AKIPRESS.COM - Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen gave a downhearted response when I asked him if the No vote in the Danish referendum on opt-outs from the European Union was a blow to Denmark and its relationship with the EU.

"You may say the Danes have refused to take a step forward, and I am sad. Obviously I would have liked to have seen another outcome," he said.

He believed growing euroscepticism was the ultimate factor, BBC.

"The reason the Danes didn't back the Yes campaign is this feeling of uncertainty. And the fact that Europe is faced with other major problems that we haven't really solved - the refugee crisis, the terror threat after the Paris attacks too."

Voting Yes would have meant Denmark adopting a similar "opt-in" model used by Britain and Ireland, whereby legislation is accepted or rejected on a case by case basis, not including the key issues of immigration and asylum policy.

Ultimately, voting No means Denmark remains exempt from large parts of the EU's criminal justice and home affairs system, a position it negotiated in 1993. It risks losing access to Europol, Europe's crime and intelligence-sharing agency, a service frequently used by Denmark.