Kicking it off with defence and research at the ØresundOn 3 and 4 February 2025, Commissioner Piotr Serafin began his Tour d’Europe by taking part in several project visits and meetings between Denmark and Southern Sweden (Skåne). During the first leg of his Tour, the Commissioner could experience firsthand the crucial impact EU-funded projects have on the EU’s security as well as the importance of commonly funded research projects to drive science in the Union. Page contents Page contents Denmark------------------ In July 2025, Denmark took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Poland. What better way to kick off this Tour d’Europe ahead of this! Stop 1: Meetings with government representatives (3 February) Having an open and constructive dialogue with Member States is key to forming an EU Budget that considers national dimension and realities of all the 27 EU Countries. That is why Commissioner met with Members of the Danish Parliament (Folketing) who are part of the Europe Committee. They shared their aspirations regarding the future long-term EU budget, particularly on the topics of the climate and green deal, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), support to Ukraine, and border management. STOP 2: Meeting with Finance Minister (3 February) Commissioner Serafin then had a meeting with the Minister of Finance, Nicolai Wammen. The Commissioner stressed Denmark’s key role as incoming Presidency and the need for the next MFF to address major challenges. Key topics discussed included security and defence, support for Ukraine, competitiveness, the green transition, border management, CAP and cohesion reform, reducing administrative costs and modernising the budget. AI for defenceRobust and Light AM Components for Military Systems Documents:European Defence Fund AtLaSEuropean Defence Fund Factsheet Stop 3: Visiting EU-funded defence projects in Søborg (3 February) Later in the day, Commissioner Serafin, along with the Minister for Europe, Marie Bjerre, visited “Terma” and attended a presentation of 5 projects funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF) or the European Defence Industrial Development Program (EDIDP). With the help of EU funding, European companies, including SMEs, play a crucial role in developing the next generation of European defence capabilities and ensuring Europe’s safety from outside threats. From making use of AI for defence purposes to developing the material needed for defence systems of the future, Europe needs its industry to drive innovation and keep our industry competitive. The representatives of these different projects gave positive feedback on the EU funding. They saw the added value of the support by the EU budget in building networks with partners in the European industry. However, they communicated that the application procedure for EU funds and the set-up of the grant agreement as well as reporting should be simplified. STOP 4: Dinner with the Danish Chamber of Commerce In the evening, the Commissioner attended a dinner hosted by the Danish Chamber of Commerce. It was an open and frank discussion, in which participants expressed their concerns regarding global competitiveness, and called for a “budget for hope and opportunity”. Stop 5: Day 2 in Copenhagen (4 February) Before leaving Denmark and travelling to Sweden, Commissioner Serafin also met with the Minister for the Economy, Stephanie Lose. She advocated for a simpler access to EU funding for companies, and the need to unlock the potential of the budget by leveraging institutional (e.g. EIB, EIF) and private capital.Commissioner then met with Jeppe Tranholm Mikkelsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to discuss various topics relating to EU affairs.Afterwards, Commissioner Serafin joined a roundtable with several Danish media representatives to explain the budget process. The Commissioner underlined the importance of the EU budget to Denmark and the economy, as well as the need to keep working together to ensure that the budget is put to effective use in the country. Sweden------------------ To conclude the first leg of his Tour d’Europe, Commissioner Serafin crossed the Øresund strait to visit the European Spallation Source (ESS) and learn about how EU funding enables scientific breakthroughs. Stop 6: Seeing the world’s most powerful neutron source in action in Lund (4 February) The EU is a global leader in research and innovation. To ensure that the EU retains that status, EU funding has for decades been playing an instrumental role. The European Spallation Source is a prime example of this.It is a multi-disciplinary research facility based on a powerful neutron source. Their vision is to build and operate the world’s most powerful accelerator-based neutron source, enabling scientific breakthroughs in research related to materials, energy, health and the environment, and addressing some of the most important societal challenges of our time.This visit demonstrated how important European cooperation is to build big European research infrastructures. Europe has the lead on neutron science but there are important “competitors” in the World. The project director highlighted that decision-making needs to be faster when funding large projects such as this one. He also underlined that the support from the EU budget was a huge leverage power as it incentivizes other partners to engage with the project and facilitates networking. European Spallation Source STOP 7: Meeting with the Prime Minister of Denmark Following this fruitful discussion, the Commissioner had the pleasure of exchanging with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen. The discussion covered, among various subjects, the upcoming Danish Presidency of the Council, and the importance of competitiveness, security, and defence spending. https://x.com/Piotr_Serafin/status/1886812131095666781 https://x.com/Piotr_Serafin/status/1886879906833023135
Kicking it off with defence and research at the ØresundOn 3 and 4 February 2025, Commissioner Piotr Serafin began his Tour d’Europe by taking part in several project visits and meetings between Denmark and Southern Sweden (Skåne). During the first leg of his Tour, the Commissioner could experience firsthand the crucial impact EU-funded projects have on the EU’s security as well as the importance of commonly funded research projects to drive science in the Union.
In July 2025, Denmark took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from Poland. What better way to kick off this Tour d’Europe ahead of this!
Having an open and constructive dialogue with Member States is key to forming an EU Budget that considers national dimension and realities of all the 27 EU Countries. That is why Commissioner met with Members of the Danish Parliament (Folketing) who are part of the Europe Committee. They shared their aspirations regarding the future long-term EU budget, particularly on the topics of the climate and green deal, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), support to Ukraine, and border management.
In the evening, the Commissioner attended a dinner hosted by the Danish Chamber of Commerce. It was an open and frank discussion, in which participants expressed their concerns regarding global competitiveness, and called for a “budget for hope and opportunity”.
Before leaving Denmark and travelling to Sweden, Commissioner Serafin also met with the Minister for the Economy, Stephanie Lose. She advocated for a simpler access to EU funding for companies, and the need to unlock the potential of the budget by leveraging institutional (e.g. EIB, EIF) and private capital.Commissioner then met with Jeppe Tranholm Mikkelsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to discuss various topics relating to EU affairs.Afterwards, Commissioner Serafin joined a roundtable with several Danish media representatives to explain the budget process. The Commissioner underlined the importance of the EU budget to Denmark and the economy, as well as the need to keep working together to ensure that the budget is put to effective use in the country.
To conclude the first leg of his Tour d’Europe, Commissioner Serafin crossed the Øresund strait to visit the European Spallation Source (ESS) and learn about how EU funding enables scientific breakthroughs.
Following this fruitful discussion, the Commissioner had the pleasure of exchanging with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen. The discussion covered, among various subjects, the upcoming Danish Presidency of the Council, and the importance of competitiveness, security, and defence spending.
