THE HAGUE (AFP) — The Dutch government on Friday refused to order a referendum on a new EU constitutional treaty which risks opening up new divisions over Europe.
Voters in the Netherlands and France in 2005 rejected an earlier proposal for an EU constitution in referendums, plunging the EU into a major political crisis. Much of Europe has been watching to see whether the Dutch government would call a popular vote.
But Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said: "A referendum is unnecessary and undesirable."
The new treaty will still have to be approved by the parliament and the senate.
And the government decision does not preclude a referendum being held on the treaty as the Dutch parliament could make its own proposal for a vote which might get a majority.
Although the Dutch decision was eagerly awaited the government's refusal to hold a referendum was expected and got lukewarm reactions from the EU.
"It is up to each member state to decide on how it will ratify" the treaty, a spokesman for the Portugese EU presidency said.
Their prudence is understandable: the EU is keen not to be seen patting itself on the back for a move that many see as by-passing European citizens.
In the Netherlands the opposition Socialist Party has already announced it will submit a proposal for a treaty referendum. It said the government decision amounted to a "vote of no confidence for Dutch citizens"
The far-left party has 25 of the 150 seats in parliament, but they will get support from several smaller opposition parties. Even if they get a majority in parliament observers here say this will probably be blocked in the senate where anti-referendum parties have a majority.
Balkenende stressed that the Dutch government decided a referendum would not be necessary because the new EU treaty had "no constitutional aspirations" and such a vote would effectively sideline parliament and the senate.
The cabinet stressed that the Netherlands had already gotten "the maximum possible" of its wishes in the new EU treaty and a chance that the EU partners would renegotiate the treaty if it was voted down again was "extremely small".
In 2005 over 60 percent of Dutch voters said "no" to the EU constitution, within days of a French rejection of the draft. The government here insisted Friday that the new treaty "does justice" to the Dutch complaints about the earlier document.
"National parliaments get more influence on the EU; the criteria for new countries wanting to join the EU are fixed; the powers of the EU are more clearly defined and a number of areas where the Netherlands maintains control like housing, pensions and education," the government summed up the improvements in a statement.
The EU wants to get a final agreement on the text of the treaty at a summit on October 18 and 19. The document can then be formally signed in December this year which will open the doors for ratification procedures in the 27 member states. The treaty is expected to enter into force in 2009.
Although many in Brussels will heave a sigh of relief that a major obstacle has been removed for the new treaty with the Dutch decision there are still other hurdles to take.
Ireland, which sent shock waves through the EU in 2001 when it rejected the Nice Treaty, is preparing a referendum on the EU treaty next year.
While Britain plans to approve the treaty without calling a referendum in other countries the jury remains out, with governments hesitant to decline a referendum until they have seen the final version of the treaty.
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