Tasks and responsibilities
The Defence Committee has a broad field of work. The committee addresses any topic associated with the Danish defence and rescue services.
Topics addressed by the Defence Committee may include:
- issues regarding the organisation of military defence and rescue services
- how Denmark’s sovereignty is enforced in different parts of the kingdom
- whether Denmark should contribute to international military missions
The committee’s tasks and responsibilities can be subdivided into two primary areas:
- handling of bills and motions within the committee’s remit
- parliamentary scrutiny of the administration carried out by the Minister of Defence of the government’s defence policies and with the government’s observance of laws passed and mandates agreed in the Danish Government in matters regarding defence.
Danes on international missions
Among its responsibilities, the Defence Committee addresses proposals to send Danish armed forces on international missions. The Constitutional Act of Denmark stipulates that Danish military personnel may only be deployed outside Denmark’s national borders with the consent of the Danish Parliament. If the government wishes to engage the Danish armed forces in international missions, it must table a motion to this effect in the Danish Parliament.
Examples of international missions:
- Danish armed forces’ engagement in the struggle against The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
- Denmark’s long-term engagement in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan
Parliamentary scrutiny of government defence policies
Parliamentary scrutiny of how government addresses defence policies is another mainstay in the work of the Defence Committee. In practise, parliamentary scrutiny is exercised through the standing committee members’ tabling questions to the Minister of Defence or other ministers.
Inter-parliamentary cooperation
The Defence Committee works closely with other countries’ parliamentary foreign affairs, security and defence policy committees.
Inter-parliamentary cooperation takes place as e.g. half-yearly meetings between the representatives of the EU member States’ parliamentary committees. The parliaments take turns to chair these meetings.
Nordic-Baltic cooperation
The Defence Committees of the Nordic and Baltic countries and Poland also meet in an annual inter-parliamentary forum.These countries are:
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
- Iceland
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Germany
At their meetings, representatives discuss Nordic and Baltic defence and security issues that are of common interest to all parties. The participant countries take turns to host the meeting. The host country compiles the agenda.