Danish withdrawal from the European Union (colloquially Dexit[1] [2] or Danexit,[3] [4] a portmanteau of "Danish" and "exit") is the hypothesis that Denmark might leave the European Union (EU). Leaving the EU is officially supported by just two of the political parties represented in the Danish Parliament,[5] [6] with less than 8% of the total seats.
In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. Eurosceptics elsewhere in the EU were encouraged by this decision, although its consequences had yet to emerge. In 2016, Kristian Thulesen Dahl, then leader of the Danish People's Party (DPP), said that he wanted a referendum on whether Denmark should leave the EU.[7]
In 2020, Morten Messerschmidt, leader of the DPP since 2022, said that his country might leave the European Union within the next few years due to what he believed would be "the success of Brexit".[8]
As of 2023, membership of the European Union has broad support across the Danish political spectrum, including from the governing Social Democratic Party[9] and the main opposition Venstre.[10] The right-wing parties Danish People's Party and the New Right party support leaving the EU.[5] [11] Together, the two parties hold 10 of the 179 seats in the Danish parliament (as of July 2023).[12]
Although historically eurosceptic, the left-wing Unity List dropped its policy of supporting a membership referendum in 2019 as a result of the troubled Brexit negotiations.[13] It now advocates for reform of EU policies.[14] In 2022 it removed the wish to leave the EU from its manifesto, instead describing a "perspective" to leave the EU.[15] This was not without controversy within the party.[16] [17]
The classical liberal and libertarian Liberal Alliance tends to favour radically reforming and rolling back powers of the EU to protect Danish sovereignty, but individual politicians within the party and its youth branch at times but not any more endorse a complete withdrawal with some arguing that Denmark should leave the EU while maintaining single-market access.[18] [19] [20]
Denmark has been a member of the EU since 1973 and a majority support continued Danish membership of the EU. Greenland, after establishing home rule in 1979, voted to leave the European Communities in 1982 while remaining a country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark has twice voted against closer union: in 1992, the Danes voted against ratification of the Treaty of Maastricht,[21] but approved it after the Danish Government renegotiated its terms to secure Danish opt-outs from some of its provisions;[22] in 2000 in another referendum, Denmark decided by a small majority not to join the euro, but Danmarks Nationalbank continued its policy of maintaining a fixed exchange rate between the Danish krone and the euro.[23]
| Dates conducted | Polling by | Remain | Leave | Undecided or don't know | Lead | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-="" style="background:green;" type="number" | data-sort-="" style="background:red;" type="number" | ||||||
| data-sort-value="2023-03-21" | March 2023 | YouGov/Eurotrack[24] | 16% Total 'Leave' | 16% Don't know/Refused | 52% | ||
| data-sort-value="2021-02-15" | February 2021 | YouGov/Eurotrack[25] | 23% Total 'Leave' | 12% Don't know | 39% | ||
| data-sort-value="2020-04-08" | April 2020 | Sentio[26] | 22% Don't know | 0% | |||
| data-sort-value="2020-02-01" | 1 February 2020 | The United Kingdom left the European Union. | |||||
| data-sort-value="2019-11-07" | November 2019 | Eurobarometer[27] | 26% Tend not to trust | 11% Don't know what to do | 37% | ||
| data-sort-value="2019-04-26" | April 2019 | Sentio[28] | 41% EU membership | 2% | |||
| data-sort-value="2018-11-07" | November 2018 | Eurobarometer[29] | 31% Tend not to trust | 9% Don't know what to do | 29% | ||
| data-sort-value="2017-11-07" | November 2017 | Eurobarometer[30] | 37% Tend not to trust | 11% Don't know what to do | 15% | ||
| data-sort-value="2016-11-07" | November 2016 | Eurobarometer[31] | 39% Total 'Pessimistic' | 4% Don't know | 18% | ||
| data-sort-value="2016-06-23" | 23 June 2016 | The United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union. | |||||
| data-sort-value="2016-03-07" | 11-12 April 2016 | Analyseenheden 4V[32] | 30% Stay in the EU | 27% Follow Britain out of the EU | 34% Wait and see, and decide later 9% Don't know | 4% | |
| data-sort-value="2015-11-07" | November 2015 | Eurobarometer[33] | 30% Total 'Pessimistic' | 5% Don't know | 35% | ||
| data-sort-value="2014-11-07" | November 2014 | Eurobarometer[34] | 25% Total 'Pessimistic' | 2% Don't know | 48% | ||
| data-sort-value="2013-11-07" | November 2013 | Eurobarometer[35] | 22% Total 'Pessimistic' | 3% Don't know | 53% | ||