May 18, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1424

STOCKHOLM, May 17: Swedes who do not want their country to adopt Europe’s common currency have extended their lead over opponents four months before a national referendum on euro membership, a Swedish newspaper reported on Saturday.

An opinion poll of 1,004 people made by research institute Temo between May 12 and 15 showed that 48 percent would vote “No” and 34 per cent “Yes”, said the daily Dagens Nyheter, which commissioned the survey. The rest were undecided.

In the previous Temo poll a month ago, euro opponents led supporters by 47-39 per cent.

Dagens Nyheter said the “No” side’s wider lead indicated that Prime Minister Goran Persson’s active campaigning since May 1 to convince Swedes of the economic and political benefits of joining the euro had not been successful.

The Temo survey’s trend contradicted that of a Gallup poll on Friday which suggested a narrowing of the gap between the two sides. Gallup put opponents in the lead by 44-37 per cent compared with 45-32 per cent in its previous poll.

Sweden became a member of the European Union in 1995 but has remained outside the euro — now the currency of 12 of the EU’s 15 member states — together with Britain and Denmark.

In Britain, where public opinion runs two-to-one against joining the common currency, the government is scheduled to announce its plans concerning the euro on June 9.

Denmark rejected the euro in a referendum in September 2000. —Reuters