Dutch rejection throws EU treaty into doubt

The future of the proposed European Union constitution remains uncertain this morning after The Netherlands followed France in…

The future of the proposed European Union constitution remains uncertain this morning after The Netherlands followed France in heavily rejecting the treaty.

The rejection of the charter by two of the six countries that founded the bloc in the 1950s could deal a fatal blow to a treaty designed to make the EU run more smoothly following its enlargement from 15 to 25 states last year.

To have such a very, very large turnout after the French vote but also to have such an overwhelming "No" is really crushing for the constitutional treaty
Richard Whitman, Royal Institute of International Affairs in London

The votes cast doubt on the EU's hopes for a stronger foreign policy and its plans to expand further to the western Balkans, Turkey and Ukraine, and raised questions about its appetite for economic reform amid mounting global competition.

The Dutch "No" vote of 61.6 per cent was even more decisive than the nearly 55 per cent scored by French opponents of the treaty. Turnout was also a strong 62.8 per cent, well above the 39 per cent in last year's European parliament election.

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EU leaders urged member states to press on and ratify the constitution, but analysts said they should admit the document is dead. EU leaders are due to decide how to proceed when they meet for a regular summit on June 16th-17th.

"To have such a very, very large turnout after the French vote but also to have such an overwhelming "No" is really crushing for the constitutional treaty," said Richard Whitman from the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who was criticised for a lacklustre "Yes" campaign, could face a parliamentary vote of confidence today but it has little chance of success. Mr Balkenende has said he would not resign.

The Dutch and French No votes are expected to dominate the Taoiseach's talks today with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and German chancellor Gerhard Schröder in Berlin.

After two No votes in EU founding member states within three days, some EU leaders, led by Britain's Tony Blair, believe the process of ratifying the constitution should be halted.

Latvia's parliament is expected to approve the treaty with a big majority today, meaning 10 members representing almost half the EU's 454 million citizens will have approved it.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called on member states to proceed with ratification and not preempt their summit meeting with "unilateral decisions" before then.

Britain faces a decision next week on whether to suspend or go ahead with legislation to pave the way for a referendum.

Poland said yesterday it would decide how and when to ratify the constitution after the EU summit. It had planned a referendum in October, but the opposition has demanded a delay.

The Czech Republic said it would seek an extension of the November 2006 deadline for ratification to give countries that vote "No" more time to reconsider.

The euro has fallen by nearly 10 per cent from its level in mid-March, when markets began factoring in the possibility of national rejections of the treaty.