[autom.vertaling] Finland Engelse Zweden bekritiseren Deens standpunt Grondwet (en)

The Danish government is heading for trouble in the coming referendum on the EU Constitution Swedish and Finnish diplomats have warned.

Denmark's Nordic neighbours are accusing the country of half-heartedly supporting key Nordic issues.

"Denmark has ended up on the wrong team in many battles. They support the big countries' ambitions to give the future chairman of the European Council presidential competences, and they accept a number of controversial innovations on the Constitution", a high-placed EU negotiator from one of the Nordic countries said, quoted by Jyllands-Posten.

"It may turn out to be difficult to win a referendum if the Danish government creates the impression of not making sufficient efforts".

Finland has proposed a number of changes to the Constitution aiming at securing the sovereignty of the member states, and Danish experts say that proposals of this kind would increase the Danish government's chances of obtaining a 'yes' in the coming referendum expected some time in 2004.

Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moller, however, fears that too many proposals for changes would endanger the Treaty text as it stands, and lead to risks that the final result might be less good than the present one.

He added that the first Danish priority must be to preserve the country's opt-outs on the Maastricht Treaty, amongst them on the euro and on judicial cooperation, writes Jyllands-Posten.