The Dutch government on Friday decided against holding a referendum on the new EU treaty – but parties in the Dutch parliament look set to ignore this decision and push for an own-initiative poll.
The cabinet proposed after its weekly meeting on Friday (21 September) that the EU's Reform Treaty will be ratified by parliament, not by referendum.
"We have opted for a normal ratification procedure," Dutch prime minister Jan-Peter Balkenende told a press conference after the meeting....
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