Netherlands might not sign Ukraine-EU association, PM says

The possibility remains that the Netherlands won’t sign the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, said on June 13 Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as reported by the nos.nl news site. At the same time, he said he hopes the current conflict doesn’t go that far and the agreement will be signed. The results of the April referendum on the agreement were disastrous, he said. “I am categorically against referenda and I am categorically – absolutely and fully – against referenda on multilateral agreements. They simply make no sense,” he said. The Dutch government won’t decide on the agreement earlier than end-June, Rutte said in April.

Zenon Zawada: Indeed the Dutch referendum on the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement has caused more trouble than had been anticipated. So far, it appears the agreement is in a dead end and its approval will need a creative solution that’s not apparent at the moment. On the one hand, the referendum can’t be ignored (although we thought that would be possible, the results were too strong – 61 percent in opposition to the agreement). On the other hand, the Association Agreement can’t be amended without opening a Pandora’s box.