Bulletin - The British European Association (Denmark)

The British European – page 1
BRITISH EUROPEAN
Bulletin
Bulletin
Campaigning for the Rights of Britons in Europe
ISSN 1604-5025 Issue No. 66 – December 2007
“BE together” – Forthcoming events
Institut for Samtidskunst, Overgaden Neden Vandet 17, Christianshavn, has an interesting photo/video
exhibition; for those who are interested meet there on Wednesday 9 th of January at 1 pm.
Annual Dinner. The annual dinner will be at the Hong Fu Restaurant, Østerbrogade 132, 2100 Ø, at 7
pm on 25 th January 2008.
In February we plan to have a wine tasting evening– further information later.
______________________
British European Association
Annual General Meeting, Sunday 4th November 2007,
12 noon
at Rundforbivej 48 A, 2950 Vedbæk

1. Appointment of chairperson
2. Adoption of the agenda
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Agenda
3. Reports
i. Treasurer
ii. Home page editor - including programme of speakers
iii. Bulletin editor
iv. Social organiser
v. Campaign committee
vi. Coordinator
vii. President
4. Appointment of management team for 2007 – 2008
Appointment of substitutes
5. Proposals received before 25. October:
1. That the annual subscription be substantially reduced to a figure
set at the AGM.
2. What actions, if any, should we be taking in connection with
the Danish Folketingsvalg?
3. What can we do in connection with the information received
from the University in Newcastle?
6. Any other business
What are the expectations of the members?
Forthcoming ideas and involvements
Bulletin articles etc.
7. Thanks
8. Closure of meeting
President’s Report 2006/07
First of all I’d like to thank Bill Vase and Bent Kristiansen for the Bulletin and
especially for all the hard work they have put in establishing a new website for The
British European Association. The address is: briteuro.dk. They have both worked
many hours during the summer. I would also like to thank Jill Conway-Fell for her
work on our new flyer and Monty London and Joe McKernan for their work and
support. And thank you all for your support.
We are still associate Members of Europeans Throughout the World, based in
Brussels. The English Speaking Union continues to invite us as ‘friends’ but some
meetings are for members only. Germaine Greer was in Copenhagen in September

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and the Australian Department at Copenhagen University invited the ESU and other
groups, including us, to the lecture.
We had a wine tasting evening last autumn at Oxholm Vin, Godthåbsvej 203. As you
may have noticed, this evening was very well attended. We held our annual dinner in
January at the Hong Fu Chinese Restaurant on Østerbrogade. Apart from the good
food they are able to let us have a room to ourselves which is a great advantage.
Jill Conway-Fell arranged a meeting with the author Helle Stangerup at the end of
March. Helle Stangerup gave a talk at the Riviera Restaurant in Hellerup. She told us
about the research she had had to do in order for her to write her latest book
“Skæbnegalleriet” which is about the painter Hans Holbein at the court of Henry
VIII.
Joe McKernan arranged for his friend Chris to show us round Christiania in April.
Chris was an absolute mine of information especially as he had been one of the first
people to live there if only for a few weeks. We went in by the ‘back entrance’ and
felt as if we were walking along a country lane with a few colourful houses here and
there even though we were only a few minutes from the centre of town. It was
extremely interesting.
I went to a meeting at KUKS in the spring. They are trying to establish a website
with links to groups from various countries resident here, so we have given them our
new website address and information about the BEA.
We had our annual summer outing on 8. July this year. We met at Skodsborg Station
and walked through the woods to Rådvad where we ate our picnic lunches. On the
way we crossed the Mathilde Bridge where we met a man who told us that a colony
of Kingfishers came there in January. After our picnic we continued our walk to
Rundforbivej 48 A where we had a good chat.
On September 2 a group of us walked from Holte Station to the museum beside
Søllerød Kro. We saw an exhibition about the invasion of Denmark in 1807 when
30.000 Brits landed at Vedbæk and marched to Copenhagen.
Bent and I were in England in September and went into the Politics Department at
the University in Newcastle. We told them of our plight in not being allowed to vote
in National General Elections either in Denmark or the UK. We were given two email
addresses and contacted the people concerned. We have received replies which
we will discuss later in the meeting.

