The Dutch Favour Further European Integration

The European Union can count on great support from the Dutch. After their ’No’ vote on the European Constitution one might expect differently. Nothing is further from the truth. A national survey shows that Dutch people expect issues such as the fight against terrorism and crime, asylum and immigration policy, and environmental protection to be addressed at the European level.

European Union Support Holds

A wide majority (65%) of Dutch people thinks that the fact that the Netherlands is a member of the European Union is a good thing. One out of five of the Dutch even qualifies the Netherlands’ EU membership as ‘very good’.

This is shown by an ambitious national survey on the European Union, conducted by the Dutch government. The results were published last week. The survey, know as ‘the Netherlands in Europe’, attracted over 128.000 people in six weeks time and is one of the largest public opinion surveys ever in the Netherlands.

Support for Europe is not unconditional however. The Dutch maintain a critical attitude towards European integration. According to the researchers this is due to negative experiences with the single European currency, the euro, and the fact that France and Germany break the European fiscal rules over and over again.

Great Support for More European Integration

Despite their critical attitude, Dutch people opt for a European approach to several issues. There is great support for a European policy concerning cross border issues such as the fight against terrorism (75%), asylum and immigration policy (68%), environmental protection (61%), police co-operation (60%) and economic policy (59%)

According to the researchers, the wish for further European integration goes hand in hand with fear of too much influence by the larger Member States of the European Union. Furthermore, they indicate that for a majority (53%) of the Dutch, European integration is going too fast. Nevertheless, almost half (47%) of Dutch people wants European integration to progress steadily. Concerning the adoption of a common asylum policy a big majority (56%) is even of the opinion that further delay is undesirable.

Furtherance of the European cooperation desired does not necessitate a European Constitution, according to 42% of the Dutch. A narrow majority (51%) of Dutch people do want a European Constitution. Nevertheless, according to the researchers, an instrumental approach aiming at necessary revisions of the existing treaties has more support. Indeed, two out of three Dutch people favour revising the existing European treaties.

Further Enlargement EU ... Not Now

The Dutch are less enthusiastic about further enlargement of the European Union. Almost half (48%) of Dutch people thinks the EU is nearing completion. Only West-European countries such as Norway and Switzerland may join the European club.

The researchers are of the opinion that the Dutch give priority to enhance integration among the present 25 Member States. At the moment there is little support for enlargement in the East, according to the researchers. A majority of the Dutch even oppose Bulgarian (51%) and Romanian (55%) accession to the European Union. The accession treaties concerned have already been signed and unless one or more of the present Member States do not ratify these treaties, Romania and Bulgaria will join the EU not later than 1 January 2008. Eight Member States, among which the Netherlands, have yet to ratify or start the ratification procedure.

Less surprising is the Dutch hesitancy about Turkey’s EU membership. A majority (52%) of Dutch people opposes such membership. However, more than a third (37%) of the Dutch is of the opinion that Turkey may accede to the European Union as soon as it fulfils all accession criteria set out by the Copenhagen European Council. According to the researchers, the Dutch in general support close cooperation with Turkey and that they do not rule out the country’s accession in the long term.

Clearly, the foregoing merits the conclusion that the Dutch do not support enlargement of the EU at the moment. They do, however, favour further integration among the present Member States. Thus, the founding fathers of the European Union prefer deepening and broadening European cooperation above enlargement.

Photo © ECB.int: on 30 August 2001 Willem F. Duisenberg (1935-2005), Dutch banker, politician, and first president of the European Central Bank, unveiled the euro banknotes.