Call to Europe Denmark 2025

With the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, a new opportunity emerges to place “Well-being for all” at the heart of Europe’s future. In times of rapid change and geopolitical tension, well-being for all means building a Europe that delivers for its people, from mental health and energy security to peace and prosperity. 

On 29 November 2025, the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), together with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Nordic Countries and with the support of the S&D Group in the European Parliament and Socialdemokratiet, hosted the next edition of its flagship conference Call to Europe. Guided by the 3-P principle – Positive, Participatory, and Progressive – this bi-annual event aimed to inspire meaningful conversations on Europe’s most pressing challenges. 

With this conference, we strived to bridge the gap between European citizens and institutions by employing interactive and inclusive formats. After two closed-door expert meetings on Europe’s defence future and digital transformation at the Folketinget the afternoon of the day before, the public conference on Saturday, 29 November 2025, featured not only high-level keynote speeches, but also three engaging panel discussions on:

• Promoting well-being for young workers 
• Advancing human security in a changing geopolitical context 
• Ensuring a green transition for all in Europe

In Copenhagen, we brought together policymakers, trade unionists, civil society leaders, academics, and youth representatives from Denmark and the EU at large, feeding the debate with progressive and constructive ideas rooted in the values of democracy, solidarity, and equality. 

Among our speakers:

• Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Former Prime Minister of Denmark
• Christophe Clergeau, Member of the European Parliament
• Marianne Vind, Member of the European Parliament
• Ida Auken, Member of the Folketinget and former Minister for the Environment
• Henrik Møller, Member and EU spokesperson of the Folketinget
• Flemming Grønsund, Vice-Chair, Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation (FH)
• Rasmus Horn Langhoff, Member of the Folketinget
• Ann Linde, Special Advisor on Foreign Affairs and Co-Chair of the Feminist Foreign Policy Progressive Voices Collective, FEPS, and former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden
• John Karlsrud, Research Professor, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
• Laura de Bonfils, Secretary General, Social Platform
• Jacob Ruben Hansen, EU Consultant, Dansk Metal
• Stavroula Demetriades, Senior Research Manager, Eurofound
• Brian Vad Mathiesen, Professor, Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University
• Britta Thomsen, Board Member, EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), Adjunct Professor, Copenhagen Business School (CBS) and former Member of the European Parliament
• Niklas Stentoft Mogensen, Chair, Frit Forum 
• Anneline Larsen, Vice-Chair, Danish Youth Council (DUF)
• Maria Joao Rodrigues, President, FEPS
• Uwe Optenhögel, Vice President, FEPS
• László Andor, Secretary General, FEPS
• François Balate, Policy Analyst on Social, FEPS
• Kristina Birke Daniels, Director, FES Nordics

Read the new policy briefs launched during Call to Europe Denmark:

ReArm Europe: The impact and role of EU arms export controls

By Giovanna Maletta

This policy brief analyses the outcome and discussions taking place in the framework of the latest review of the EU common position on arms exports. The author, Giovanna Maletta, Senior Researcher at SIPRI, highlights the obstacles that any attempt to apply single market standards to intra-EU transfers of defence items will confront.

More money, more dependence? Financing European Union defence for autonomy and cooperation

By Daniel Fiott

This FEPS policy brief assesses whether these mechanisms effectively support the EU’s strategic autonomy ambitions and evaluates how Europe’s financial architecture can better channel rising defence expenditure into cooperative, long-term capability development. The analysis finds that the EU has made significant progress, yet challenges remain. 

Smarter spending today, safer societies tomorrow: Digitally-enabled capabilities for European defence

By Kirill Shamiev and Giorgos Verdi

This policy brief provides an overview of European digital defence technologies and policy instruments that enable their development and procurement. The authors analyse cyber warfare, electronic warfare, unmanned systems, and space and communications, as well as cross-cutting enablers, such as artificial intelligence and big-data analytics, quantum cybersecurity, and computing. 

For more information regarding this event, please contact François Balate, FEPS Policy Analyst (francois.balate@feps-europe.eu) and Vanessa Zwisele, FEPS Project Officer (vanessa.zwisele@feps-europe.eu).