Danish leader hits back - 06/06/2009

'They are not as clever as us'

Mogens Camre, Danish People's Party MEP and deputy leader of the Europe of the Nations group in the European Parliament, says that countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Finland are "more clever" than countries like Romania and Bulgaria.

"When I look at the voting rules, I see that countries like Romania and Bulgaria have many more votes than Denmark and Sweden and Finland, and I think, honestly speaking, that we are more clever than they are.  We have much more transparency, democracy and social welfare, and we don't think that people who did not create healthy societies should decide for us," Camre said.

In response to an article on this site, which reported claims that the MEP considered South-eastern Europeans not as intelligent as their northern counterparts, Camre said that he "never expressed a word about the intelligence of Romanians."

The Danish People's Party, which describes itself as conservative, is part of the governing Liberal and Conservative coalition in Denmark. Critics say the party is on the far right, particularly because of its consistent calls for a radical curb to immigration.