nder the Radar is a weekly special series bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world, one region at a time. This week in Europe, Denmark ends a tradition associated with the presidency of the Council of the European Union: cultural diplomacy through Spotify. Other noteworthy under–the–radar stories from the region include concerns about insect preservation in the UK, a broken door at the UK House of Lords, and a glacier collapse in Switzerland.
In July, Denmark took over the rotating seat of president of the Council of the European Union (EUC). In answer to the growing global political unrest, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen answered with a desire to make Europe strong enough to meet all challenges. Frederiksen plans to steer the EUC toward stronger support for Ukraine and migration and reform—including the implementation of the Pact on Asylum and Migration. None of these moves are a big surprise, but Denmark did make one unexpected move. For the first time since 2019, the EUC president won’t be creating official Spotify playlists.
The tradition began with Finland’s 2019 presidency, when Finland launched a Spotify playlist to celebrate Europe Day and encourage voter participation in the European Parliament elections. The playlist included a song to represent each member country. The playlist included reminders to vote and links to voting information. At the time, the Finnish representative highlighted the importance of sharing culture through music. This tradition of sharing culture through music continued through twice–yearly presidencies—a unique display of cultural diplomacy.
Sweden’s 2023 presidency playlist—which included globally recognized artists like ABBA and Avicii—was the most popular to date with nearly 6,000 saves during its six–month existence. During Sweden’s presidency, the playlist was on a constant loop in the elevator of the Swedish EU representation. Under Sweden’s presidency, the European Commissioners also released a playlist to celebrate the 2022 European Year of Youth, reiterating that music encourages collaboration and understanding through its universal language.
Poland, which held the rotating EUC just before Denmark, took the tradition further with five themed playlists, curated by experts, exploring the breadth of Polish music culture. The playlist was even supported by official EUC materials, which promoted contemporary Polish artists and showcased the diversity of the Polish music scene. This method of bridging cultural divides and encouraging unity through music was evident throughout Poland’s presidency, as the country created an ambitious event calendar that showcased Polish culture through music performances, author talks, film screenings, and other performance events in various EU member states.
For now, Denmark has not explained its decision to end this tradition. However, it is worth noting that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is facing backlash for investing $700 million he made through Spotify—traditionally a hub of artists critical of conflict—in a defense technology industry startup specializing in military drones and AI defense software. This controversy may be enough to make Denmark—which has a long tradition of peacebuilding efforts and being critical of war—hesitate to rely on Spotify.
Here are some other under–the–radar stories from Europe:
- A UK study found that despite regular reports of the decline of insect populations, less than one percent of insect species have been properly assessed, raising concerns about our inability to prevent many insect species from reaching extinction.
- The front door to the UK’s House of Lords does not work, despite an expensive security upgrade organized after the 2017 Westminster attack, sparking a huge backlash.
- A Swiss Alpine village has been buried under a glacier collapse, thanks to climate change. Fortunately, scientists were able to forecast the possibility.
a global affairs media network
Denmark turns away from EUC cultural diplomacy tradition
Photo by Elias Lobos on Unsplash
July 11, 2025
Diplomatic Courier’s Stephanie Gull brings you weekly under–the–radar stories from around the world. This week in Europe: Denmark’s EUC presidency starts out normal, other than a turn away from a growing tradition involving Spotify playlists and cultural diplomacy.
U
nder the Radar is a weekly special series bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world, one region at a time. This week in Europe, Denmark ends a tradition associated with the presidency of the Council of the European Union: cultural diplomacy through Spotify. Other noteworthy under–the–radar stories from the region include concerns about insect preservation in the UK, a broken door at the UK House of Lords, and a glacier collapse in Switzerland.
In July, Denmark took over the rotating seat of president of the Council of the European Union (EUC). In answer to the growing global political unrest, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen answered with a desire to make Europe strong enough to meet all challenges. Frederiksen plans to steer the EUC toward stronger support for Ukraine and migration and reform—including the implementation of the Pact on Asylum and Migration. None of these moves are a big surprise, but Denmark did make one unexpected move. For the first time since 2019, the EUC president won’t be creating official Spotify playlists.
The tradition began with Finland’s 2019 presidency, when Finland launched a Spotify playlist to celebrate Europe Day and encourage voter participation in the European Parliament elections. The playlist included a song to represent each member country. The playlist included reminders to vote and links to voting information. At the time, the Finnish representative highlighted the importance of sharing culture through music. This tradition of sharing culture through music continued through twice–yearly presidencies—a unique display of cultural diplomacy.
Sweden’s 2023 presidency playlist—which included globally recognized artists like ABBA and Avicii—was the most popular to date with nearly 6,000 saves during its six–month existence. During Sweden’s presidency, the playlist was on a constant loop in the elevator of the Swedish EU representation. Under Sweden’s presidency, the European Commissioners also released a playlist to celebrate the 2022 European Year of Youth, reiterating that music encourages collaboration and understanding through its universal language.
Poland, which held the rotating EUC just before Denmark, took the tradition further with five themed playlists, curated by experts, exploring the breadth of Polish music culture. The playlist was even supported by official EUC materials, which promoted contemporary Polish artists and showcased the diversity of the Polish music scene. This method of bridging cultural divides and encouraging unity through music was evident throughout Poland’s presidency, as the country created an ambitious event calendar that showcased Polish culture through music performances, author talks, film screenings, and other performance events in various EU member states.
For now, Denmark has not explained its decision to end this tradition. However, it is worth noting that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is facing backlash for investing $700 million he made through Spotify—traditionally a hub of artists critical of conflict—in a defense technology industry startup specializing in military drones and AI defense software. This controversy may be enough to make Denmark—which has a long tradition of peacebuilding efforts and being critical of war—hesitate to rely on Spotify.
Here are some other under–the–radar stories from Europe:
- A UK study found that despite regular reports of the decline of insect populations, less than one percent of insect species have been properly assessed, raising concerns about our inability to prevent many insect species from reaching extinction.
- The front door to the UK’s House of Lords does not work, despite an expensive security upgrade organized after the 2017 Westminster attack, sparking a huge backlash.
- A Swiss Alpine village has been buried under a glacier collapse, thanks to climate change. Fortunately, scientists were able to forecast the possibility.