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On October 26 KUKS held the International Gala Festival of National Fare in honour
of United Nations Day. A few of us attended and had a wonderful evening. We had
black chocolate from Venezuela, cheesecake from the Ukraine, wonderful beef from
Albania, hot stuff from India and Indonesia and a lot of other specialities from many
countries, not to mention various drinks. Some children played Japanese drums, there
was Scottish Dancing and there were some Maori songs. We also danced to a New
Orleans jazz band.
We would appreciate more input for our Bulletin so if you’ve had some interesting
experiences, been abroad, or have other things you’d like to write about – please do!
We seem to be standing still as far as achieving our goal is concerned, but we are not
going to disappear as we should be allowed a vote in this democratic age.
Valerie Kristiansen
Minutes BEA AGM, 4/11/07, 12 noon – venue: Rundforbivej 48A
ad.1 Appointment of chairperson and secretary
Jens Ulstrup was appointed chairperson, Bill Vase was appointed secretary.
Greetings and apologies from Paul and Dorothy Westergaard.
ad.2 Adoption of the agenda
Agenda was adopted.
ad.3 Reports:
i) The treasurer, Bent Kristiansen, submitted the accounts for the year. The accounts
were approved.
As an associate member of Europeans throughout the World BEA pays a reduced
subscription rate.
ii) The home page editor Bill Vase pointed out that he was not suited to organising a
programme of speakers. The management team took care of initiatives as a group.
Otherwise, Bill Vase will take care of our new website. Philip Hollingbery suggested
that the "@" in our e-mail address should not be visible in order not to attract the
attention of spam machines. This has been addressed.
iii) The Bulletin editor, Bent Kristiansen, announced that the next Bulletin is due out
soon but we need input from the other members. Deadline: 1. December. Bill Vase
suggested that we publish our bulletins as PDF documents instead of as Word
documents. PDF documents cannot be edited but can just as easily be downloaded
from a website. The suggestion was approved.

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iv) Social organiser: We have no SO but this has not hindered the many ad hoc
initiatives mentioned by Valerie Kristiansen who proposed we carry on in the same
way. The proposal was approved.
v) Campaign committee
We do not have a campaign committee for the moment.
vi) The coordinator, Monty London, keeps the record of members. There was nothing
to report.
vii) The President:
The President, Valerie Kristiansen, thanked all by name who have been active during
the past year, especially the members of the management team who had arranged
events and the members who had created our new website. The full report will be
published in the next Bulletin. The report was approved.
ad.4 Appointment of management team for 2007 – 2008.
The following members were appointed:
President: Valerie Kristiansen
Treasurer: Bent Kristiansen
Webmaster: Bill Vase
Coordinator: Monty London
Bulletin editor: Bent Kristiansen
Members of the management team: Jill Conway-Fell and Joe McKernan
Appointment of substitutes – Elizabethann Burke Madsen.
ad.5 Proposals received before 25th October
1) That the annual subscription be substantially reduced to a figure set at the AGM.
The current subscription fee was in no way considered excessive. Proposal rejected
unanimously.
2) What actions, if any, should we be taking in connection with the Danish
Folketingsvalg?
Philip Hollingbery said we should, as E.M. Forster said, "only connect". Forster was
thinking about Bloomsbury. PH mentioned global warming and the topic in England
of European ethnic minorities v. EU citizens.
Several of the participants brought up the current situation of Danes finding
themselves on the wrong side of the border and being automatically disenfranchised
after two years.
It was proposed and accepted that we mount a two-stage approach in the press which
cites these Danes (EU citizens and DK ex-pats and denied voting rights) and mention
our own case (EU citizens resident in DK and denied voting rights).
3) What can we do in connection with the information received from the University of

