On Sunday 25th May, Denmark voted in favour of joining the Unified Patent Court in a referendum that took place along the European elections. 62.55% of Danes voted “yes” against 37.45% of “No”, out of a total 2,303,178 voters or 54% of the population. (source: Election Guide)
Denmark is one of five EU nations to have an opt-out clause on justice and home affairs. Hence, to be part of the UPC, the Danish government needed either an 80 percent backing in parliament or the majority in a referendum. The Danish People’s Party and the Red-Green Alliance however had indicated they did not support the proposal, which triggered the referendum.
Denmark now needs to ratify the UPC Agreement.
European internal market and services commissioner Michel Barnier welcomed the results:
“The approval of the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court by Danish voters gives a very positive signal to all signatories and should encourage them to ratify without any further delay. As a first specialized court common to the Member States in the patent litigation area, the Court will open a new chapter in the history of both the patent system and judicial cooperation in the EU.” (source: European Commission)