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7 out of 10 Danes optimistic about future of the EU: poll

A new survey shows that Danes have become significantly more positive towards the EU in the past six months.

Published: 11 August 2017 16:09 CEST

7 out of 10 Danes optimistic about future of the EU: poll

Photo: Iris/Scanpix

The study by EU survey programme Eurobarometer shows that the percentage of Danes who have a positive opinion of the EU has risen from 32 to 42 percent in six months, while the proportion of negative opinions has fallen from 23 to 17 percent.

The rest are neutral or responded ‘do not know’.

Danes are also optimistic about the future of the EU, shows a new poll from Eurobarometer surveying 28,000 EU-citizens’ view of the union.

Among Danish respondents, which total 1,016 people, seven out of ten answered that they are optimistic about the future of the EU. This makes Denmark one of the countries in the EU with the most optimists.

The Eurobarometer survey also shows that the percentage of Danes who believe the EU is heading towards a brighter future has increased from 57 percent in autumn of 2016 to 70 percent in the most recent survey.

Director of European Affairs at the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) Anders Ladefoged says the figures are very good news, writes dbibusiness.dk.

“The EU has in recent years suffered from an image crisis. There has been a lot of focus on the problems and almost none on the positive difference the EU makes. But the figures here indicate that there is an understanding among Danes that the EU helps create solutions that benefit Europeans,” Ladefoged told DI Business.

Danish support for the EU is further emphasised by a significant increase in the amount of Danes who say they have an overall positive view of the EU.

Ladefoged says the positive trend may be an expression of Britain’s experience of leaving the EU as being anything but rosy.

“Britain’s challenges highlight the fact that it is important to be a part of the EU. Without a well-functioning and strong EU, it will be significantly more difficult for Danish export companies to sell their goods abroad and create growth and jobs at home,” said Ladefoged, adding that Danish exporters currently help to create about 775,000 Danish jobs.

The most pro-EU country is, according to the Eurobarometer survey, Ireland, where 58 per cent of the respondents say they have a positive view of the European Union.

READ ALSO: Danish People's Party signals support for leaving EU

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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