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Newcastle?
Valerie Kristiansen submitted documents covering her correspondence with PH
Daniels and Jocelyn Mawdsley. A printout from the website "Citizens Signpost
Service" which claims to assist EU citizens solving their problems when "on the
move". A link has already been included on our new website.
ad.6 Any other business. What are the expectations of the members? Forthcoming ideas
and involvements, Bulletins articles etc.
ad.7 Thanks
An appeal was made for editorial contributions for the Bulletin. Anything of interest.
Offer by Eileen - on travels in the Far East with some pictures
Offer by Jill - on Germain Greer's ESU lecture recently on Australia
The chairperson, Jens Ulstrup, and Valerie Kristiansen thanked all who were present
at the meeting. They in turn thanked Valerie and Bent Kristiansen for their hospitality.
ad.8 Meeting Closed.
The main reason for our existence – our lack of voting rights to
national parliamentary elections.
I have talked to people who say that even if they were able to vote their individual vote would make
no difference. But we should remember that there are hundreds of people in Denmark and thousands
of people in the EU who have lost their democratic right to vote in national elections and therefore
have no voice or representation. If these disenfranchised people were all able to vote their individual
votes would, no doubt, make a difference.
It should be possible to have dual nationality or that voting rights be connected to residency as the
free movement of labour is encouraged within the EU and globalisation is a fact.
Danes and Brits eventually lose their voting rights when they have lived abroad for some time.
However some countries have made it possible for their ex-pats to vote.
Voting rights in EU:
Citizens of the following EU countries, resident in other EU countries, can vote in national elections
in their home country:
Austria, Belgium, Denmark*, Finland, France**, Germany, Greece*****, Iceland****,
Ireland*****Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway****, Poland, Portugal**, Schweiz, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden***, Tjekkia, and UK****.
* Danish citizens employed by an international agency, as for example UN, EU, WHO, can vote,

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however for 8 years only. Danish citizens moving to another country, including an EU country lose
their right to vote after 2 years.
** French and Portuguese citizens can vote for members of their parliament on a special list for
expats. votes.
*** Swedish citizens can vote in all national elections. There is a proposal under discussion in
Sweden that foreign citizens should be able to vote in Sweden when they have been resident for 5
years.
**** UK citizens can vote for up to 15 years after leaving UK; however it is very difficult as a UK
citizen has to register on an electoral roll in the UK.
Norwegian citizens can vote for 10 years, Icelandic citizens for 8 years, however it is possible to
apply for extensions in both countries.
***** Expats. from Greece and Ireland cannot vote in national elections.
We lack information on voting rights for expats. for some of the newer member states, however
ETTW in Brussels is collecting this information and we shall include the information in our next
Bulletin.
Bent
We are not the only ones complaining about the lack of voting rights. During the
election campaign several persons had letters published in Danish newspapers.
There were two letters from a Danish lady in Switzerland, one letter in from a
Dane in Germany, two letters from Danes living in Sweden, one letter from a
Dutch lady in Denmark and one letter from a Dane in Denmark. The letters
were published in Jyllandsposten, Berlingske Tidende, Politiken and in
Weekendavisen. Two of our members had letters published as well.
Jens Ulstrup has written the following based upon the letter from Germany:
Christian Ulrich Terp, dansk præst i Sydslesvig har i Jyllandsposten, den 4. november fremført et
problem af stor alvor for mange mennesker. Som dansk statsborger og med alle skatte- og andre
borgerforpligtelser over for Danmark er han berøvet sin stemmeret til det danske folketing, fordi
han har formastet sig til at bosætte sig uden for Danmarks grænser og her efter det danske samfunds
opfordring varetager hverv at stor betydning både for Danmark og det land, hvori han er bosat. Som
dansk præst syd for grænsen øver han oven i købet en fortjenstfuld indsats for Danmark over for det
danske mindretal i Sydslesvig. For denne indsats belønner det danske samfund ham ved at
degradere ham til status af stemmeløs borger.
Christian Ulrich deler skæbne med tusinder af andre danske statsborgere, der øver tilsvarende store
indsatser for Danmark i alle europæiske lande og i hele resten af verden lige fra Malmø til Påskeøen
og Rarotonga. Hertil kommer titusinder af andre EU-borgere bosat uden for deres europæiske
hjemlande, og som lige midt i Europa som ”tak” for deres internationale engagement er frataget

