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THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Denmark
The DF won 15.3% of the vote in the
European Parliament elections and was
thus able to significantly improve its result
compared to 2004 (6.8%). Morten
Messerschmidt and Anna Rosbach
entered Parliament in 2009 for the DF.
Rosbach left the DF in March 2011 and
joined the European Conservatives and
Reformists Group (ECR) as a non-attached
member. She indicated her reasons
as follows:
lieves the single currency has failed. He
is chairman of the Turkey Assessment
Group within Parliament, an open discussion
group which meets regularly to
discuss problems relating to Turkish accession
to the EU. Although advocates
of Turkish membership are regularly invited
to attend and are able to speak,
the group is nevertheless critical of Turkey.
In a contribution to the newspaper
Hürriyet in 2011, Messerschmidt voices
his ideas concerning the role of Turkey
in Europe:
“[…] [I]t is not my aim to oust Turkey
from the European House.
On the contrary, it is my firm belief
that Europe and Turkey need each
other as “cousins”. Europe and Turkey
are neighbours, and a sound
neighbourhood should be built upon
a foundation of mutual trust and
understanding, thus aiming at diminishing
and closing the existing
cultural and political gap between
Turkey and Europe.” 57
politics, to actually prevent the access
of Turkey to the EU; in other words,
through efforts of political persuasion
and compromise proposals. What really
lies behind his rejection of Turkish
accession became clear in 2006 in an
interview which Messerschmidt gave to
Frontpage Magazine:
“Europe will – maybe not in 20, but
rather 30-40 years from now – have
a Muslim majority of population, if
nothing is done. That’ll mean the
end of our culture and the end of
European civilization.” 59
Morten Messerschmidt
Born on 13.11.1980 in Frederikssund.
Degree in Law from the
University of Copenhagen. Member
of the Danish Parliament (2005-
2009). Member of the European
Parliament since 2009. European
of Freedom and Democracy group.
Committees: Legal Affairs (substitute),
Constitutional Affairs (Vice-
Chair).
“After careful reflections on the
policies and rhetoric of my party, it
is clear to me that I no longer represent
this view. […] I have been
concerned about the direction of the
party for some time.” 56
Messerschmidt, previously a member
of the Danish National Parliament from
2005, is a member and vice-chairman of
the European of Freedom and Democracy
group (EFD). He deals with issues
relating to further European integration
in the time of the euro crisis and be-
Messerschmidt’s criticism is strongly
aimed at the Turkish Government under
Erdoğan, whom he accuses of having
curtailed press freedom and the freedom
of opinion in Turkey. But what really
hides behind his apparently reasonable
words?
Messerschmidt, who describes himself
as a realist and pragmatist, has already
made compromises in order to gain influence.
58 As part of this strategic approach,
he is seeking, under the cloak
of a (partly justified) criticism of Turkish
Behind the façade of apparently objective
discussions in the Turkey Assessment
Group hides a pronounced anti-
Muslim racism. In the same interview,
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35 COUNTRY REPORT: DENMARK