At a joint press conference with the Polish Minister for European Affairs, which took place in Brussels on December 16, 2011, the Danish Minister presented the priorities of the upcoming Danish EU Presidency, which begins on 1 January 2012.

The four priorities set out by the Danish Government for the EU Presidency are:

• A responsible Europe
• A dynamic Europe
• A green Europe
• A safe Europe

In connection with the presentation the Minister for European Affairs said:

“Parts of Europe have demonstrated economic irresponsibility, which has damaged our joint project. We need more responsibility in Europe. At the moment Europe is dealing with low growth rates and is dropping behind in global competitiveness. We must promote initiatives that can generate a more dynamic Europe. We are experiencing competition from other parts of the World for Europe’s lead position in promoting the environmental area and we must therefore advance the green agenda in Europe. Finally, globalization, the increasing pressure on EU borders from migration and international crime calls for an improved effort in order to keep Europe safe. The Danish Presidency will work hard to deliver concrete results in these areas and thereby contributing in bringing the European Union out of the economic crisis and into a future growth-track.”

During the meeting of the General Affairs Council, the Ministers discussed the Cohesion policy as the only item on the agenda.

In this connection the Minister for European Affairs said: ”The European Cohesion policy is a major and important subject for the Danish Presidency. The Cohesion policy must be modified, so that it can better contribute to creating jobs and growth in the whole of Europe. During our Presidency we want to promote this agenda as much as possible.”

The Presidency Programme for the Danish EU Presidency will be presented by the Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, in connection with the beginning of the Presidency in January.

Source: Press release eu2012.dk