Sweden says nej
Sweden has voted against joining the European single currency.
Analysts had forecasted the tragic murder of Anna Lindh, the Scandinavian country’s pro-euro foreign minister, would engender a sympathy vote and influence floating voters to embrace the fledgling currency, which has been adopted by 13 other member states.
On Sunday, defenders of the kroner won 56.2 per cent of the vote, with 100 per cent of the 5.4 million ballots counted.
Advocates of the single currency managed to win 41.8 per cent. There was an 81 per cent turnout.
Sweden was one of only three European Union nations to defer euro entry at the currency’s launch. The Swedish vote is likely to influence future referendums in Denmark and Britain.
Denmark voted against the single currency in 2000.
George Eustice, director of the No campaign, said “serious problems” in the eurozone had made Swedes think twice about giving up control of their economy.
“This result is a warning to Tony Blair and highlights the huge obstacles he would face trying to bounce Britain into the euro. The only two countries to be given a vote on the euro have rejected it.
Tory foreign affairs spokesman, Michael Ancram, said Tony Blair’s euro campaign was now “severely damaged.”
“No-one can argue any more that the euro is inevitable.”
Goran Persson, Sweden’s PM rejected calls for his resignation but said the result revealed a “profound scepticism towards the European project.”
Swedish ‘No’ campaigner, Jonas Sjostedt MEP of the Left Party, said Britain and Denmark should also remain outside the single currency.
“I think Britain and Denmark and Sweden are doing better outside the euro for the moment, and that has been one of the main arguments.
“We can clearly see that the euro isn’t working at the moment.
“We can see that there are severe economic problems in Germany, France and Italy, and we can see how the single currency and the single interest rate makes it more difficult for countries to create jobs and create growth.”
But Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the result had little meaning for the outcome of the Danish referendum.
Labour MP Martin Linton said the British public was “fairly sceptical” about the single currency. Consequently, pro-euro have a “big mountain to climb” to persuade people to go for euro embrace.
