Denmark at the helm of the EU Council is the perfect backing for von der Leyen’s proposed clampdown on migrants

Brussels – From the port of Aarhus, the city of smiles, Ursula von der Leyen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen are launching a tough crusade against irregular immigration. The timing is perfect: Denmark will lead the negotiations between the member states on the proposals put on the table by the European Commission this spring, from the return regulation to the revision of the safe third country concept. 

“We are paying the consequences of uncontrolled migration in our societies,” said the Social Democratic leader on the occasion of the customary visit of the College of Commissioners to the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Together with defence and support for Ukraine, Copenhagen included migration in the priorities of its six-month leadership. Frederiksen and von der Leyen, along with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are among the strongest advocates of so-called “innovative solutions” to stop the flow of migrants to Europe, even at the cost of dismantling the asylum system and the rights it has guaranteed so far.

A “failed” system, the Danish prime minister stated bluntly. Because “right now it is the unscrupulous traffickers who have the power to decide who can and cannot enter” Europe. In a very harsh speech, Frederiksen explained that “people who come from outside, commit serious crimes and do not respect our way of life, have no place in Europe and must be deported.” Denmark and Italy lead a handful of countries  questioning the European Convention on Human Rights, whose overly strict provisions would prevent governments from expelling foreign nationals who are criminals. 

“We need new solutions that reduce the influx of migrants into Europe,” Frederiksen continued. Precisely those that the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, has put on the table in recent months, and on which Copenhagen now wants to move forward quickly. These are the proposed return regulation, the list of safe countries of origin for accelerated asylum procedures, and the revision of the safe third country concept. Three “concrete proposals that could open the way for return centres and asylum procedures outside the EU,” Frederiksen emphasised. In her view, “an important step in the right direction.” 

The ideal backing for von der Leyen, who confirmed: “Under your presidency, we will be able to make progress on repatriation, countries of origin, and safe third countries.” At the same time, the files in the European Parliament could also proceed without any particular hiccups. The numbers are there, all it takes is for the People’s Party to set aside its alliance with the Socialists and Liberals and turn to the extreme right-wing parties, which have been insisting for years on a hard punch on irregular immigration.