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denne ret, der nu i 150 år har været en selvfølge i Europa. Alene af britiske statsborgere bosiddende
i Danmark er mange tusinder frataget denne selvfølgelige ret.
Fra danske politikere af enhver politisk observans, der aspirerer til det danske folketing har der
hidtil været mildest talt liden interesse for dette alvorlige demokratiske problem. Holdingen ”du kan
jo bare blive statsborger i det land, du er bosiddende i” afspejler en nedladenhed i slående modstrid
med andre højtråbte budskaber om det ønskværdige i, at ”holdninger”, ”værdier”,
”internationalisering” o.s.v. tillægges betydning. Alt det tror vi efterhånden overhovedet ikke på.
Det var også rørende at bevidne den omsorg, hele partispektret udviste over for herboende irakere,
der åh så sandelig skulle sikres valgdeltagelse, stemmeret og det hele ved valg i de pågældendes
fjerntliggende hjemland. Selvfølgelig skulle de da sikres disse fundamentale rettigheder, men
hvorfor har politikerne fra Dansk Folkeparti til Enhedslisten ingen som helst interesse i at sikre
tilsvarende rettigheder for titusinder af danske og andre EU-borgere lige i Europas hjerte?
Vi vil med Christian Ulrich ”have vores stemmeret”. Vi er trætte af diverse ”prokuratorfif ” fra alle
partierne om afvisning af vores fundamentale parlamentariske rettigheder, og der ingen som helst
fornuftig begrundelse for, at det ikke skal ske her og nu. Og til vores politikere fra Dansk Folkeparti,
via Ny Alliance til Enhedslisten, spar os venligst for mere af jeres hykleri om demokrati i
fjerntliggende udemokratiske lande, så længe I ikke har ønske om at sikre jeres egne danske og
europæiske landsmænd disse selvfølgelige rettigheder,
Weekendavisen 16. November:
'I valgkampen har mange emner været diskuteret - velfærd, mangel på velfærd,
udlændinge, ældrecheck og støtte til rengøring for børnefamilier - men, EU traktaten har
stort set ikke været diskuteret og danskere i udlandet uden stemmeret har været uden
interesse for partierne.
For kort tid siden var der valg i Polen og hvad oplevede vi - polakker i Danmark kunne
stemme herfra til deres parlamentsvalg, medens danske statsborgere i Sverige, Tyskland,
Norge og i andre lande ikke kunne stemme til vort Folketingsvalg.
I en tid med internationalisering og globalisering som mange politikere fremhæver som
værende så vigtig, er det besynderligt at samme politikere er ganske tavse når det drejer
sig om stemmeret for danske i udlandet. Det nye Folketing burde som en af dets første
opgaver løse dette problem og før EU-traktaten støves af til vedtagelse i Tinget eller
sendes til Folkeafstemning.'
Med venlig hilsen
Bent Kristiansen
Rundforbivej 48 A
2950 Vedbæk
Jill Conway-Fell had a letter published in Jyllandsposten on 5. December:
Mange danske statsborgere har udtrykt deres utilfredshed med den kendsgerning at de er blevet
berøvet deres stemmeret fordi de har formastet sig at bosætte sig uden for Danmarks grænser hvor

