A Tap Water Presidency With Waffles?

The official logo of the Danish presidency

by the editor

The current Danish presidency of the EU has attempted to promote itself as eco-friendly and fiscally responsible by such initiatives as replacing bottled water with tap water. However, this may have unintended consequences leading to accusations of outright skimping on necessary expenses. Already, some pundits and eurocrats have nicknamed the Danish presidency the 'tap water presidency' due to its decission to avoid bottled water. While both a environmental friendly and cost-effective solution it may not be a very smart public relations move, especially if such considerations are not underscored. The Danes might end up looking as penny-pinching mizers, instead of thrifty ecologists.

This may be re-enforced by Denmark’s odd position of having to host a summit on an area of EU cooperation it itself is not part of. With its opt-out on the vast area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA), Denmark will not be bound by whatever aggreement may be reached on the summit this weekend. At yesterday’s press conference the spokesperson also waffled when confronted with the official Danish presidency video, which links immigration, organized crime and terrorism under the heading ’security’.

All this must sit a bit uneasily with Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt who began her political career as a member of the European Parliament.