The Danish Prime Minister, Mr Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, yesterday urged a Yes vote in a referendum on the Amsterdam Treaty, amid signs that public support is wilting because of labour unrest.
In a May Day address in the city of Ballerup, west of Copenhagen, Mr Rasmussen stressed the EU treaty was fundamental to the future of Denmark in Europe.
A No vote in the referendum on May 28th would sink the country "into a well of uncertainty", while support for the treaty, which aims to reform the European Union and open the road to EU enlargement, would be a statement of confidence in Denmark's development, he said.
"If the people firmly back the government in the referendum, I promise that we will continue to fight for Danish interests. The Treaty of Amsterdam is better than Maastricht, because it will allow us to solve common problems and dangers that no country can face alone," he said, citing the problems of organised crime and drug-trafficking.
Danes rejected the Maastricht Treaty in June 1992, but secured four exemptions at the Edinburgh summit of December the same year. The exemptions allow it to stay out of the EU's single currency, joint defence and judicial policies and European citizenship, and enabled the treaty to be approved in a second referendum in May 1993.
A survey published yesterday in the economic daily Boerson showed support for the Amsterdam Treaty had dropped in April, apparently confirming government fears that labour unrest could breed anti-European sentiment. The survey of 1,182 people showed support for the treaty at 42 per cent, down 4.6 percentage points from the previous month. Opposition to the agreement was up 3.4 percentage points at 34.3 per cent.
The survey was carried out between April 27th and 29th, coinciding with the first three days of a massive private-sector strike, Denmark's first case of industrial action in 13 years.
Only 29.31 per cent of workers surveyed said they would back the agreement, compared to 42.72 per cent in March.
Danish unions and employers began talks on Thursday in an attempt to thrash out an agreement to end the private-sector stoppage before the government decides to intervene.