Dutch lower house approves EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

The lower house of the Dutch parliament voted to ratify the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement on Feb. 23, RFE/RL reports. The Dutch Senate is scheduled to vote on the agreement in March, and passage will bring the agreement into force three years after being signed. The Senate vote is expected be in favor of the agreement, as the government has a substantial majority in the chamber and has strongly reiterated its support.

James Hydzik: Much of the Association Agreement has been in force provisionally, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area that raised the Kremlin’s ire. However, the Dutch votes will make the agreement permanent. There is a question regarding Russian reactions to the votes, as military action has been used as a warning before major events such as international meetings as well as a punishment. It would not be a surprise then to see a flare-up of fighting or for the cease-fire, which observers claim is largely ignored by the pro-Russian contingent, to be declared as dead by the Russians or their mouthpieces in Donbas.