Thank you for your warm welcome. It is my first time here in Aarhus. I have been looking forward to visiting the 'City of Smiles.' So thank you for hosting us here at the start of your Presidency.
I have always admired Denmark's fast and focused approach. You know how to get things done. And that is exactly the kind of spirit that we need right now. Let me focus on five topics.
First, defence. Denmark knows what it means to stay alert. Faced with Baltic tensions and Arctic competition, you have steadily ramped up your capabilities. It is no coincidence that I presented our Readiness 2030 strategy at the Royal Danish Military Academy in March. Now, I count on you to help deliver it. We have already started working on the Roadmap for Readiness for the European Council of October. It is about how we invest. For this, we will identify the capability gaps and work with Member States on common European projects for joint procurement. Defence readiness is not just about how much we spend. It is a lot about how we spend it. On defence, the Danish Presidency will play a central role. You will ensure the implementation of SAFE, our EUR 150 billion joint procurement investment programme. Going forward, this means that Member States should provide an estimate of their needs by the end of the month. This is necessary to unlock loans, we will then need to receive industry investment plans. During your Presidency, we also aim at finalising the participation of close allies to SAFE, starting with the UK and Canada to get strategic depth we need. Beyond SAFE, I also count on you to advance another major initiative. Our Defence Readiness Omnibus, to lift barriers and build an EU-wide market for defence.
Second, competitiveness, a key priority for Denmark and Europe. Nine months have passed since Mario Draghi has presented his report. A lot has been put in motion since then. Just briefly; the Competitiveness Compass, the Clean Industrial Deal, five Omnibuses, the sixth one will be on the road next week, the AI Gigafactories, Quantum Strategy, Startup and Scaleup strategy, the new State aid Framework and I just mentioned, SAFE. And here again, Denmark's result-oriented mindset will ensure we continue delivering. Entrepreneurs struggle to access the risk capital they need. So we need a major push on our European Savings and Investment Union. It will be one of our shared priorities.
The second priority we have in our competitiveness agenda that we have to drive down the structurally too high energy costs. We will present plans to upgrade Europe's grids, storage capacity and interconnections. As you know, these are critical enablers of a successful clean transition because we produce a lot of energy, but it is difficult at the moment being either to store it properly or to send it to where it is needed. And we will work with your Presidency to include our 2040 climate targets in European law. We presented them yesterday together with enabling components. They will provide businesses with the predictability they need to invest and pave the way to 2050 climate neutrality. We stay the course on our goals, but, on the way, we are flexible, adaptable and pragmatic. We count on the Danish Presidency to progress on our Single Market Strategy and drive forward our simplification agenda. In our discussion, one Commissioner said we have sent one Omnibus per month on the road this year. So, we hope that we can have one Omnibus per month getting to its destination so that the business sector really sees that this is making a difference.
That covers our European 'homework'. But equally important are our global trade partnerships, and this is my third point. As you know, the negotiations with the United States are ongoing as we speak. Commissioner Šefčovič is in Washington today. I just want to say we are ready for a deal. We want a negotiated solution. But you all know that at the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that no satisfactory agreement is reached. This is why we consulted on a rebalancing list, and we will defend European interests as needed. In other words, all the instruments are on the table.
We are moving forward with our partners with Mexico, Mercosur, we aim for an agreement with India by the end of the year. In today's economic landscape, Europe carries an important responsibility. It is to champion a free, open, and fair trade system. Therefore, we fully support the WTO reform progress. And in parallel, we pursue our structural cooperation with CPTPP countries to tap into the vast potential of rules-based-trade.
Fourth, migration. We have a Pact on Asylum and Migration. That is good. Now we have to implement it.However, we also know that this will not be enough to solve the challenges we face. That is why we have worked on the operational side. Under your Presidency we can make progress on our return proposal, the safe third country concept and the safe countries of origin.
Last but certainly not least, Ukraine. Later today we will have a meeting with President Zelenskyy. You rightly said so that we have to put pressure on Putin so that he comes to the negotiation table. Therefore, the 18th package of sanctions, will be one of the first deliverables in the Danish Presidency. Achieving just and lasting peace in Ukraine remains a key priority. Because Ukrainians are fighting not just for their sovereignty but also for us, for our freedom, for our values. We can never match their sacrifice. But we can stand united, determined and resolute by Ukraine. Not just for as long as it takes to secure peace, but to give them the opportunity to be the country they are dreaming of. A country that is master of its future. A country that is a member of the European Union.
