Danes support euro pact

A significant majority of Danish voters support the euro pact according to a Gallup poll published in Berlingske.

56 per cent of those questioned said they agreed or strongly agreed that Denmark should join the pact, which was entered into by 25 of the EU’s heads of state and government in Brussels.

27 per cent are against Denmark joining the pact which gives the EU more control over member countries' economies.

The results provoked enthusiasm in government circles with Sofie Carsten Nielsen, the Social Liberals’ spokesman on Europe, welcoming the fact that the government has succeeded in explaining complicated EU issues and so achieving buy-in from Danes to the policies being pursued.

More want to preserve the opt-out from the euro
“This shows that Danes understand the seriousness of the situation.  The fiscal pact is necessary to stabilize Europe’s economy and people are well aware that this is also important for Denmark if it is to get onto the right course,” says Ms Nielsen.

However, whilst a sizeable majority of Danes are saying yes to the euro pact, opposition to the abolition of the four Danish EU opt-outs is growing. Most significantly, 65 per cent of voters want to keep the opt-out from the euro, up from 42 per cent in January 2009.

Sofie Carsten Nielsen puts the rising opposition to the euro down to the Danes' dissatisfaction with the fact that a string of southern European countries have failed to keep their economies in check.