Danish withdrawal from the European Union
Danish withdrawal from the European Union is the hypothesis that Denmark might leave the European Union (EU). Leaving the EU is officially supported by just two of the political parties represented in the Danish Parliament, with less than 8% of the total seats.
Background
In June 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. Eurosceptics elsewhere in the EU were encouraged by this decision, although its consequences had yet to emerge.In 2016, Kristian Thulesen Dahl, then leader of the Danish People's Party, said that he wanted a referendum on whether Denmark should leave the EU.
In 2020, Morten Messerschmidt, leader of the DPP since 2022, said that his country might leave the European Union within the next few years due to what he believed would be "the success of Brexit".
Political positions
As of 2023, membership of the European Union has broad support across the Danish political spectrum, including from the governing Social Democratic Party and the main opposition Venstre. The right-wing parties Danish People's Party and the New Right party support leaving the EU. Together, the two parties hold 10 of the 179 seats in the Danish parliament.Although historically eurosceptic, the left-wing Unity List dropped its policy of supporting a membership referendum in 2019 as a result of the troubled Brexit negotiations. It now advocates for reform of EU policies. In 2022 it removed the wish to leave the EU from its manifesto, instead describing a "perspective" to leave the EU. This was not without controversy within the party.
The classical liberal and libertarian Liberal Alliance tends to favour radically reforming and rolling back powers of the EU to protect Danish sovereignty, but individual politicians within the party and its youth branch at times but not any more endorse a complete withdrawal with some arguing that Denmark should leave the EU while maintaining single-market access.