Today’s news / Denmark suspends controversial arms export practice
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) writes in a parliamentary response that the procedure for approval of military exports is being tightened, according to Information and Danwatch. (Archive photo). Photo: Frank Cilius/Ritzau Scanpix

Denmark suspends controversial arms export practice

Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has suspended a lenient process for the approval of Danish companies’ military equipment exports to F-35 fighter jets, which are sold to countries including Israel. This move comes after investigations by Information and Danwatch revealed that Danish military equipment reached Israeli fighter jets, circumventing normal Danish regulatory checks, while these jets were being used in the Gaza conflict. Since 2013, Denmark had relied on U.S. authorities’ decisions regarding sales, avoiding a specific risk assessment for war crimes. This practice has now been suspended, and future component export applications for the F-35s from Denmark will undergo individual evaluations, announced Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. This shift comes after a Dutch court ruling in February deemed the Netherlands’ exports to Israeli F-35s illegal, highlighting a clear risk of the equipment being used for war crimes in Gaza.