Dutch Reject EU Constitution

First, France said, “non,” and on Wednesday, the Dutch said, “nee” to the draft European Constitution. The Dutch, like the French founding members of the European project, were even more adamant in their rejection with exit polls putting the score at around 63% against the treaty. Dutch politicians said they would abide by the results of the non-binding referendum if more than 30% of the electorate turned out; in the end, double that number turned up to kill off the treaty.

This was a seminal event in the history of the Netherlands for several reasons. First, the obvious one is the rejection of the treaty by a country that has been at the forefront of increasing European unity at every turn. Second, this was the first time the people of the Netherlands have been asked to vote in a referendum. Third, there is a connection between the two.

The appeal of the European ideal for the small countries is gaining greater access to large markets than they could get without it. In addition, the little nations get heard more when their leaders are speaking as officials not just of their own countries but of the supranational institutions of Europe. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg simply matter more to the outside world as part of Europe.

But the people of the Netherlands have been asked to do more than they ever expected as part of “being European.” They contribute more per capita than any other member of the EU. Their currency, the guilder, was abandoned in favor of the euro, but they lost the independence of their central bank (which managed a very tight shadowing of the deutschemark); as a result, prices are higher and the European Central Bank’s current monetary policy is harming the Dutch economy.

So, the people, when asked what they wanted, said they wanted the political elites of Europe to listen. As Johan Pranger of Utrecht put it in a posting to the BBC website, “We in Holland are neither accepting nor rejecting the EU constitution. What we are doing is asking for clarification. We have never been informed or consulted in all these years regarding the EU, at all. Now, the government has proposed a 2-inch thick constitution and given the Dutch citizens a 3-page pamphlet explaining the whys and why nots.” The lesson is clear – one shouldn’t ask questions of the people unless one knows what the answer is in advance. Maybe that’s why newcomer Latvia, which approved the constitution on Thursday, did so in a parliamentary vote, not a referendum.



© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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