The entire Commission has been in Denmark to meet with the Danish Government and discuss cooperation over the next six months. Yesterday, we were also invited to the official inauguration of the Presidency, which was celebrated with a concert in the new Copenhagen concert hall. Besides the Commission, the outgoing Council President Donald Tusk, the President of Cyprus (Cyprus takes over July 1st) and the European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek were also present.
The Danish Government takes over at a difficult time and, of course, the priority is to handle the economic crisis. But they also want to focus on growth issues, including green growth. This is extremely important. We will never get Europe back on its feet if we do not concentrate on growth.
We also had time to split into small groups to have some very rewarding discussions. This morning I met with Morten Bödskov, who, as Danish Interior Minister, will be my counterpart for the next six months. We have already met several times. His priorities are the Asylum Package and Schengen, and I look forward to working with him. The visit ended with lunch at Amalienborg with the Danish Queen and Prince.
Today in the Hague, Europol publicised great success in dismantling an amphetamine network operating in countries such as Sweden, Germany and Bulgaria. Thanks to police cooperation across borders, assisted by Europol, nine people have been arrested. Three sites for amphetamine production have been shut down in Bulgaria and weapons, ammunition and explosives have been seized. And more than one hundred kilograms of amphetamines have now been removed from the black market. It’s a great day for our European police cooperation. For those interested in learning more about amphetamine use in Europe, there is an interesting EU report published before Christmas.
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