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de varetager hverv af stor betydning både for Danmark og det land hvori de er bosat.
Hertil kommer tusindvis af andre EU-borgere bosat uden for deres hjemlande. Alene af britiske
statsborgere bosiddende i Danmark er mange tusinder frataget denne ret. Jeg er en af dem. Folk
herhjemme sige ”ja men, du kan jo bare blive dansk statsborger hvis du er så ivrig efter at få
stemmeret”. Men hvorfor skulle det være nødvendigt når alle politikere af alle politiske observanser
snakker om globaliseringens lyksaligheder, og hvorfor skulle det være nødvendigt når vi alle
sammen er EU statsborgere. Nu vil nogle svare, ja men den danske grundlov gør det umuligt for
udlændinge at stemme til det danske folketing. Grundloven blev skrevet længe inden man i
Danmark havde tænkt at EU ville opstå.
Hvor var det rørende at bevidne den omsorg hele partispektret udviste over for herboende irakere
der så sandelig skulle sikres valgdeltagelse ved valget i Irak, men hvad med samme rettigheder for
titusinder af danske og andre EU-borgere i Europas? Sikken noget hykleri når danske politikere
snakker om demokrati i fjerntliggende udemokratiske lande. Hvad med lidt solidaritet overfor jeres
egne danske og europæiske landsmænd.
JP d.21/11 skrev Kent Olsen, om to damer han kender i Berlin hvor han bor, en fra Polen og den
anden fra Schweiz, og begge havde stemmeret i deres respektive lande. Herhjemme har jeg tit set
annoncer fra forskellige ambassader, der opmuntre deres statsborger til at brevstemme i deres
oprindelsesland, men Storbritannien er ikke iblandt dem. Nu vil den Britiske ambassadør nok svare,
ja, men britiske statsborgere bevarer deres stemmeret i 15 år. Med andre ord, det må være godt nok.
Nej, det er ikke godt nok, når folk som jeg ingen stemmeret har hverken i Storbritannien eller
Danmark.
I JP d.25/11 nævnte Carl Dawids noget meget væsentligt, nemlig det at ”Unge opfordres igen og
igen til efter endt uddannelse at søge ud og lære noget og komme hjem og bruge det til gavn for det
danske samfund. Men hvis de rejser ud, må de ikke stemme til Folketingsvalg, hvis de bliver
udenlands i mere end to år, selv om de har dansk pas. Borgere i andre EU lande kan stemme, uanset
hvor de bor, og hvor længe de har været hjemmefra”. Nu ved CD, at kun nogle EU-borgere har
stemmeret i deres oprindelsesland.
Både danske og andre EU-borgere kræver deres demokratisk ret, nemlig stemmeret, enten i deres
oprindelsesland eller i det land indenfor EU hvor de har valgt at bosætte sig. Alt andet er urimeligt.
Jill Conway-Fell
Byporten 96
2970 Hørsholm
Other members have talked to politicians, here is an example:
Personal Lobbying
Lobbying is not easy, even if you have a rare opportunity for a personal
meeting with Those At The Top. I discovered this when I was privileged at the
start of the election campaign to meet the Danish Foreign Secretary, Per Stig

