AS THE people of Denmark get ready to vote today in the referendum on the future of the country’s opt-out policy related to European Union’s defence, progressive and left-wing sections have given a call to vote No.

The referendum will decide the future of Denmark’s policy of not participating in the Common Security and Defence Policy or EU military operations.

The leftist Red-Green Alliance, Communist Party (KP), Danish Communist Youth (DKU), Red-Green Youth and various trade unions have initiated a campaign to urge people to vote No in the upcoming referendum.

However, major parties, including the Social Democratic Party, which leads the incumbent coalition government headed by Mette Frederiksen, have favored voting Yes in the referendum, and abolishing Denmark’s 30-year position of staying out of the EU’s defence mechanisms.

Even though Denmark has been a member of the precursor organisation of the European Union since 1973, the people of the country rejected the Maastricht Treaty in a 1992 referendum.

This compelled the EU leadership to grant four exceptions to the country as part of the Edinburgh Agreement, which eventually led to Denmark ratifying the treaty in 1993.

The opt-outs included the Common Security and Defence Policy, justice and home affairs, the citizenship of the European Union and the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

Earlier attempts to abolish several opt-outs — by adopting the euro as the national currency in 2000 and modifying the justice opt-out in 2015 — were rejected by Danish citizens in referendums.

In light of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, pro-EU sections in the country have intensified their campaign to further integrate Denmark into the EU’s defence mechanisms and military manoeuvres by abolishing the defence opt-out.

Progressive sections in the country have warned that abolishing the military opt-out will compromise Denmark’s sovereignty.

Meanwhile, certain sections have resorted to scaremongering as part of an agenda to further militarise the region.

Mai Villadsen from Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) said on May 25:  “When we go to vote on June 1, we don’t vote to participate in defence of the EU countries.

“We vote on whether a narrow majority in the parliament should be able to send young people on missions far from the borders of the EU — missions that in my eyes are often worrying and problematic.”

She said that EU military missions are intended to protect major European companies’ climate-damaging interests in fossil energy, or capture refugee boats in the Mediterranean and put them in camps in Africa where they are exposed to assault and human rights violations.

“These are the kind of missions we are voting for. Should we contribute to them with money and soldiers? For me and the Enhedslisten, the answer is simple. The answer is No. That’s why we say: keep the defence reservation and vote No.”

The cadres of the KP are actively campaigning among the people for a No vote.

The party has stated that it is against both the EU and Nato, “And we urge people not to give up the fight against imperialism, militarism and war.”

The DKU in its statement said: “The upcoming referendum on whether to keep our defence reservations or abolish them is a topic that divides the waters.

“Yes-sayers choose to play on the people’s feelings and fear of an escalation of the war in Ukraine to convince them that Denmark is in danger and only the EU can protect us. DKU condemns this.

“Rather than getting emotional, the key is a nuanced and insightful analysis of the situation as it stands out in Denmark, Europe and the world.

“Denmark’s communist youth says No to the abolition of the defence reservation.”

This article appeared at peoplesdispatch.org.