DENMARK: FORTY FIVE PERCENT OF VOTERS SAY 'NO' TO THE AMSTERDAM TREATY ON REFORMS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
Record ID:
328605
DENMARK: FORTY FIVE PERCENT OF VOTERS SAY 'NO' TO THE AMSTERDAM TREATY ON REFORMS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
- Title: DENMARK: FORTY FIVE PERCENT OF VOTERS SAY 'NO' TO THE AMSTERDAM TREATY ON REFORMS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
- Date: 29th May 1998
- Summary: COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (MAY 29, 1998) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV/SLV/SV CENTRAL SHOPPING STREET, PEOPLE SITTING UNDER FOUNTAIN (3 SHOTS) 0.18 2. SLV/SV OF PEOPLE AT STREET CAFES (3 SHOTS) 0.33 3. MCU MAN SAYING BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK THE POLITICAL WAS ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON AND WHAT TO VOTE FOR. THERE WERE DIFFERENT EXPLANATIONS THAT THIS WILL GO WRONG, OR THAT WILL GO BAD IF YOU DON'T DO THIS AND IF THEY'RE NOT EVEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON THEN I THINK IT'S BEST TO VOTE NO - THAT'S WHY I DID IT (ENGLISH) 0.50 4. MCU MAN IN STREET SAYING I THINK IT'S NECESSARY TO DO IT BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE'LL BE STANDING ON THE SIDELINE ACCORDING TO OTHER COUNTRIES AND THAT I THINK IS FATAL FOR DENMARK - IT'S A LITTLE COUNTRY (ENGLISH) 0.59 5. SV PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET 1.06 6. LV/SV NEWS CONFERENCE BY DANISH PRIME MINISTER POUL NYRUP RASMUSSEN AND FOREIGN MINISTER NIELS HELVEG PETERSEN (2 SHOTS) 1.16 7. MCU RASMUSSEN SAYING I WOULD NOT BLAME THAT THE DANES ARE HAVING A SORT OF SOUND SCEPTICISM TO THE EUROPEAN PROJECT. I THINK THAT SOMEBODY SHOULD POSE QUESTIONS WHICH OTHERS DON'T THINK ARE SUITABLE TO POSE AND I WOULD NOT BLAME ANYONE WHO DID THAT. ON THE OTHER HAND I FEEL AN OBLIGATION TO RAISE THEM IN THE ROOM WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR COLLEAGUES (ENGLISH) 1.42 8. SV MEDIA LISTENING 1.45 9. MCU PETERSEN SAYING I AM NOT AT ALL PLEASED WITH SOME OF THE NATIONALIST TONES WE HAVE HEARD. WE SEE THEM IN OTHER COUNTRIES, WE SEE THEM IN FRANCE, IN GERMANY, IN AUSTRIA AND WE SAW BITS OF IT HERE AND I AM NOT PLEASED AT ALL ABOUT THAT (ENGLISH) 2.04 10. SV MEDIA LISTENING 2.09 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (MAY 28, 1998) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 11. SV ELECTION OFFICILALS EMPTYING PAPERS ONTO TABLE/ VOTE COUNTING IN PROGRESS (2 SHOTS) 2.25 12. CU OF VOTE COUNTING (3 SHOTS) 2.43 13. SV PULL OUT LV PEOPLE SITTING IN CAFE 2.52 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 13th June 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
- City:
- Country: Denmark
- Reuters ID: LVA7Z09RMZAW5ZPBLT0BRQSIV2IV
- Story Text: The Danish Prime Minister has said the high percentage of Danes who voted "No" in Thursday's referendum on ratifying the Amsterdam treaty was a sign of "sound scepticism".
Forty five percent of voters said no to the Amsterdam treaty on Thursday (May 28), which covers institutional reforms in the European Union (EU) that pave the way for enlargement to the east.
"I will not blame that the Danes are having a sound scepticism to the European project.I think somebody should raise questions that others perhaps do not," Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen told a news conference on Friday (May 29).
He said that the weight of the "No" vote made him feel obliged to raise specific Danish worries with his EU colleagues.
One concerning aspect of the 'No' vote however was its nationalist component - playing on the theme of Denmark for the Danes, mistrustful of outsiders meddling in Danish affairs.
"I am not at all pleased with some of the nationalist tones we have heard.We've seen them in other countries - France, Germany and Austria - and now we have seen some of it here," said Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen.
The Danes are notorious Euro-skeptics and shocked Europe once already in 1992 when they rejected the Maastricht Treaty at a referendum.
But even some 'No' voters in this referendum acknowledged that the Amsterdam Treaty would not really change Denmark's relationship with its European neighbours.
One no voter, enjoying the early summer sunshine on a Copenhagen cafe terrace, said he did not have anything against Europe but he voted no because the 'Yes' campaign had not explained the treaty well enough.
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