Tuesday

19th Mar 2024

Dutch PM asks opposition's help on Ukraine agreement

  • Dutch prime minister Rutte (l) thinks he can get a deal with other EU member states, but is dependent on opposition parties at home (Photo: The Council of the European Union)

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte pleaded with opposition parties on Friday (28 October) to help him find a response to the popular rejection of an EU-Ukraine trade deal earlier this year.

“In the interest of the nation, I appeal to the reasonable forces in the Netherlands to support the option for a solution,” Rutte said, adding it was an appeal “from the heart”.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Last April, 61.1 percent of those Dutch voters who showed up in a citizens-enforced referendum voted to reject the European association agreement with Ukraine, which has been ratified in all other members states.

While the referendum was non-binding, the political establishment had promised not to ignore its results.

Now Rutte is facing a 1 November deadline, imposed by a majority in the Dutch parliament.

By Tuesday, Rutte must have found a solution that will accommodate the grievances of the No voters, or decide not to ratify the treaty.

“Time is short,” Rutte told journalists at his weekly press conference on Friday. “I wasn't optimistic before, and to be honest, I still am not optimistic.”

The Dutch government is aiming to agree a legally binding declaration with EU member states and Ukraine that would reassure some concerns No voters had expressed in the campaign, for example: that the association agreement gives no guarantee for Ukraine to become an EU member.

“The contacts I have had with colleagues abroad give me the confidence that we can reach a deal with Kiev and in Brussels,” he said. “The most important question for now, is if such a potential result would be met with sufficient parliamentary support in the Netherlands?"

While the current pragmatic coalition of centre-left and centre-right has a majority in the Dutch Lower House, it lacks a majority in the senate.

The Dutch leader tried to appeal to opposition parties by emphasising geopolitical factors, referring to Russia's assertive foreign policy in eastern Europe and Syria.

“Our national 'No' cannot be seen separately from the international reality,” he said, noting that if the Ukraine treaty were not to go into full force that it would “increase the risk of instability in the region”.

Rutte said it was important that Europe stood united.

“Our unity is the best answer to Russia's foreign policy, which is leading to destabilisation at Europe's borders.”

“This is bigger than just the Netherlands. Much bigger. We are as a country part of a broader, international community,” he said.

The Dutch rooting for a No in the Ukraine referendum

Next week, the Dutch will cast their opinion on the EU-Ukraine association agreement. While the Yes side is fairly uniform in its composition and logic, the No side is a motley crew. Who are they?

Dutch MPs extend deadline on Ukraine deal

Parliament gives prime minister Mark Rutte until mid-December to find a compromise that takes into account voters' rejection of an EU-Ukraine trade deal.

Opinion

Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers

The UN could launch an independent international investigation into Navalny's killing, akin to investigation I conducted on Jamal Khashoggi's assassination, or on Navalny's Novichok poisoning, in my role as special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, writes the secretary-general of Amnesty International.

Latest News

  1. Borrell: 'Israel provoking famine', urges more aid access
  2. Europol: Israel-Gaza galvanising Jihadist recruitment in Europe
  3. EU to agree Israeli-settler blacklist, Borrell says
  4. EU ministers keen to use Russian profits for Ukraine ammo
  5. Call to change EIB defence spending rules hits scepticism
  6. Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers
  7. EU summit, Gaza, Ukraine, reforms in focus this WEEK
  8. The present and future dystopia of political micro-targeting ads

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us