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Møller, and had time to tell him of my plight: I had lived and paid taxes in
Denmark for over thirty years and yet had no vote. How could this be
democratic?
Oh, beware the charms of these politicians! His reply was to regale me with a
tale of when he was a young student studying in Paris and felt disappointed he
could not vote in elections in Denmark, and so on. Of course, before I could
come back to ask what a future government could do for me and the many
others in the same situation, he had to move on, and I lost my chance.
I did not fare any better with the leader of the Conservatives, Bendt Bendtsen.
I told him I could not vote for him, even if I wanted to, and his smiling reply
was, "Well it's lucky your husband can, then."
What a failure I am!
Jill Conway-Fell has written the text for our new flyer:
Elizabethann Burke
November 2007
British citizens resident in Denmark do not have the right to vote in general elections, either in
Britain or in Denmark.
The British European Association (BEA) is an independent organisation with no political
affiliations; it is supported by people from all walks of life.
The primary aim of the Association is to obtain the vote in national elections for British citizens
residing in Denmark, either in Britain or in Denmark.
The Association acts on behalf of expatriates, in collaboration with other organisations in Europe,
such as ‘Europeans Throughout the World’ (of which the BEA is an associate member), and lobbies
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The BEA does not accept the fact that some British
citizens residing in Denmark have no voice and that they may vote in local elections only, and
elections of members to the EP. Furthermore, we regard the lack of political representation as the
greatest obstacle to freedom of movement within the EU. Members of the BEA have agreed that the
EU has a responsibility towards European citizens, especially in view of EU Directive 2004/38/EC
of the European Parliament and of The Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the
Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member
States, amending Regulation (EEC) No.1612/68 of The Council of 15 October 1968.
The BEA invites speakers, such as authors, and arranges various social events; social events
include: an annual dinner in January; a picnic in July; and other events on an ad hoc basis.
For further information, please see the BEA’s website www.briteuro.dk, where details of past
activities and current concerns can be found, including recent ‘Bulletins’ and electoral information.
The BEA is run by volunteers and would welcome new members. If you are interested in the
BEA’s aims and activities, please send us an e-mail at
das74klapa@briteuro.dk

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An address given by Dr Germaine Greer
at Copenhagen University on 27 September, 2007
‘Australia – what’s left’?
by
Jill Conway-Fell
The English Speaking Union (ESU) arranged for Dr Germaine Greer, the renowned authoress of,
inter alia, ‘The Female Eunuch’, a book that caused quite a sensation in the 1970s, to address a
packed auditorium at Copenhagen University on 27 September 2007. Many of us were surprised to
hear that she had written books about such varied subjects as poetry and gardening, and that her
latest book entitled ‘Shakespeare’s Wife’is about the spouse of William Shakespeare.
Dr Greer voiced her concerns about bio-diversity problems in Australia, saying that the Aussies
simply did not care about fauna and flora, and that many species would soon become extinct.
Reasons given for this situation were deforestation, grazing sheep and cattle, and agriculture, and
the fact that native trees were being replaced by foreign and invasive species. Bio-diversity was
being destroyed by mining and quarrying, by fragmentation and fire farming.
In Dr Greer’s opinion, the complexity of Aboriginal communication, the absence of an ethnographic
map of Australian, and the Aborigines as a vanished society were factors that posed considerable
challenges. The Aborigines had a very strong culture of avoidance, that had resulted in a vanished
society. The missionaries had prevented Aboriginal languages which had resulted in loss of land and
identity, and enforced housing had prevailed. What white Australians mean when they use the word
‘reconciliation’ is that the Aboriginals must accept their fate and all their losses, which had resulted
in violence, including attacks on women and children, suicide, drunken driving, and other forms of
self-destruction. Health problems included obesity and diabetes.
Furthermore, water sources had been destroyed by early white settlers; practically all fresh water
was now saline, and in fact the Murray-Darling River had been destroyed by salt.
It was a very interesting talk and quite a number of questions seeking possible solutions were put to
Dr Greer. Many thanks to the ESU for a stimulating evening.
From Danes Worldwide’s Kronborgmeeting on 12. August 2007 we bring
Christopher Bo Bramsen’s speech on voting rights or lack of voting rights:
Jeg har omtalt, at Danes Worldwide er en interesseorganisation. Lad mig i den forbindelse her
nævne en enkelt mærkesag, som ligger os på sinde. Det er det gamle spørgsmål, om udedanskernes
manglende eller begrænsede stemmeret ved danske Folketingsvalg og folkeafstemninger. Ifølge
Grundloven skal man have ”fast bopæl i riget” for at kunne stemme. Det er en regel, der går helt
tilbage til 1849, hvor Slesvig-Holsten-problematikken spillede ind. I 120 år fulgte vi reglen helt

