Denmark: The Nordic model as an effort to bridge elite Euro-optimism and popular Euro-skepticism

In the 1992 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, the Danes initially voted against the treaty. Following the successful negotiations for four exemptions – the so-called Danish opt-outs – the treaty was eventually accepted at the second attempt in 1993. The 1992 referendum was a watershed event in Denmark’s EU membership. It has also clearly cast its shadow over the Danish attitude toward the EU constitution (Laursen 2003). The high threshold for ratification by parliament of any international treaty involving delegation of authority to a supranational organization – a five-sixth majority is required – makes a referendum nearly inevitable. Moreover, as the 1992 referendum revealed, broad support in parliament does not necessarily guarantee a popular mandate. Instead, the Danish public demonstrated its strong objections when a deepening of European integration impinges on the autonomy of the nation state (Taggart and Szcerbiak 2002).