Dutch public to vote against Ukraine-EU Association, poll says

The majority of Dutch citizens will vote against ratifying the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, according to a poll released on Jan. 9 that was conducted by a Dutch media resource. About 53% said they are sure they will reject the agreement during the referendum that will be held on April 6. Another 25 percent said they will most likely vote against it. More than half said they are certain to participate, while another 17 percent said they will likely participate. The Dutch parliament ratified the agreement on July 7.

A Dutch vote rejecting the agreement will benefit the regime of Russian President Putin and could create a continental crisis, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview published in the NRC Handelsblad newspaper on Jan. 9. Dutch populists are trying to convert a consultative vote into a plebiscite regarding the EU, he said. “I hope the Dutch won’t be voting for reasons that have nothing in common with the agreement,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: Ukraine’s reputation was damaged among the Dutch after the MH17 shooting by Russian-backed terrorists and a scandal regarding stolen artwork that surfaced in December. Moreover, there is a trend in the West of rising isolationism and its residents wanting to align with Russia against Islamic terrorism.

So it’s possible that the Dutch will vote against Ukraine for reasons differing from the agreement itself. The Dutch government is organizing a campaign to change public opinion, and we expect it to change favorably over time, considering the free trade area has been launched and any related trade concerns will dissipate.From our research, it remains unclear whether the referendum has the ability to halt the agreement.