Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Rashq: 'Israel' is fabricating pretexts to evade the agreement and return to a war of extermination, and it is the one that violates the agreement daily and systematically
Al-Rashq: We demand that mediators and the US administration pressure 'Israel' to reveal the identity of the gunman it claims Hamas sent
Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rashq: Reports published by Israeli sources regarding Hamas informing Witkoff that the agreement has ended are false
Al-Dali: Various Palestinian factions will participate in these important national meetings
Al-Dali: The visit carries important implications, and this is proof that Hamas attaches particular importance to this visit, given the sensitivity of the current stage
Al-Dali: The goal is to coordinate positions with Arab countries and strengthen the Palestinian national position in the face of Israeli plans
Al-Dali: A Hamas leadership delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, will arrive in Cairo within the next few hours
Al-Dali: The occupation does not want to withdraw from the points it has under occupation and wants to continue its incursions according to its interests
Hani al-Dali, the expert on Palestinian Resistance affairs, to Al Mayadeen: There are military and ideological goals that the occupation wants to achieve within the framework of the "Greater Israel" project
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli drone attacked a car on a side road between Majdal Selm and Shaqra

Denmark to vote on scrapping EU defense opt-out

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 31 May 2022 09:53
3 Min Read

More than 65 percent of the country's 4.3 million eligible voters are expected to vote in favor of repealing the exemption, according to the most recent opinion poll.

  • x
  • The referendum results are expected around 11:00 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Wednesday.
    The referendum results are expected around 11:00 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Wednesday.

After opting out of the European Union's common defense policy for 30 years, Denmark will vote Wednesday on whether to reverse its decision in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.

More than 65 percent of the country's 4.3 million eligible voters are expected to vote in favor of repealing the exemption, according to the most recent opinion poll.

Analysts have been cautious in their predictions, owing to the low voter turnout expected in a country that has repeatedly said "no" to further EU integration, most recently in 2015.

"We must always cast our ballots when there is a vote", Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged Danes in the final televised debate of the campaign on Sunday.

"I believe with all my heart that we have to vote yes. At a time when we need to fight for security in Europe, we need to be more united with our neighbors", she said.

Denmark has been a member of the EU since 1973, but it put a stop to more power being transferred to Brussels in 1992 when 50.7 percent of Danes rejected the Maastricht Treaty, the EU's founding treaty.

To enter into force, it needed to be ratified by all member states. Copenhagen negotiated a series of exemptions to persuade Danes to approve the treaty, which they did the following year.

Denmark has remained outside the European Union's single currency, the euro, which it rejected in a referendum in 2000, as well as the bloc's common policies on justice, home affairs, and defense.

11 of Denmark's 14 parties, representing more than three-quarters of parliament seats, have urged voters to say "yes" to removing the opt-out.

Meanwhile, two far-right eurosceptic parties, the Danish People's Party and The New Right, as well as the far-left Unity List, have urged Danes to vote "no."

One of their main arguments is that the emergence of a joint European defense would jeopardize NATO, which has been the cornerstone of Danish defense since its inception in 1949.

"NATO is the guarantor of Denmark's security. It would be totally different if it were decided in Brussels," the head of the Danish People's Party Morten Messerschmitt argued during Sunday's debate.

The referendum results are expected around 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Wednesday.

Denmark's autonomous territories of Greenland (which is not a member of the EU) and the Faroe Islands will not vote in the referendum.

It is worth mentioning that Danes voted "no" in December 2015 to strengthen their cooperation with the European Union on police and security matters over fears of loss of sovereignty over immigration.

  • Denmark
  • European Union
  • Mette Frederiksen
  • EU defense opt-out
  • Russia

Most Read

Inside the Epstein-Rothschild web behind 'Israel’s' spy tech empire

Inside the Epstein-Rothschild web behind 'Israel’s' spy tech empire

  • Politics
  • 19 Nov 2025
Hamas fighters stand in formation as they prepare for the ceremony of Israeli captive hand over to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP)

US plot for Gaza in shambles amid continued popular support for Hamas

  • Politics
  • 17 Nov 2025
Ukrainian political analyst Mikhail Chaplyha has written that Jolie was ‘called’ to Kherson in order to divert attention from Pokrovsk. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Strategic cities fall to Russian forces in Donbass; Ukraine denies what is happening

  • Opinion
  • 16 Nov 2025
Democracy at the civilizational crossroads: Critical analysis of bourgeois Democracy, its alternatives

Democracy at the civilizational crossroads: Critical analysis of bourgeois Democracy, its alternatives

  • Analysis
  • 19 Nov 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Kiev launches consultations with US in Switzerland on peace deal
Politics

Kiev launches consultations with US in Switzerland on peace deal

US retires penny after 230 years, citing high costs and low value
Economy

US retires penny after 230 years, citing high costs and low value

Gaza families struggle to survive as famine and cash crisis deepen
Politics

Gaza families struggle to survive, famine and cash crisis deepen: WFP

Researchers warn that mind-altering ‘brain weapons’ are becoming a reality.
Technology

Researchers warn mind-altering ‘brain weapons’ are becoming reality

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS