Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen is under pressure from the opposition to call a referendum on Denmark’s EU opt-outs, according to Berlingske Tidende.

Immediately after Løkke Rasmussen announced former Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard’s candidacy as Denmark’s new EU Commissioner yesterday, the leaders of the Social Democratic, Socialist People’s and Social Liberal parties held a meeting and reached agreement to call for a quick referendum on two of Denmark’s EU opt-outs.

The three leaders: Villy Søvndal (SocPeo), Margrethe Vestager (SocLib) and Helle Thorning Schmidt (SocDem) are to meet the prime minister today to urge him to call a quick referendum on March 23 next year on the justice and defence opt-outs.

“We urge the prime minister to begin negotiations as soon as possible that can lead to a vote on the two opt-outs on issues that have opt-ins,” Helle Thorning Schmidt says.

Liberals reject
The opt-in model was negotiated by the government to allow Denmark to opt into parts of the European Union’s legal cooperation.

But the Liberal Political Spokesman Peter Christensen has rejected the call by the three parties because it does not include a vote on the euro, which Denmark has not adopted.

“We would like to discuss all the opt-outs and the euro is at least as important,” Christensen says.

Danish People's Party
The Danish People’s Party Leader Pia Kjærsgaard says that the opposition call falls on deaf ears.

“I don’t believe for a second that we’ll have a vote for a long time. And I don’t think that Lars Løkke is prepared to do so. I think he has a lot of other more pressing things. And then soon it’s election time – so I don’t think the prime minister wants anything to do with a referendum,” Kjærsgaard says.