But Flensborg is part of a shrinking minority. In recent weeks the “no” campaign–though outfunded three to one–has edged into a clear lead. Voters are rejecting the pro-euro message put out by trade unions, big business and almost all the major political parties. Their worry: a common currency will bring a common economic policy decided by largely unaccountable bankers and pols. At a debate last week Jens-Peter Bonde, a leader of the June Movement, which promotes the “no” case, put the matter plainly: “This isn’t some small economic formality,” he said. “It’s about giving up political control.”
Denmark has never been keen on doing that. Back in 1993 the Danes threw out the Maastricht Treaty on closer EU integration, briefly derailing the whole project. The country is leery of interference and proud of its long independence. With a population of only 5.2 million, Danes fear that their interests would be too easily ignored by their larger partners. “My main reason [for voting no] isn’t the economic side,” says psychologist Bodil Nejsum. “I just don’t like big systems.” Still, Denmark’s naysayers are quick to distinguish themselves from their fellow euro skeptics in Britain, who routinely vilify the EU. “We want Europe but not the euro,” says schoolmaster Svend Wittrock.
The euro’s collapse has not exactly helped the “yes” lobby’s cause. Their support–once around 60 percent–has declined with the currency. Sophisticated voters may recognize that currencies will always fluctuate, but there’s still unease about tying Denmark’s fortunes to a global loser. Advocates argue that a single European currency offers stability on international markets. “This is all about repealing the law of the jungle,” says Economic Affairs Minister Marianne Jelved, who last week forecast that a no vote would cost 20,000 jobs, raise interest rates and attract speculators to the krone.
Still, in good times it is always hard to persuade the public of future dangers. “Things would be different if we were weak,” says Hans Jorgen Nielsen, a political scientist at Copenhagen University. Unemployment stands at a record 25-year low; foreign investment is rising. And some mega projects are transforming the county’s infrastructure: the Oresund Link, a nine-mile combined bridge and tunnel, now connects Denmark to Sweden. A new town–Orestad–is taking shape between Copenhagen and the tunnel. With the future looking so bright, who needs more control from Frankfurt or Brussels ?
