Denmark was slated to stage a referendum on its current opt-outs from the European Union, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday without specifying a date, according to dpa. Rasmussen made the announcement at a joint news conference with the leader of the Conservatives, Bendt Bendtsen, where they outlined the incoming Danish government's platform. The opt-outs include the economic and monetary union, security and defence policy, and justice and home affairs and were negotiated some 14 years ago, Rasmussen said, adding that "since then Denmark and the EU have changed." Bendtsen said the government had "not decided" on whether the referendum would be on one or all of the opt-outs. Rasmussen said Denmark wanted to "quickly ratify" the new EU reform treaty, but the text of the government platform did not mention a referendum on the treaty. His previous government said it wanted the Justice Ministry to review the final text before discussing a possible referendum. Denmark joined the EU in 1973, but obtained the opt-outs after voters initially rejected the Maastricht Treaty in a 1992 referendum. The roughly 70-side page document has been agreed and negotiated between his Liberal Party and the Conservatives that since 2001 have governed with support from the Danish People's Party. The recent elections resulted in a drop for Rasmussen's Liberals and the centre-right minority government has therefore also had to secure backing from the centrist New Alliance party. Rasmussen said he would present his new cabinet lineup Friday. He invited to a "broad" and "open" cooperation with other parties in parliament on taxes, the environment and welfare, signalling that a tax commission would review how to cut wage taxes responsibly. "The government wants to make it even more profitable to work," the premier said, adding the current tax freeze would remain in place. The incoming government was also slated to raise development aid from 0.8 per cent of gross national income (GNI) but Bendtsen said no figure was set.
