Is Denmark's line too lax? Or is it far too harsh? Danish politicians are deeply divided on this question after approximately 60,000...
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Social Democrats) and Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, demanded immediate action on Saturday in a joint letter to the European Commission and the Irish EU Presidency.
The letter was signed by 20 other member states, which, among other things, demanded that the Irish Presidency convene an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers. The meeting will take place tomorrow, Tuesday.
The letter and the reaction from Mette Frederiksen's side have sparked great debate among Danish politicians, who are far from agreeing on what the correct response would have been.
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'A very, very violent reaction'
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It creates unnecessary division in the EU when such a letter is sent out by a number of EU countries. That is the opinion of Enhedslisten's Per Clausen, who sits in the European Parliament.
- I think it is stupid, and I also think it is dangerous if you hold the view that you are genuinely interested in Denmark's security, he says.
It puts unnecessary pressure on Spain when Mette Frederiksen joins forces with Meloni and demands action, believes Per Clausen (EL).
He adds that it could be directly dangerous for Denmark and Greenland, as Spain has repeatedly expressed its support and solidarity (https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-14/spanish-foreign-minister-jose-manuel-albares-if-steps-are-taken-in-venezuela-it-is-logical-that-eu-sanctions-will-disappear.html) in connection with the US threats against Greenland.
- Now we instead have this race about who can say the strongest things the fastest, and where you can easily get the impression that Mette Frederiksen thinks she has to match Morten Messerschmidt. And then it can only end badly, says Per Clausen.
Per Clausen (EL) thunders against Mette Frederiksen's open letter to the EU Commission, which was written in collaboration with Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. (Photo: © Thomas Sjørup, Ritzau Scanpix)
But is there not a need, in a situation like this, Per Clausen, to stop the bleeding before you start looking more closely at what caused the situation?
- Well, one can discuss whether there was any bleeding. I mean, Mette Frederiksen must have known, or someone in the Prime Minister's Office must have known, that the probability of anyone coming from Ceuta to the EU itself was very small, because Ceuta is actually not part of the Schengen Agreement, responds Per Clausen (EL) and continues:
- So therefore it seems like a very, very violent reaction at a time when most people who looked into the matter would know that probably nothing serious would happen.
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What is the Schengen cooperation?
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The Schengen cooperation is a collaboration between a number of European countries to create a common area without internal borders. This means that, as a rule, there is no person control at the countries' internal borders and thus free movement between the countries.
Since Ceuta is a Spanish exclave and autonomous city, different rules apply for the Schengen cooperation (https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/Comunicacion/Exteriores-explica/Paginas/2026_Articulos/Ceuta,-Melilla.aspx). For example, a passport must be shown at the border to Ceuta. This also applies to the other Spanish exclave near Morocco, Melilla.
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'That is not taking action'
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On the other side of the political spectrum, Dansk Folkeparti's spokesperson for immigration and integration, Mikkel Bjørn (DF), believes that the Prime Minister has not taken any action at all.
- We are forced to send a very strong signal from the EU's side to Spain and other countries that might have similar thoughts, that it is completely unacceptable to subject the rest of Europe to the irresponsibility of a single country's immigration policy, he says.
In a post on X (https://x.com/GiorgiaMeloni/status/2083245126122422697), Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, wrote on Friday that Italy has now suspended Spain from the Schengen cooperation. A maneuver that Mikkel Bjørn (DF) views positively.
- Italy has acted in a timely manner and has exercised due diligence by suspending the Schengen cooperation towards Spain, he says.
Dansk Folkeparti's Mikkel Bjørn (DF) believes that Mette Frederiksen should suspend Spain from the Schengen cooperation. (Photo: © Sebastian Elias Uth, Ritzau Scanpix)
After that statement, Mikkel Bjørn's party leader, Morten Messerschmidt (DF), made it clear that he expects Mette Frederiksen to follow suit on Meloni's reaction. And the Prime Minister does not rule that out.
- These are violent images from Ceuta. We will not accept a repeat of 2015. It goes without saying that the EU must immediately take all necessary steps and consider all possibilities, including a suspension of the Schengen cooperation, she writes in a message to DR (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/morten-messerschmidt-stiller-ultimatum-til-mette-frederiksen).
But still, Mikkel Bjørn thinks the line is too soft.
Why do you still think she is not taking a hard enough stance?
- It is not taking action to make a statement in a press release and say that this is potentially also something we should consider in Denmark. Taking action means suspending the cooperation. That is what has been done from the Italian side. We cannot subject Denmark to the irresponsibility of a far-left extremist Spanish government's immigration policy, he says.
The Social Democrats' spokesperson for immigration and integration, Thomas Skriver Jensen (S), however, thinks that Mette Frederiksen has taken a sufficiently hard stance by sending a joint letter with Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.
Dansk Folkeparti asks, why in the world doesn't Mette Frederiksen go all the way and do the same as Italy's Meloni?
- They have summoned European heads of state to a meeting, which will take place tomorrow, where we will find out how we ensure that the EU's external border remains strong. Action must be taken, and I think the Prime Minister is doing that by standing together with Meloni, says Thomas Skriver Jensen.
The parties at Christiansborg will have ample opportunity to discuss Denmark's position regarding last week's incident in Ceuta when they are to attend an emergency meeting in the Folketing chamber. DR's political correspondent, Christine Cordsen, expects that it will probably be Wednesday, August 12, when the parties are anyway to process a number of laws.
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