The Danish Government has presented a strategy constituting the Governments proposals for prioritisation of the ways in which Denmark can contribute to tackling the opportunities and challenges in Asia.
Asia contains large markets for Danish enterprises, new opportunities for research & development and educational cooperation, and new potentials for mutual investments. To be successful in profiling Denmark more strongly in Asia, ensuring strong and innovative interaction between all relevant actors in Denmark is crucial.
“Denmark is doing well in Asia – but we can do better” says Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller and Development Cooperation Minister Ulla Tørnæs in the foreword to the strategy.
In the strategy the Danish Government stresses that it will play its part in developing cooperation with Asia by means of enhanced political contacts and additional agreements that can pave the way for cooperation. Denmark will also continue to cooperate with Asia to combat poverty and improve human rights.
In the fields of environment and energy, Danish competences must be Asian governments’ first choice to prevent environmental deterioration and climate degradation and to ensure sustainable energy consumption. Danish export to Asia must grow at a faster rate than today.
Denmark must place itself in position as an obvious cooperation partner in the area of education and research, where Asia will be the new centre of force in the coming years.
With regard to development assistance, the strategy mentions that the traditional programme country cooperation with Bhutan and Vietnam will be phased out and the last commitments will be given in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The activities will thereafter gradually be phased out in the following years. This is being undertaken in expectation of these countries being able to manage to a higher degree on the own resources at that time.
There will, however probably still be a need for support to the areas of environment, good governance and private sector development including mixed credits, B2B-program and Public Private Partnerships.
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