Denmark to hold referendum on Europol in December

Denmark will hold a referendum December 3 on whether to keep its opt-out to the EU's justice and home affairs rules, it said Friday.

In order to stay on as a member of the European police agency Europol, Copenhagen must relinquish the exemption it negotiated after Danes rejected the Maastricht Treaty in 1992.

The referendum was initially due to be held in 2016, but was moved forward, according to the Danish media, so voters would not be influenced by Britain's own referendum on EU membership due to be held in 2016 or 2017.

"Central to the issue ... is continued Danish participation in the Europol cooperation," Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters.

Rasmussen's minority Liberal government holds only 34 of 179 seats in parliament. In order to pass legislation, he has to find compromises with either the left-wing opposition or the eurosceptic far-right Danish People's Party, which holds 37 seats.

Danes finally adopted the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 after obtaining four opt-outs: the euro, joint defense, judicial cooperation and European citizenship.