Denmark ponders closer links with Europe

The Oresund Bridge links Denmark and Sweden

By Robin Oakley
CNN.com European Political Editor

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CNN) -- The opening of the Oresund Bridge in July of this year has bound Denmark more closely than ever with its European neighbour Sweden.

After months of heated debate, however, Denmark remains sharply divided on whether to take a further step towards European integration by adopting the single European currency, the euro.

Virtually the entire political establishment -- the government, most of the major political parties, the business community, the trade unions -- are urging Danes to vote "yes" to the euro in the referendum on Thursday, September 28.

VIDEO CNN's Robin Oakley looks at the prospects for Danish integration in the euro Play video (QuickTime or Windows Media) An in-depth interview with the Danish leader Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

"I think it is very important for Denmark to be inside on these matters," says Klaus Norskov of the Confederation of Danish Industry (Dansk Industri). "If we stay on the outside in this area I think we are going to lose quite a lot of influence."

With such heavy political firepower gunning for a "yes" vote, the result of the referendum should be a foregone conclusion.

The Danes, however, who in 1992 shocked the EU by voting against ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union, are notorious upsetters of applecarts.

Opinion polls in the run-up to the referendum have shown the "no" campaigners not only holding their own, but often in the lead.

If they get their way, warn many experts, and the referendum results in a "no" vote, it could have serious consequences for Denmark's economic future.

Danes consider themselves fiercely independent

"The price of a 'no' is that we will define ourselves as being on the fringe of Europe," says Professor Niels Blomgren-Hansen of Copenhagen Business School. "Denmark will not be that interesting as a location for new industries. We will not get the impact from new industries coming here."

Many Danes, however, are more than content to be on the fringe. They have a fierce pride in being both different and independent. They want to be Europeans, but not at the price of losing their national identity, something they fear will happen if they join the single currency.

The Oresund Bridge has strengthened Denmark's links with at least one of its neighbours. For many of its citizens, however, the single currency might just be one link too many.