Copenhagen - Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday said his government had not decided on whether to stage separate referendums on Denmark's current opt-outs from the European Union. Broadcaster TV2 earlier reported that Rasmussen's government planned two separate referendums. The first was likely in September on security and defence policy as well as justice and home affairs, while a separate referendum was due at a later date on the euro.
Rasmussen told news agency Ritzau that "no decision" had been reached on the referendums or if several will be staged, citing that his government was "listening to what the others parties have to say."
Denmark joined the EU in 1973, but obtained opt-outs after voters initially rejected the Maastricht Treaty in a 1992 referendum.
Recently, parliament ratified the Lisbon Treaty and leading cabinet members have said it was time to drop the opt-outs since they gave Denmark less say in the bloc.
Rasmussen's minority government however needs to cooperate with the main opposition parties on the opt-outs since it cannot rely on its traditional parliamentary backer, the populist Danish People's Party on EU issues.
Villy Sovndahl, leader of the opposition Socialist People's Party, has called for separate referendums as has Margrethe Vestager, leader of the opposition Social Liberals.
The main opposition party, the Social Democrats, wants a single referendum.
Svend Auken of the Social Democrats said the party wanted to study a report due this summer from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) that has been commissioned to review the opt-outs against the backdrop of the new EU reform treaty.
A recent survey commissioned by banking group Danske Bank suggested a slim majority of Danish voters backed replacing the krone for the euro but many voters were undecided.