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bogstaveligt. Men i 1970 begyndte vi at fortolke Grundloven på en mere åben måde for at undgå
urimelige begrænsninger. Således vedtog Folketinget i 1970 en ændring af Valgloven, der gav
stemmeret til udeværende danske diplomater. Begrundelsen herfor var primært, at danske
diplomater havde forflyttelsespligt, og at de fremover – som noget nyt - skulle betale skat af deres
løn til Danmark. I 1980, blev Valgloven udvidet til også at omfatte en række andre danskere i
udlandet, primært udsendte medarbejdere, der midlertidigt opholder sig i udlandet, såvel fra
offentlige myndigheder som private institutioner og virksomheder. Lovgiver overlod det til et
Valgretsnævn, sammensat af embedsmænd, til at tage stilling til hvilken maksimumsgrænse, der
skulle for at betegne et ophold som midlertidigt. Nævnet besluttede, at der her skulle gælde en 12årsgrænse.
Efter at 12-årsreglen havde været fulgt i mere end 20 år, besluttede Valgretsnævnet
imidlertid i 2002 - på egen hånd – at nedsætte maksimumsperioden for et midlertidigt
udlandsophold til 8 år. I 2003 ønskede Regeringen at skære igennem alle disse forskellige regler og
fortolkninger omkring midlertidighedskriteriet, ved at fastsætte en 12-års regel for alle danske
statsborgere i udlandet, altså også de statsborgere, der ikke er udsendte. Et forslag herom var
indeholdt i regeringsgrundlaget, som fik fuld støtte fra justitsminister Lene Espersen. Det var et godt
forslag, der tillige ville føre til en langt mere enkel behandling af disse sager. Forslaget havde bred
tilslutning i Folketinget, men det blev skrinlagt, da et ekspertudvalg, bestående af juridiske
professorer og embedsmænd, fandt, at 12 år var for stor en mundfuld, hvis man skulle respektere
Grundlovens krav om ”fast bopæl i riget”. De mente, at 2 år nok var det længste. man kunne
strække sig for de ikke-udsendte. Folketinget fulgte eksperterne, og vedtog i 2004 en lovændring,
der satte denne grænse til 2 år. Dér står vi i dag. Med valgretsregler, der er blandt de mest
restriktive og mest indviklede i den demokratiske del af verdenen. Mange lande giver fuld valgret til
alle deres statsborgere, uanset hvor de opholder sig i verden og uden nogen tidsbegrænsninger. I
Europa gælder det bl.a. Sverige, Finland, Schweiz, Spanien, Italien, Østrig og Benelux-landene,
Polen, Tjekkiet og Slovenien. Andre sætter nogle maksimumsangivelser på hvor mange år,
stemmeretten kan bevares i udlandet. Det gælder bl.a. England (15 år) samt Norge (10 år) og Island
(8 år). Såvel i Norge og i Island kan man ansøge om forlængelse, når man har været ude i hhv. 10 og
8 år. I Danes Worldwide forstår vi ikke, at det skal være Valgretsnævnet, der på egen hånd kan
fortolke lovens krav om ”midlertidigt ophold” og nedsætte perioden fra 12 til 8 år. Nedsættelsen til
8 år er et af de spørgsmål, jeg støder på når jeg f.eks. taler med danske [om] økonomi og velstand
her i landet, og med til i udlandet at markere danske værdier, herunder demokrati. Men for dem er
det nu slut med at kunne deltage i den demokratiske proces i Danmark, hvis de har været ude i mere
end 8 år. Der er ikke noget til hinder for, at Valgretsnævnet kunne genindføre grænsen på 12 år.
Eller endnu højere. Og hvad er til hinder for, at denne grænse bliver fastsat ved lov af Folketinget,
og ikke på vilkårligt skøn af et embedsmandsudvalg? Den nye 2-årsgrænse for ikke-udsendte
danskere i udlandet er så lav, at det nærmest er en hån. Som nævnt, mener nogle juridiske
professorer, at man ikke kan sætte grænsen højere - uden at krænke Grundloven. Men der findes
adskillige andre juridiske professorer, som mener at, det kan man godt. Vi ved alle, at vores
Grundlov er blandt de vanskeligste at ændre i verden. Men vi har allerede, siden 1970, taget
adskillige skridt væk fra hovedkravet om fast bopæl i riget, og vi mener, at der er muligheder for
yderligere udvidelser, også uden at ændre Grundloven. Med andre ord. Spørgsmålet om danskernes
stemmeret under ophold i udlandet indgår efter Foreningens opfattelse i en debat, der ikke er
afsluttet.

