In a remarkable turn of events in Danish politics, the lead candidate of the Moderates (Moderaterne) for the European Parliament elections, Stine Bosse, has changed her stance on Denmark’s acceptance of refugees. Earlier in the day, she had stated in interviews with several media outlets, including Jyllands-Posten, that Denmark should be able to accept up to 7,000 refugees annually as part of the EU’s migration pact. But a few hours later, she suddenly revised this number to zero. This change came after a series of interviews on Thursday morning where Bosse had been clear about Denmark’s obligations towards refugees. However, later that same morning, she backtracked and explained to Jyllands-Posten that she had been tired when she initially made those statements.
The issue has caused confusion about the Moderates’ actual policy on the matter, and attempts to get clarification from party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen have so far been unsuccessful. Despite several inquiries from the press, including at a health conference in the Parliament where Løkke was present, he has avoided commenting on Bosse’s statements. Løkke, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was seen talking on the phone just as he encountered journalists in front of the Parliament Chamber, thereby avoiding answering questions. Subsequently, when the phone call ended, he hurried into the chamber without taking questions from the waiting journalists. The Moderates’ press officer later informed B.T. that Løkke did not wish to comment on the matter at this time. This leaves unanswered questions about where the Moderates stand regarding EU’s migration policy and Denmark’s role in it.