The Danish Unity Party adopts changes to the party’s defense and security policy

A majority at the annual meeting of the Danish Unity Party supports a proposal from the executive board that has met with criticism.

The Unity Party has decided on Sunday to change its defense and security policy.

This is clear after a debate lasting almost three and a half hours, followed by a vote at the party’s annual meeting in Hafnia-Hallen in Valby.

A majority of the party’s executive committee had proposed changing the policy so that the party would, among other things, have a strong territorial defense that can defend the realm and Denmark’s allies.

The proposal was adopted with 250 votes in favor, 101 votes against, while 14 abstained.

Critics in the party fear that the proposal could trigger an ‘armament spiral’ worth many billions of kroner and result in welfare in Denmark being weakened.

Previously, the main board’s proposal had received more votes than an amendment proposed by 41 members from the party’s backbenches, who wanted less support for military buildup.

In keeping with the rarely failing spirit of the Red-Green Alliance members, no fewer than 96 amendments to the main board’s proposal were submitted.

Former member of parliament Finn Sørensen from the main board actually got it to 97.

“It is simply naive to believe that it does not affect welfare,” said Helge Bo Jensen, a member of the municipal council in Albertslund Municipality.

He was among the 41 who had submitted an amendment that was very specifically directed against the main board’s proposal.

The amendment was entitled ‘Peace and security policy without imperialism and armament’.

»Not a blank check for armaments«

“How can we effectively combat the fact that it becomes a colossal crisis for the welfare of this country when we say yes to armaments without any specific limits,” asked Helge Bo Jensen.

He received a response to the accusation from Finn Sørensen.

“No, the central board’s proposal is not a blank check for unrestrained armament,” he said.

“It is directly stated in the main board’s proposal that we reject NATO’s and Mette Frederiksen’s percentage calculation. We are precisely pointing out the danger of an arms race, and we do not want to be part of the defense agreement, where you lose the right to say stop,” said Finn Sørensen.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) has supported the idea that NATO countries will in future have to spend up to five percent of their gross domestic product on defense and security.

3.5 percent is expected to be spent specifically on military equipment, while the remaining 1.5 percent can be spent on defense and security-related things such as cybersecurity.

There was a clear pattern in the debate. While a number of people from the Green Party’s backbenches criticized the main board’s proposal, politically influential members of the parliamentary group took to the podium one by one to give their support.

This included Peder Hvelplund and Rosa Lund, among others, and they were supplemented by the Red-Green Alliance’s member of the EU Parliament, Per Clausen, and candidate for mayor of Copenhagen Line Barfod.

»Elastik i metermål«

However, there was also resistance from several members of the 25-person main board, including some of those who were not co-sponsors of the amendment.

“It’s elastic in meters,” said executive board member David Rønne, who, like others, believed that it was too vague how many billion kroner the Unity Party risked committing to spend on defense if the proposal was adopted.

Other critics asked whether the central board really expected Denmark to be able to defend all of Greenland, the world’s largest island, if, for example, the United States took the threats to occupy the country seriously.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Unity Party has undergone a major transformation when it comes to the party’s defense and security policy.

The Unity Party’s principle program was revised two years ago, so that the party no longer advocated disbanding the military. At the same time, the party dropped its desire for Denmark to leave both the EU and NATO right now.

Just like Sunday, it happened after an extensive internal debate in the party.

The annual meeting of the Red Unity Party ends on Monday.

/ritzau/

ritzau