Vast majority of Danes want to remain in EU

And who can blame them, when seeing the financial benefits of the co-operation

Feb 27, 2017

Despite the recent turmoil regarding Denmark’s Europol exit vote and the Brexit debacle, most Danes would prefer their nation to remain a member state of the EU.

A new Gallup survey compiled on behalf of Parliament revealed that just 18 percent of Danes want Denmark to exit from the EU.

“Following the election of Donald Trump in the US and the British vote, I think the Danes believe we must have a strong Europe,” Erik Christensen, the head of Parliament’s European Committee, told Metroxpress newspaper.

“We must stand together in the face of the massive challenges. But it is clear that despite the general positive opinion, many also believe that the EU meddles too much. They are critical, and with just cause.”

As part of the survey, respondents were asked what they wished Denmark’s relationship with the EU entailed. Some 16 percent said they wanted to be members, without reservations, 24.8 percent said they wanted to be members with fewer reservations, 14.7 percent said they wanted to be members with reservations, and 11.9 percent wanted to be members with more reservations.

Some 18 percent said they wished Denmark was out of the EU, while 14.7 percent said they didn’t know.

DK → EU = GDP + 100 billion
The overwhelming support for the EU in Denmark came as a new report from the consultancy firm Højbjerre Brauer Schultz on behalf of the Business Ministry showed that Denmark is better off with the EU from a financial perspective.

According to the report (here in Danish) Denmark’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is 5 percent (or 100 billion kroner) higher than it would have been as a non-EU member.

“Denmark’s economy is strongly dependent on shifting our goods and services to the inner market of the EU,” said Brian Mikkelsen, the business minister.

“Danish companies have access to 500 million consumers on equal footing with the Danish market, and that benefits growth and job creation. So we need that inner market and must retain the co-operation that has given us so much reward.”

According to the report, the EU inner market purchased Danish goods and services worth 622 billion kroner in 2015, and in 2014 close to 580,000 Danish jobs (about 21 percent of Denmark’s total workforce) were directly connected to the export of goods and services to other nations within the inner market of the EU.