For and against the euro

The Yes and No camps have been campaigning hard

During the heat of the campaign, Anders Panum Jensen, secretary-general of the pro-euro Danish European Movement, and Pernille Frahn, Euro MP and member of the anti-euro Danish Socialist People's Party, gave their views on the questions at the heart of the decision.

Does the Danish economy actually need the euro?

Pernille Frahn: No, no. Denmark is outside the euro and the Danish economy is strong: unemployment is about half of the big euro-countries, and the national budget has a 2% surplus. The independent economic council (the so-called wise men) also reached the conclusion, that the benefits were small and insecure. Denmark will still do well, outside the euro.

Anders Panum Jensen: We can do OK without the euro. But we can do better with the euro. A yes to the euro will mean lower interest rates and more foreign investments in Denmark. A yes will therefore give us more income to spend on welfare.

What are the Danish voters worried about?

Pernille Frahn: So far, opinions polls have showed that many voters are concerned, and we have argued that either the euro will fall apart or lead to wider integration and in that way wider implications. The sanctions on Austria did play an important part during some phases of the campaign, but it has not been an argument for my party.

Anders Panum Jensen: Many Danes are concerned that European integration will mean that we will have less influence on our own society. The sanctions against Austria have played some role in increasing such concerns. My point is that Denmark, as a small country, will gain more influence upon our own future if we take full part in the EU. If we join the euro we will gain influence on monetary and economic policy which we will be dependent on regardless of whether we join the euro or not.

How important is sovereignty to the Danes?

Pernille Frahn:Quite important, and the referendum so far has shown that we do not want to surrender it cheap. National democratic culture and institutions are important to almost everybody. In some issues, like environmental policy and taxation on firms and capital, many would like to transfer formal sovereignty to the EU in order to get more real sovereignty. So the issue is not a simple one.

Anders Panum Jensen: Sovereignty is at the heart of the debate. We argue that we will become more sovereign if we join the euro and thereby gain influence on decisions which will effect us regardless of whether we join the euro or not. The No-side cannot point to any relevant decisions that we are free to make outside the euro, which we cannot make inside the euro.

What do you imagine would be the impact of a Danish No vote?

Pernille Frahn: A Danish No-vote would mean business as usual. Denmark already has an opt-out on Emu. But it would be a blow to efforts from the big Yes-majority in parliament, and might make them more cautious in their efforts to pull the Danes into a process of integration with limited popular support. Hopefully, it will make the UK choose the same path as Denmark. We hope a Danish No will be used to create a more flexible EU.

Anders Panum Jensen: I fear that a No to the euro will mean that Denmark will become more marginalised in the EU - that we will have less influence. And I fear that we our economy will be less well off than it would be after a Yes. I fear also that confidence of euro-sceptics in Britain and Sweden will be boosted after a No. I think that Europe would benefit from the UK, Sweden and Denmark joining the euro.

If Denmark says Yes to the euro, will the Danes feel like true Europeans?

Pernille Frahn: The Danes will not feel more or less European due to the result in the referendum. Europe and the European Union is not one and the same thing, and even if there is a Yes-vote, it will reflect a lot of different things. Danes manage to differentiate between being European and the EU. Compared to 1991 twice as many Danes feel European (one third), and at the same time positive feelings about the EU have become smaller.

Anders Panum Jensen: What is a true European? I don't think that there is much emotional attachment to the idea of Europe among voters in general. A Yes or a No will not change that. In a way that is what I like about the EU as I do not like the nationalist sentiments which are associated with the nation states. The EU is a practical, rational co-operation among European nations.