Denmark
Denmark boycotted the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and has consistently voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2024. Denmark may sign and ratify or accede to the TPNW, but will have to make changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1998) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1972) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1973) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted no |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
Denmark contributes to NATO’s Conventional Support to Nuclear Operations (CSNO) mission and maintains F-16 aircraft for this purpose. It participated in the alliance’s annual nuclear strike exercise, known as Steadfast Noon, in October 2024.1
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Denmark said that it ‘fully support[s] efforts to uphold and strengthen the non-proliferation and disarmament regime, with the NPT at its core’. ‘Denmark would like to see a world without nuclear weapons,’ it said, while acknowledging that ‘the current environment is not conducive to swift progress’.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, the Nordic states – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden – underlined ‘the importance of defending, promoting and further strengthening the respect for international law, including the global architecture for arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation’. ‘It is evident that we must improve our common ability to address and solve conflicts and their negative impact on disarmament,’ they said.3
In June 2024, Denmark’s largest bank, Danske Bank, adopted a policy allowing investments in companies that produce nuclear weapons, after excluding such investments for more than a decade. ‘The geopolitical changes of recent years, including the increased threat from Russia, have contributed to us adapting our approach to the defense industry in relation to the society we are a part of,’ a spokesperson said.4
Recommendations
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Denmark should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
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Denmark should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
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Denmark should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.