The British European – page 13
The EU Citizens Signpost Service can help EU citizens with a
number of problems, however not voting rights:
Welcome to the Citizens Signpost Service.
On the move in Europe and wondering about your rights? Problem with car
registration or obtaining social security cover in another EU country?
The CSS is aimed at EU citizens who encounter problems with mobility in the
European Internal Market.
The CSS is an advisory service which gives guidance and practical advice to
citizens on specific problems they encounter in the EU and its Internal Market.
The service is free.
The reply provided by multilingual legal experts is personalised, objective, and
quick. They experts clarify the relevant rules. They direct the citizen towards
the body which can best help solve the problem. They advice on how to assert
the citizen’s rights and obtain redress.
Replies are given by phone or e-mail in the language requested by the citizen
(one of the 23 official languages).
The service operates in conjunction with Your Europe website which offers
general guides and country-specific factsheets with information on
citizens’rights.
To know more about the Citizens Signpost Service, please click "About this
site".
Jokes:
To submit your enquiry
Your Europe
Favourite quote of the election campaign
'Politicians are like baby's nappies - they should be changed frequently - and
for the same reason.'
EU:s latest agreement!
Read European English:

The British European – page 14
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will
be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the
other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling
had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that
would become known as "Euro-English".
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil
servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should
klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing
publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced
with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the
stage where! more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a
deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and
it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and
"w" with "v".
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and
after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza.
Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl .
From John Reeve
We have received a number of compliments on our new website
www.briteuro.dk for which we are grateful.

The British European – page 15
Subscriptions!! Some members have not paid their subscriptions
Subscriptions
There are still a few members who have not paid their subscription yet – please pay asap.
Please pay your yearly subscription. The subscriptions should be paid into the giro account for The
British European Association in BG Bank, now Danske Bank. The type of the account is a
'ForeningsGiro'. Reg.nr. 1551. Account number: 2608596. Please note the Reg.nr. has been changed
(1551 is the correct number). If you have your own giro account the subscription can be transferred
from your account to the account of the Association. If you do not have a giro account please fill in
a giroform and pay at a post office.
The amount to be paid is d.kr. 150-00 for a single member and d.kr. 250-00 for a couple. For
businesses the amount is d.kr. 250-00.
For questions forwarded to us on e-mail - please use das74klapa@briteuro.dk
Please send articles and letters intended for the next BE Bulletin to: Valerie Kristiansen at
das74klapa@briteuro.dk
BE Bulletins can in future also be read on our home page: www.briteuro.dk
THE BRITISH EUROPEAN (ISSN 1604-5025)
www.briteuro.dk
The BE bulletin is produced by The British European Association. (Assoc. Reg. No. 4479)
President: Valerie Kristiansen, e-mail: das74klapa@briteuro.dk
Treasurer: Bent Kristiansen
Meetings and socials: to be determined
Co-ordinator: Monty London
Webmaster: Bill Vase
Bulletin Editor: Valerie and Bent Kristiansen das74klapa@briteuro.dk
Other Core Members: Jill Conway-Fell, Joe McKerrnan