Have you heard about the Dutch referendum on the European Union treaty with Ukraine? What? You haven't? Well, have you heard of the treaty itself? Not that either? Well, you should know about it.
Last January a treaty went into effect between Ukraine and the European Union. Under that treaty new trading rules are established between the EU and Ukraine. Further, there are mutual defense provisions included in the treaty. For the Netherlands, the treaty was signed by the current prime minister. At that point, the matter was brought up for a non-binding referendum for the Dutch people. About a third of the people turned out to vote, and the treaty was defeated by a large margin. Now the Dutch government says that because of the vote it will not go ahead with ratification of the treaty.
This may not sound like it affects much. Do we really care about whether or not there is free trade between Ukraine and the Netherlands (or the EU)? Do we really care about defense provisions that bind the Europeans more closely together? The answer is clearly YES. At least we should care about this.
The few commentators who have mentioned the results of the Dutch referendum call it Holland backing down in the face of a Russian threat. They say that the Dutch did not want to have a joint defense of any sort with Ukraine given that Russia has that nation in the crosshairs. That, however, is just too simplistic a view. There may be some who feared being drawn into a Russian/Ukrainian battle, but that does not explain this vote. After all, Holland is already tied by mutual defense treaty to a large number of countries that border Russia (like Estonia, for example). If Russia continues its expansionist aggression, Holland will be pulled into the fight soon enough. The vote against the treaty, however, also includes dissatisfaction with the EU. The forces that are behind the Brexit vote in the UK are the same ones that prevailed in Holland. The benefits of the EU to the average European are just not enough to make up for the loss of national control. The EU is the bureaucratic state on steroids; it is truly unresponsive to the needs of anyone other than the bureaucrats.
The response to the Dutch referendum ought to be a change in attitude and practice in Brussels. More likely, however, nothing will change at EU headquarters. That change will come, instead, when the EU starts to disintegrate.
Last January a treaty went into effect between Ukraine and the European Union. Under that treaty new trading rules are established between the EU and Ukraine. Further, there are mutual defense provisions included in the treaty. For the Netherlands, the treaty was signed by the current prime minister. At that point, the matter was brought up for a non-binding referendum for the Dutch people. About a third of the people turned out to vote, and the treaty was defeated by a large margin. Now the Dutch government says that because of the vote it will not go ahead with ratification of the treaty.
This may not sound like it affects much. Do we really care about whether or not there is free trade between Ukraine and the Netherlands (or the EU)? Do we really care about defense provisions that bind the Europeans more closely together? The answer is clearly YES. At least we should care about this.
The few commentators who have mentioned the results of the Dutch referendum call it Holland backing down in the face of a Russian threat. They say that the Dutch did not want to have a joint defense of any sort with Ukraine given that Russia has that nation in the crosshairs. That, however, is just too simplistic a view. There may be some who feared being drawn into a Russian/Ukrainian battle, but that does not explain this vote. After all, Holland is already tied by mutual defense treaty to a large number of countries that border Russia (like Estonia, for example). If Russia continues its expansionist aggression, Holland will be pulled into the fight soon enough. The vote against the treaty, however, also includes dissatisfaction with the EU. The forces that are behind the Brexit vote in the UK are the same ones that prevailed in Holland. The benefits of the EU to the average European are just not enough to make up for the loss of national control. The EU is the bureaucratic state on steroids; it is truly unresponsive to the needs of anyone other than the bureaucrats.
The response to the Dutch referendum ought to be a change in attitude and practice in Brussels. More likely, however, nothing will change at EU headquarters. That change will come, instead, when the EU starts to disintegrate.
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