EU Constitution - Ratification

Referendum: postponed

Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced, that the referendum planned on September 27 will be postponed.

De facto there is a constitutional obligation for a referendum on international treaties. Binding referendum is mandatory where the Treaty to be ratified transfers new competences to an external body – in this case the EU – or where the character of an existing competence is changed. Only a huge majority of 5/6 from members of parliament approving the change may approve the treaty and prevent a referendum. The Danish Constitution sets out the criteria for organising a referendum. The Treaty is rejected if a majority of electors votes ‘no’ and if they represent 30% of the electoral population.

Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has declared the intention to hold a separate referendum on the Danish opt-out of judicial co-operation.

Denmark

: area ~ 43,000 sq km

Previous referendums on European issues

Accession to the EC was put to a referendum on 2 October 1972 and approved by 63% of the vote. The turnout was 79%.

For revisions of the treaties, referenda were held to ratify the Single European Act and the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties. The Nice Treaty was ratified by the Parliament only.

The referendum on the Single European Act was on 27 February 1986. The Treaty was approved by 56% of the vote, on a turnout of 75%.

The referendum on the Maastricht Treaty was rejected on 2 June 1992 by 50.7% ‘no’ votes, with a turnout of 83%, even though the Parliament had approved it by 130 votes to 25. A second referendum was held a year later, on 18 May 1993. This led to a ‘yes’ vote of 56.7%, with a turnout of 85%.

The referendum on the Amsterdam Treaty on 28 May 1998 received a 55% ‘yes’ vote, with a turnout of 76%.

A referendum was organised on 28 September 2000 on the full participation of Denmark in EMU, including the euro. The ‘no’ vote was 53%, on a turnout of 87.2%.