Denmark became the 27th member of the European Defence Agency (EDA) on 23 March 2023. The head of the agency, Josep Borrell, received the official notification of Denmark’s accession to the EDA from acting Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
This means that all EU member states are now members of the EDA. In addition, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine also participate in EDA projects. The EDA members themselves decide on the extent of participation in EDA activities.
Following a referendum in June 2022, Denmark has been participating in the Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union since 1 July 2022. This was followed by a parliamentary debate in the Danish Parliament (Folketing), after which accession to the EDA has now taken place.
Denmark’s participation in the EDA represents a significant strengthening of European defence co-operation and enables Denmark to participate fully in all of the agency’s projects, activities and working groups, the EDA stated.
“As head of the agency, I warmly welcome Denmark to the EDA, especially at a time when the EU is breaking new ground for defence co-operation with joint munitions procurement, capability development and innovation for the future,” said Borell.
“Today, the European Defence Agency is becoming a single entity,” added Jiří Šedivý, EDA Executive Director. “At a time when war has returned to Europe, defence co-operation is more important than ever.”
At the next meeting of the EDA Steering Committee in May, the Danish defence minister will meet his counterparts for the first time; the Danish Ministry of Defence will participate in all EDA meetings and forums from now on. Danish nationals can also apply for service positions in the EDA and Danish industry can participate in the EDA’s activities, such as in defence research and the Hub for Defence Innovation (HEDI).
Gerhard Heiming
