The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Political Europe after the Dutch `Nee'

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Friday, Jun 03, 2005

Opinion

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Political Europe after the Dutch `Nee'

The 63-to-37 per cent Dutch `Nee' to the European Union constitution treaty in Wednesday's referendum — coming close on the heels of the French `Non' — lends substance to the view that even though people in the 25 member states broadly support the idea of a united Europe, a huge number is either not comfortable with the pace of integration or has serious reservations about the process on some other counts. Technically, the verdict in the Netherlands referendum is not binding; the vote is supposed to be part of a `consultative' process, with the Dutch Congress having the final say. However, political parties committed themselves to abiding by the verdict if the voter participation exceeded 30 per cent; at 62 per cent, the voter turnout met the requirement twice over. Thus, the Netherlands is the second member state to throw out a blueprint that has so far been ratified by nine others. In recent months, public opinion in the country coalesced against the constitution despite Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's bid to rally support for it. Among the principal factors has been the growing perception that the country's contribution to the EU budget, which in per capita terms is among the highest, is far greater than any benefit it gets.

Compounding Dutch resentment over subsidising poorer members is the perceived arbitrary behaviour of the big two, Germany and France. The most recent example was the way they first evaded penal proceedings imposed by the European Court of Justice for failing in three successive years to keep their fiscal deficit below three per cent of the GDP; and then pressured the European Council to bend the rules on fiscal discipline. As elsewhere, there have been growing fears in the Netherlands that political integration would result in erosion of the country's sovereignty and distinctive identity. Dutch suspicions over the country's growing remoteness from Europe have been strengthened by the far-Right's campaign against last year's enlargement of the EU. Adverse reactions to the highly technical and legalistic nature of the draft came to haunt its authors. Direct democratic approval of a primary statute is a huge task; the enormity of the task cannot be underestimated, given especially the precondition that the constitution should be unanimously adopted. The ratification process is still under way in a majority of member states. Whatever the specific outcomes, completion of the exercise will provide a comprehensive picture of the EU's preparedness or otherwise for political integration.

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