Thursday

30th Nov 2023

Opinion

Open letter to president Juncker on the Dutch Ukraine vote

  • Juncker (l) with Dutch prime minister Rutte (r) (Photo: European Commission)

Dear Mr President,

On 6 April a referendum will be held in the Netherlands on the Association Agreement of the European Union and Ukraine. Although this referendum is not binding, an unambiguous outcome could hardly be ignored.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

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

... or subscribe as a group

Last month you said in an interview in one of the Dutch newspapers that a ‘no’ vote in the Netherlands could “open the door to a major continental crisis”. You therefore recommended to the Dutch voters to express themselves in favour of this Agreement.

Though many voters will approve of the Association Agreement itself – given the bilateral advantages – there is a fear in the Netherlands that this Agreement will be a first step towards full EU-membership of Ukraine.

In fact, the Association Agreement does not provide for future EU-membership of Ukraine and the preamble states that “this Agreement will not prejudice and leaves open future developments in EU-Ukraine relations”.

In practice, however, an Association Agreement or another partnership with a European country is often a step towards candidate membership and subsequent membership.

Past experience shows that the Union often swiftly decides to enlarge, mostly without consulting the voters. It starts with a promise and before very long, the promises made and the expectations raised make it almost impossible for the Union to back out. There are many examples. This explains the fear of many Dutch voters and the resistance to voting in favour of this Agreement.

It would therefore be helpful if this – in my view justified – fear could be removed as much as possible by an explicit declaration of the European Commission and of the Council that this Agreement is not a first step towards EU membership and that before any country is offered the prospect of membership, voters should and will be asked to express themselves first in the next elections for the European Parliament.

If such a declaration could be made, we can plainly declare ourselves in favour of the Agreement and Dutch voters will hardly have any reason to vote against the Agreement any longer.

If you are serious about what you said in the abovementioned interview, it would be helpful if you were to ensure that the Commission and the Council make such a statement well before the referendum.

Yours sincerely,

Sammy van Tuyll

Chairman Liberal Democratic Party in the Netherlands

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

Dutch PM takes back seat on Ukraine vote

Dutch leader Rutte will not defend Yes vote "with flyers and flags and the like", despite polls showing the No camp could sink the Ukraine pact, in echoes of 2005.

The EU's 'no added sugars' fruit-juice label sleight-of-hand

The Food Information to Consumers package would have finally regulated the health or nutrition claims companies make on their products, claims like "heart-healthy" "30-percent less fat" or "no added sugar". Legislation on these claims is now 15 years overdue.

My experience trying to negotiate with Uber

After working with people in unusual employment situations for a decade, I thought I had seen it all as a union organiser. Then I began dealing with Uber.

Column

How centre-right conservatives capitulate to the far-right

Many conservatives in Europe seem to have forgotten the lesson of 1930s Germany. They sacrifice their principles on the altar of the polls and all-too-often try to overtake rightwing radicals on their own pet subjects like security or migration.

Latest News

  1. EU offers Turkey upgrade, as Sweden nears Nato entry
  2. Russia loses seat on board of chemical weapons watchdog
  3. Finland's closure of Russia border likely violates asylum law
  4. The EU's 'no added sugars' fruit-juice label sleight-of-hand
  5. EU belittles Russia's Lavrov on way to Skopje talks
  6. Member states stall on EU ban on forced-labour products
  7. EU calls for increased fuel supplies into Gaza
  8. People-smuggling profits at historic high, EU concedes

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  2. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  4. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  5. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us