PM: Denmark no longer sees itself as part of EU’s “Frugal Four”

Denmark no longer sees itself as part of the EU’s “Frugal Four,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced, signalling a shift in the country’s budgetary stance amid growing security and geopolitical concerns.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Copenhagen with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Frederiksen said the global landscape had changed significantly, and Europe must now prioritise rearmament and resilience over fiscal austerity, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Frederiksen said that in the past, Denmark had played a leading role in the Frugal Four, but in the future, it would take a leading role in another group because the situation had changed. She added that the world was changing rapidly and that they must find the right answers to the challenges they faced.

She emphasized that her top priority was rearming Europe, stating that this was her first and final argument in any discussion, and warned that if Europe could not defend itself, it would eventually be game over. The Frugal Four — Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, and Sweden — formed an informal alliance in 2020 to oppose large-scale increases in EU spending, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bloc was seen as a counterweight to more fiscally expansionary member states pushing for increased common borrowing and collective support measures. Frederiksen’s remarks mark a significant departure from that coalition’s position, coming just weeks before Denmark assumes the rotating presidency of the EU Council on July 1. She noted that the next term will be critical, as the EU faces “the most serious challenges in decades,” including the war in Ukraine, heightened geopolitical instability, migration, climate change, and intensifying global economic competition. Frederiksen also made the case for overhauling the EU budget to better reflect new strategic priorities.

She said that when discussing the budget, greater flexibility was needed, but first and foremost, the budget should align with the priorities of the Council, the European Parliament, and EU leadership. She added that as Danes, they would always be tough in budget negotiations and did not want to spend money on things Europe did not need. However, she noted that remaining in the Frugal Four was no longer the right position for Denmark. Frederiksen linked this budgetary pivot directly to growing threats from Russia and a rapidly deteriorating security environment, stating that Europe must act decisively to protect itself and its values.

By Naila Huseynova