Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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ART
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Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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Denmark to hold second euro referendum

23 November 2007

Following the re-election of Anders Fogh Rasmussen for a third term as Danish prime minister, Danes are set to vote on their country's opt-out from a number of EU policies and, most notably, the adoption of the euro, which was dismissed in a 2000 referendum.

"The time is approaching. It is the government's view that the people in this parliamentary term should have the opportunity to take a stance on the Danish EU opt-outs," Rasmussen told journalists in Copenhagen on Thursday, 22 November. The re-elected prime minister added: "It is the government's view that the opt-outs damage Danish interests."

Danes initially declined to adopt the Maastricht Treaty in a 1992 referendum. However, the country joined the treaty in 1993 after negotiating an opt-out from a number of EU policies, namely justice and home affairs, defence co-operation and European Monetary Union. In a separate ballot in 2000, Danes rejected adopting the euro.

Rasmussen, whose coalition includes his own liberal Venstre party and the Conservatives, with support from the far-right Danish People's Party and a party from the Färöe islands, won the elections with a tight majority of 90 seats in the 179-strong Danish Parliament. Nevertheless, he has declared himself confident that he could convince Danes to vote 'yes' on the Lisbon Treaty.

According to the Danish constitution, a referendum must take place if a a legal review establishes that sovereignty is transferred from Denmark to the EU. Rasmussen said that he was aiming for quick ratification and that his government would commission further expert studies on the economic effects of the opt-outs. The exemptions also mean that Denmark does not have a say in the policy areas concerned.

Analysts say that Denmark's adoption of the euro would have little to no economic impact. The Danish crown is tied to the euro in a very narrow band, which means that interest rates are effectively set by the European Central Bank.

While only two parties in the Copenhagen Parliament, jointly representing around 17% of MPs, are openly opposed to further EU integration, the public referendum is set to become a neck-and-neck race.
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Post by groentje »

I read it in the newspaper. Te prime minister is quite confident, was my impression, that even the Danes where more convinced these days of the benefits of the euro. I don't know on the other issues, however.
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Post by tabbs »

These days 55 percent of the Danes seem to be in favor of introducing the euro, according to a poll for the Børsen newspaper. 38 percent want to keep the krone. http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207305120.75

But that may soon be different again. Problem is that a vote to stick with the krone is fairly easily "reversible" in a later referendum - but once the voters say that Denmark should switch to the euro, it would be more difficult to go (back) to another currency later ...

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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

Post by SantaCruz »

I found this article http://www.faz.net/s/RubEC1ACFE1EE274C8 ... ntent.html (from 2008/10/30, in German).

It says that the Danish krone is under pressure because of the global financial crisis. The rather stable Euro now seems more attractive than ever. However, prime minister Rasmussen stated that he deemes a new referendum not possible until 2011. Actually, the new referendum was planned for late 2008. But the political parties in Denmark could not agree upon the conditions of a referendum. The atmosphere was dampened due to the Irish rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon.
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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

Post by Mullams »

Any news on the Danish referendum?
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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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Don't think so. Anders Fogh Rasmussen has always been said to have "ambitions beyond Denmark" so to say. For a while that was the EU, but then he became NATO's Secretary General. So why care about European integration any longer? :mrgreen: For his sucessor as Danish prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen (not related), this issue does not have a high priority either.

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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

Post by Mullams »

That's a pity :( I really thought something would change there.
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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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Frankly, I don't care. Personally I am glad that the euro was created before the current "EU inertia" (or worse); I don't think that these days member states could still agree on such an ambitious project. And to my own surprise, the currency union seems to work even though its members have never found further economic integration to be useful or necessary. So yes, I am happy we have the euro - also from a practical point of view. (I live in Germany, close to Belgium and the Netherlands, and having the same currency makes things easier.) But whether Denmark or any other country joins the euro area or not, is fairly irrelevant for me.

Please do not get me wrong - countries that actually want to join, and meet the convergence criteria, are welcome to introduce the euro. But a country that prefers to stay outside the currency union can and should simply stay outside, regardless of whether it is theoretically obliged to join or not. After all, we will "always" (well, in the foreseeable future) have member states that use the euro, and others that don't. Trying to enforce things would in my opinion simply be counterproductive.

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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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tabbs wrote:Trying to enforce things would in my opinion simply be counterproductive.
How true. (Not only the last sentence)
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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

Post by Mullams »

Well, I would be happy to see all the 27 member states use the euro ;)
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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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Who knows, one day all current member states (well, those in Continental Europe) may be in the euro area. But keep in mind that the enlargement of the European Union is an ongoing process. So let's say that in five to ten years almost all current members have the euro - but every new member state will initially be a non-euro country. That is why I wrote that we will "always" have euro countries and non-euro countries in the EU. As for Denmark, here is a statement that the current PM Løkke Rasmussen made in May: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/services ... mRef=63672" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (PDF, English). See page 2 for his comments regarding the euro ...

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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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tabbs wrote:Frankly, I don't care. Personally I am glad that the euro was created before the current "EU inertia" (or worse); I don't think that these days member states could still agree on such an ambitious project. And to my own surprise, the currency union seems to work even though its members have never found further economic integration to be useful or necessary. So yes, I am happy we have the euro - also from a practical point of view. (I live in Germany, close to Belgium and the Netherlands, and having the same currency makes things easier.) But whether Denmark or any other country joins the euro area or not, is fairly irrelevant for me.
I agree the general principle, but the presence outside EMU of states that could be inside can't be totally indifferent for us. This is indirectly equivalent to a demonstration of distrust or refusal of the process of European integration, what's more in a fundamental field and that it has demonstrated to work perfectly.
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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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ART wrote:This is indirectly equivalent to a demonstration of distrust or refusal of the process of European integration
Well, the common currency is one result of the Maastricht Treaty - and Denmark initially said No to that treaty. So in order to come to an agreement, they got various opt-out clauses. http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/ ... 061_en.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Without these, we would have no Maastricht Treaty, and ultimately no euro.

As for the member states that joined "after Maastricht", yes, they are legally obliged to introduce the euro once they meet the criteria. And who knows, it may be possible to somehow force them into the currency union, against the will of the government affected. Frankly, I am not interested in enlarging "Euroland" that way.

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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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tabbs wrote: Well, the common currency is one result of the Maastricht Treaty - and Denmark initially said No to that treaty. So in order to come to an agreement, they got various opt-out clauses. http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/ ... 061_en.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Without these, we would have no Maastricht Treaty, and ultimately no euro.
I know. It's exactly what I meant when I said that "this cannot be indifferent for us" (I don't mean that we must force Denmark).
tabbs wrote:As for the member states that joined "after Maastricht", yes, they are legally obliged to introduce the euro once they meet the criteria. And who knows, it may be possible to somehow force them into the currency union, against the will of the government affected. Frankly, I am not interested in enlarging "Euroland" that way.
This is different. The common currency is result of the Maastricht Treaty, and even the EMU is much oldest than this treaty: who doesn't agree at least the general principles is better than doesn't join in EU directly, thus they will not be "forced" to nothing.
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Re: Denmark to hold second euro referendum

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http://euobserver.com/9/31912" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good News!
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