BRUSSELS: Denmark wants to stay in the European Union鈥檚 police agency Europol, the country鈥檚 justice minister said in Brussels on Friday after Danes voted against closer cooperation on crime-fighting with the bloc in a blow to European integration.
The Scandinavian country voted on Thursday against adopting more EU laws to help fight cross-border crime, with backers of the 鈥渘o鈥� campaign advocating against any closer ties with the 28-nation bloc struggling with multiple crises.
In particular, Copenhagen needed the changes to stay within Europol at a time of increased security in Europe following last month鈥檚 attacks in Paris.
Denmark鈥檚 Justice Minister Soren Pind was due to brief his EU colleagues about the situation during a justice and interiors ministers鈥� meeting in Brussels on Friday.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to tell them about the outcome of the Danish referendum, that we cannot participate in the Europol provision. That puts us in a difficult situation but we鈥檒l just have to work with it and see how we can solve this,鈥� Pind said.
鈥淭he government has a very strong interest in Denmark continuing in Europol, and we must attempt to do that,鈥� he said before the talks started.
The leading power behind the 鈥渘o鈥� campaign in Denmark, the populist Danish People鈥檚 Party (DF), has said that Europol participation can be maintained through other treaties.
Pind鈥檚 fellow ministers and EU officials expressed regret at Danes鈥� decision but said they were ready to work to keep Copenhagen within the bloc鈥檚 the cross-border policing agency.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a strong expression of some hesitation over the extent to which Europe can provide security,鈥� EU鈥檚 Counter-terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove said of the Danish vote as officials arrived to the meeting, pledging more security measures and steps to alleviate the migration crisis that has fueled Euro-skeptic rhetoric across the bloc.