On June 1, local time, Denmark held a referendum to join the Common European Defense Mechanism. This means a major shift in the Nordic country's defense policy stance over the past 30 years.
The final vote count released by the Danish Election Commission on the same day showed that about 67% of Danish voters voted in favor of joining the Common European Defense Mechanism, while about 33% of voters opposed. Danish Prime Minister Fraser Rixen said after the vote on the same day that he believes that this decision is correct for Europe and Denmark.
Danish Prime Minister Mete Fraser Rickson said: "Today the vast majority of Danes vote in favour of joining the Common European Defence Mechanism, which means that Denmark can now participate in European defense and security cooperation. For that, I am very happy. ”
It is understood that about 4.3 million people took part in the vote that day, and many voters said the referendum was of great significance to Denmark.
Copenhagen resident Stensgaer said: "I think this kind of vote, more important than ever, especially during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, shows whether you want to join [the common European defense mechanism]. ”
Johnson, a Copenhagen resident, said: "This is an important vote, it is not only about the sovereignty of the Danish people, but also about the future of Denmark, how to view and use military power." ”
Due to historical factors, since the official establishment of the EU, Denmark has been a member of some of the EU's core mechanisms. Under current policy, Denmark may not implement the defense-related decisions of the EU's foreign policy and will not send troops to participate in EU military operations.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Danish government made a referendum decision, while also announcing plans to increase defense spending as a share of GDP to 2% by 2033 to meet NATO's demands on member states. However, a small number of "Eurosceptic" parties believe that Denmark would prefer to rely on nato's collective defense mechanism in defense in accordance with tradition and rely solely on NATO' collective defense mechanism, rather than relying more on the EU.
(Editor: Yin Zi)