Dutch Discontent Ahead of EU Poll

GARETH HARDING / UPI 25may2005

MAASTRICHT, Netherlands — The European Union was born in Maastricht 13 years ago and any hope of further EU integration could die there, and in other towns and cities across the Netherlands, if Dutch voters reject the bloc's first constitution Wednesday.

Opinion polls show the "no" camp leading by an almost insurmountable margin of 25 percent nationwide. With the "yes" campaign also trailing in France, which votes Sunday, the EU faces the prospect of a double rejection over the next week — a result that could plunge the bloc into a prolonged institutional crisis, lead to a slump in the value of the euro and a slow-down in the club's eastward expansion.

If Dutch voters have the hand of history on their shoulders, you certainly would not guess it wandering around Maastricht, a prosperous, cosmopolitan city in the southeast of the country. Unlike France, where the debate about the constitution has been long and fierce, there are virtually no campaign posters and few people seem interested in a vote that could shape the future of the European Union.

"It's not a big issue here," says Albert Burghof, a 36-year-old coffeehouse owner. "Nine out of 10 people don't know what the vote is all about." A middle-aged shopper emerging from a nearby supermarket appeared flummoxed when asked which way she would be voting in next Wednesday's poll. "In Brussels they tell us to do one thing and here they tell us to do another. I'm confused, so I will probably vote 'no,'" she said.

In a local municipal library, EU information officer Jan Ahrendt says he had expected more people to stop by and pick up leaflets explaining what the constitution was about. "Dutch voters have a difficult decision to make about the EU for the first time in their lives and they don't have the facts to make a clear choice," he said.

In a referendum in which the "don't knows" and "don't cares" constitute a majority, turnout is unlikely to top 35 percent. Of those who do plan to vote, between 50-54 percent say they will reject the treaty and 27-28 percent plan to give it the thumbs up, according to the latest polls.

On the streets of Maastricht, opinion is more evenly divided — perhaps reflecting the city's location and self-consciously European outlook. "This is the most European region in Europe," said Peter Haane, manager of the local chamber of commerce. "A few kilometers to the south is the French-speaking part of Belgium, a few kilometers to the west is the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium and a few kilometers to the east is Germany," he said, standing on a bridge over the River Maas. "It's very important we have a united Europe in the future and for that reason I will be voting 'yes.'"

Maastricht is also where the treaty on European Union, which turned the EC into the EU and laid out plans for a single currency and common foreign and security policy, was signed by 12 heads of state in December 1991. Many Dutch men and women are pleased the bloc is beginning to speak with one voice on the world stage — "Europe must be strong to be a counterweight to the United States and China," said 72-year old pensioner Gerald Stuurman — but are furious about the price rises since the introduction of euro bank notes and coins over three years ago.

"We were a rich people, but now we are poor because of the euro and all the money we pay to Brussels," says Paul Treusen, a taxi driver who intends to vote "no." Statistics show the Netherlands pays more per person into the EU's coffers than any other country in the 25-member bloc.

Sipping coffee just feet from where the Maastricht Treaty was signed, nurse Hanny Soudant said, "When you say 'yes' to the constitution it's not good for your pocket and not good for poor people." Even supporters of the constitution, like Annelise Rauscher, grumble about the price rises. "I am disappointed by the euro," says the financial officer. "Things are getting so expensive and salaries are just not keeping pace."

The "yes" camp has not been helped by the director of the Dutch National Bank's recent admission that the guilder was undervalued by 5-10 percent when the currency was scrapped in favor of the euro in 2001. The unpopularity of Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende's center-right government has also boosted support for the "no" camp.

"Rationally, we say 'yes' to Europe, but we want to protest against the government," says Koos Donk, an information manager who plans to vote "no" in the country's first referendum in more than 200 years. "We are losing our Dutch identity," adds his wife, Sonja. "Holland is just not ready for Europe. We have enough problems of our own to sort out."

The Netherlands, one of the six founding members of the EU and traditionally one of its most staunch supporters, is not turning its back on Europe, rejecting the recent enlargement of the union or protesting against the club's free-market bent — as voters are doing in France. Instead, the electorate appears to be sending a message to the government that it is unhappy with its policies and to Brussels that it is fed up with being the EU's paymaster. Unfortunately, the European constitution, which aims to make the bloc more open, efficient and democratic, is likely to be the innocent victim of Dutch voters' discontent.