{"id":67350,"date":"2016-02-05T16:10:43","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T16:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=4593fd89b0ed1840ca0df9455afc14ad"},"modified":"2016-02-05T16:10:43","modified_gmt":"2016-02-05T16:10:43","slug":"speech-pms-statement-at-press-conference-in-copenhagen-5-february-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=67350","title":{"rendered":"Speech: PM’s statement at press conference in Copenhagen: 5 February 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Thank you very much Lars, it\u2019s very good to be here in Copenhagen today with you. We have a very good relationship, a very good friendship.<\/p>\n

Our discussions have focussed on 3 issues: on our bilateral relations, on EU reform, and on the migration crisis.<\/p>\n

And I just want to say a few words on each.<\/p>\n

Bilateral relationship<\/h2>\n

Our bilateral relationship is particularly close. We are firm NATO allies \u2013 indeed HMS Ramsey is taking part in a NATO exercise here right now.<\/p>\n

We also co-operate closely on counter-terrorism and in the fight against Daesh.<\/a><\/p>\n

And I saw for myself the bravery of Danish soldiers as our 2 countries served alongside each other in very close quarters in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Trade in both directions between our 2 countries is worth \u00a36 billion a year. And over 600,000 Brits visit Denmark annually.<\/p>\n

We work very closely together in the EU. And again, as you\u2019ve just heard with a similar outlook. We share a lot in common. Proud nations. But outward-looking.<\/p>\n

EU reform<\/h2>\n

On EU reform, as you know, I\u2019m working hard to secure reform in 4 areas \u2013 economic governance, sovereignty, competitiveness and welfare.<\/p>\n

And on welfare, let me explain why the British people have concerns and what I\u2019m trying to fix.<\/p>\n

I support the principle of free movement and I greatly value the contribution that many make when they come to Britain.<\/p>\n

But the challenge we\u2019ve identified is the scale of movement we\u2019ve seen from across Europe to Britain over the last decade and the pressure that has put on public services.<\/p>\n

Now these are problems that we can share.<\/p>\n

For example, I know as we\u2019ve just heard that in Denmark you have concerns about paying child benefit for children not living here.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why the reforms I\u2019m seeking can benefit other countries too.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve now secured a commitment from the commission to address this.<\/p>\n

So the text the Council has put forward<\/a> shows real progress in all 4 areas, including on protecting the legitimate interests of non-euro member states, which of course is so important to Denmark too.<\/p>\n

Now as Lars has just said, this deal must be legally binding. The Danish model \u2013 negotiated in 1992 \u2013 has set a powerful precedent for that. As the Prime Minister has just said, over 20 years later, it still stands.<\/p>\n

But as I\u2019ve said, there is still important detail to be nailed down if we\u2019re to get a deal in February.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why the hard work continues.<\/p>\n

Migration crisis<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve also discussed the Syria donors conference<\/a> that I hosted yesterday with others in London.<\/p>\n

And I want to thank your Prime Minister and the Danish people for the very generous pledge that you made.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m proud to say we brought together world leaders, we raised records funds and identified crucial long-term assistance through the creation of jobs and crucially the provision of school places for refugee children.<\/p>\n

This will give those in desperate need real hope for the future. But this should only be the beginning.<\/p>\n

The more we do to create the opportunity for people to stay in the region, the less likely we are to see them making the treacherous journey to Europe. A journey that has sadly resulted in so many deaths.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019ve had good discussions here today and I want to thank you Lars again for giving me such a warm welcome.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Prime Minister made a statement today following talks with Danish Prime Minister Lars L\u00f8kke Rasmussen in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67350\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}