Friday

29th Mar 2024

Danes set to ditch EU referendum

Danish foreign minister Per Stig Møller has given up hope that Denmark will hold a referendum on the EU constitution as planned on 27 September.

Speaking after a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday (13 June), Mr Møller said that it was unlikely that one clear message could be sent on ratification of the constitution when EU leaders meet for a summit later this week.

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  • Referendum ditched? (Photo: EUobserver)

"The conversations I have had do not convince me that we will get a clear answer", said the minister, according to Danish news agency Ritzau.

"If there is a pause for thinking, then it might be that there are some new thoughts and then there is really not much point in voting", he said.

Countries planning to consult their people over the draft Constitution have been in disarray about what to do since French and Dutch voters turned down the document in recent referendums.

Copenhagen has made it a pre-condition for asking Danish voters to go to the polls, that Paris and the Hague say clearly what they plan to do next.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

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