Danes set to ditch EU referendum
By Lisbeth Kirk
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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"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.