignments«. According to Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, it is not surprising: »It’s really a sign that the military is increasingly relying on conscripts to fill its assignments« he says.
– Electricity companies aren’t paying customers their money. Now their explanation is being punctured
When angry electricity customers this spring have faced an unprecedented hassle getting their money back from the maligned power companies Velkommen and Nettopower, the explanation has repeatedly been that the companies were in the process of switching IT systems. »Moving that many customers over is a big and complex task«, co-owner Lars Hein has told TV 2 and other media outlets since May. As a result, customers began showing up in person at the companies’ office on Amager to demand their money back. But Lars Hein’s explanation is now being punctured. At Cubs, the IT supplier behind the new system, the company rejects the idea that anything in its platform would prevent or delay refunds of customers’ credits.
– Politiken has a new culture editor
For long-time readers of Politiken, Lotte Folke Kaarsholm, the top editor in charge of opinion coverage, is a very familiar name and face. She will remain so going forward but in a very different role. Starting Aug. 1, Lotte Folke Kaarsholm will become Politiken’s culture editor, replacing Mette Davidsen-Nielsen, who earlier this year announced she would be stepping down from the post. »When society changes, we need art and culture to understand ourselves and the time we live in. While other media outlets have dialed back culture coverage and criticism, Politiken has always loved it and kept it alive, because Politiken knows how important it is. I look forward to helping create the place where culture’s most important works, artists, and ideas meet the public, and where the big cultural conversations take place«, Lotte Folke Kaarsholm says.
Talk of town: A Social Liberal figure worries about Danish-Chinese port cooperation that bypasses the ministryt
Søren Gade (V) is speaker of the Danish Parliament and chairman of the Port of Esbjerg. It is in the latter role that he is now drawing criticism from the Social Liberal Thomas Rohden.
Without the Foreign Ministry’s knowledge, a partnership agreement – a so-called memorandum of understanding – was signed in 2025 between the Port of Esbjerg and the Chinese port Ningbo Zhoushan Port on China’s east coast.
It was striking enough that in December 2025 – two months after the agreement was concluded – the Foreign Ministry sent a letter signed by Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) and addressed to Søren Gade (V), who, in addition to serving as Speaker of the Danish Parliament, is the chairman of the board of the Port of Esbjerg.
In the letter, Løkke expressed concern about »inappropriate and unintended consequences« of the agreement, which, the letter said, the Foreign Ministry stood ready to help ensure would not occur.
That the Foreign Ministry has felt compelled to contact Søren Gade is drawing criticism from Thomas Rohden, the political spokesman for Radikale Venstre and the former chairman of the Danish China-Critical Society.
»Entering into an agreement like this with a Chinese port without keeping the Foreign Ministry in the loop – and almost in a way that makes it look like you tried to run this agreement around the Foreign Ministry – that, I think, is very troubling and raises questions about Søren Gade’s judgment«.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.