Abstract
This mixed-methods, analytical-empirical paper traces the development of the 2000 Danish euro referendum. Despite its long-term fixed exchange rate, Denmark opted out of Economic and Monetary Union in 1993 and rejected euro membership in 2000 through a series of national referenda. This apparent contradiction raises the question of how political elites of the time framed the preservation of a national currency constrained by its choice of monetary regime. I argue that, as they grappled with the nascent euro’s uncertainties, the Social Democrat government sought to redefine Danish sovereignty from that of isolationism to a concept only realized through European regionalism. Using archival research and public opinion, this paper traces how this shift unfolded in the lead-up to Denmark’s decisive referendum, transforming money into a central political object to contest nationhood. Sovereignty itself may be reconstituted through such discursive efforts.
DOI
10.5642/urceu.HRGH9806
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Cheng, Maria S.
(2026)
"Best for Denmark: Monetary Sovereignty and Nationhood in Denmark’s Campaign for Euro Membership, 1999-2000,"
Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union:
Vol. 2026, Article 5.
DOI: 10.5642/urceu.HRGH9806
Available at:
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu/vol2026/iss1/5