Denmark quits the Frugal Four to focus on rearming Europe
Denmark has quit the so-called Frugal Four to embrace instead a "more flexible" attitude towards the European Union's seven-year budget, the country's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has said, insisting the imperative goal of rearming the bloc against Russia should take precedence over "all other priorities".
"As Danes, we will always be tough in the negotiations on the budget. We don't want money to be spent on (anything) that is not necessary for Europe. So we will be tough, but being a part of the Frugal Four is no longer the right place for us," Frederiksen said on Tuesday, speaking next to Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament.
"For me, the most important thing is to rearm Europe. That's my starting point, and that's my conclusion in all discussions. Because if Europe is not able to protect ourselves and to defend ourselves, then it's game over at some point," she went on.
"So rearming Europe is for me number one."
The Frugal Four was an informal group made up of the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Denmark during the bloc's budget talks in 2020. The fiscally conservative coalition, which at times was supported by Finland, pushed hard to keep common spending in check, opposing the expansionary vision espoused by France and the South.
The agreement depended on unanimity, meaning one "no" was enough to block it.
Pressure from the Frugal Four proved instrumental in reshaping the balance of the €750 billion COVID recovery fund, reducing the share of grants, which were paid collectively, and increasing the share of loans, paid back individually.
The group's behind-the-scenes manoeuvring was closely scrutinised by the media, further consolidating its name. Critics often accused them of being uncompromising and insensitive to the needs of countries worst hit by the pandemic.
Five years later, Brussels is gearing up for another all-out, protracted battle to approve the next common budget for the 2028-2034 period, with the European Commission expected to present the first proposal before the summer break.
Just don't count on Denmark to advocate the virtues of frugality, Frederiksen said.
"Last time, we had a leading role in the Frugal Four. Next time, we'll have a leading role in another group, because things have changed and the world is changing rapidly. And we have to find the right answers to all these challenges in front of us," she said.
The premier argued that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine had irreversibly transformed the financial equation and that, as a result, "all other priorities and all other principles" should be decided "after" the bloc settles its rearmament plan.
Last month, member states agreed on a €150-billion programme of low-interest loans to drastically boost military spending across the bloc. The plan, named SAFE, is the main element of a broader initiative, "Readiness 2030", to mobilise up to €800 billion.
"For me, the latest point will be 2030, and we are running out of time because of Russia's behaviour," she said, referring to an estimated date by which the Kremlin could have the necessary capabilities to attack a NATO country.
"Because of Russia's behaviour, because of all the threats against Europe and a very uncertain situation for Europe and a very insecure world, then we need a new budget."
Denmark is not alone in shifting its tone.
Finland and Sweden, which applied to join NATO after Russia launched its unprovoked war, have also softened their position towards the EU budget, urging the bloc to think bigger to boost defence investment and support for Kyiv.
The Netherlands, by contrast, has stood its ground to shoot down any idea of "Eurobonds" or common borrowing. Germany, which was not officially part of the Frugal Four but had similar views, has also ruled out permanent joint debt at the EU level.
Speaking on behalf of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola agreed with Frederiksen on the need to be flexible and agile, but stressed that one political priority must not come at the expense of other crucial financial envelopes.
"What we would not want is that we put everything in one or two programmes and forget everything else," Metsola said. "This is where we will need to come to a compromise."
Denmark will take over the six-month presidency of the EU Council on 1 July.
More false videos alleging criminality and health issues in Moldova and attributed to Euronews are circulating online, with some even being posted by accounts posing as Euronews staff.
One video claims that Moldova ranks first in the number of STD carriers in Europe, while others talk of waves of illegal immigration flowing from Moldova into the European Union, particularly Italy.
Rome has seen a rise in the number of criminal gangs making false documents for immigrants from Moldova, according to one of the fake videos.
All of them use Euronews' graphics and branding and many have been shared by accounts on TikTok and X purporting to be current or former Euronews journalists, including one which claims to be the channel's former CEO.
They've received thousands of views and likes as of the time of writing, but Euronews did not produce these videos. Our graphics and format were copied and used without our consent and our teams are working to ensure the video is removed from all social platforms.
The accounts posing as Euronews staff feature profile pictures that appear to be AI-generated. One supposedly belongs to a man called Brandon Goyce, who claims to be Euronews' former CEO.
However, no such person has ever served as the channel's CEO and online searches yield no trace of anyone who bears that name and works in the media.
Other profiles contain similar uncanny avatars and the same bio: #Euronews or #Euronews rep. They have also all only posted a single video each, all related to the same subject matter about Moldova and follow no other accounts.
The false videos and accounts appear to be part of the Matryoshka campaign, a coordinated pro-Russian operation known among fact-checkers for spreading false news reports stylised as material from international media outlets, academic institutions and government agencies.
The campaign often targets EU and NATO countries, as well as Ukraine, seemingly in an effort to weaken alliances and discredit Western democracies.
EuroVerify has already debunked other false videos attributed to Euronews as part of the disinformation campaign.
A fake video posted on Russian Telegram channels claimed that corruption had pushed Moldova to become one of the biggest black markets for arms sales. It also attributed a false quote to a Romanian minister.
Another alleged that Romania cautioned French authorities over interference in the Romanian presidential election runoff.
In both instances, Euronews and national authorities in France and Romania fully denounced the videos and their contents.
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