As the people of Denmark get ready to vote in the referendum on the future of the country’s opt-out policy related to European Union (EU)’s defense on Wednesday, June 1, progressive and left-wing sections have given a call to vote ‘No’. The referendum will decide the future of Denmark’s policy of not participating in the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) or EU military operations. The leftist Red-Green Alliance, Communist Party (KP), Danish Communist Youth (DKU), Red-Green Youth and various trade unions have initiated a campaign to urge people to vote ‘No’ in the upcoming referendum. However, major parties including the Social Democratic Party, which leads the incumbent coalition government headed by Mette Frederiksen, have favored voting ‘Yes’ in the referendum to abolish Denmark’s 30-year position to stay out of EU’s defense mechanisms.
Even though Denmark was a member of the precursory organization of the European Union (EU) since 1973, the people of the country rejected the Maastricht Treaty (Treaty of the European Union) in a 1992 referendum. Such a situation compelled the EU leadership to grant four exceptions (opt-outs) to the county as part of the Edinburgh Agreement which eventually led to Denmark ratifying the treaty in a 1993 referendum. The opt-outs included the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), Justice and Home Affairs (JHA), the citizenship of the European Union, and the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
Earlier attempts to abolish several opt-outs – by adopting the euro as the national currency in 2000 and modifying the justice opt-out in 2015 – were rejected by Danish citizens in referendums. In the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, pro-EU sections in the country have intensified their campaign to further integrate Denmark into the EU’s defense mechanisms and military maneuvers by abolishing the defense opt-out. Progressive sections in the country have warned that abolishing the military opt-out will compromise Denmark’s sovereignty. Meanwhile, certain sections have resorted to scaremongering as part of an agenda to further militarize the region.
Mai Villadsen from Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) said on May 25, “When we go to vote on June 1, we don’t vote to participate in defense of the EU countries. We vote on whether a narrow majority in the parliament should be able to send young people on missions far from the borders of the EU – missions that in my eyes are often worrying and problematic.”
She said that the EU military missions are intended to protect major European companies’ climate-damaging interests in fossil energy, or capture refugee boats in the Mediterranean and put them in camps in Africa where they are exposed to assault and human rights violations.
“These are the kind of missions we are voting for. Should we contribute to them with money and soldiers? For me and the Enhedslisten, the answer is simple. The answer is no. That’s why we say: keep the defense reservation and vote ‘No’,” she said.
The cadres of the KP are actively campaigning among the people to vote ‘no’ in the referendum. The party has stated, “It is against both the EU and NATO. And we urge not to give up the fight against imperialism, militarism and war.”
The DKU in its statement said, “The upcoming referendum on whether to keep our defense reservations or abolish them is a topic that divides the waters. Yes-sayers choose to play on the people’s feelings and fear of an escalation of the war in Ukraine to convince them that Denmark is in danger and only the EU can protect us. DKU condemns this.”
“Rather than getting emotional, the key is a nuanced and insightful analysis of the situation as it stands out in Denmark, Europe, and the world. Denmark’s Communist Youth says no to the abolition of the defense reservation!”
