Referendum in the Netherlands on the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine

Ballot ( stembiljet ) for the referendum

The referendum in the Netherlands on the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine was a national consultative referendum on the approval of the Netherlands to the Association Agreement between the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community, its 28 Member States and Ukraine , which was held on April 6, 2016 in took place in the Netherlands. The legal basis of the referendum was the consultative referendum law adopted on July 1, 2015. This made it possible to apply for a referendum on an already adopted law if 300,000 signatures from eligible voters were submitted within six weeks. The GeenPeil action group , a partnership between the GeenStijl website and the citizens' groups Burgercomité-EU and Forum voor Democratie , is committed to collecting the necessary signatures. A total of 427,939 valid signatures were submitted to the electoral council. This achieved the required quorum of 300,000 votes.

The referendum took place on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, during the Dutch EU Council Presidency . It had a corrective character and was not binding, but the entry into force of the Approval Act should require renewed approval by the Second and First Chambers of the States General in the event of a negative outcome of the referendum . The result of the referendum was only valid if the voter turnout was at least 30%. The question put to the voters, to be answered with “For”, “Against” or with an abstention, was:

“ Did u voor of tegen de wet tot goedkeuring van de Associatieovereenkomst tussen de Europese Unie en Oekraïne?”

"Are you for or against the law approving the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine?"

- Question of the referendum on April 6, 2016

61% of those who voted voted against the contract. The turnout was 32.28%.

prehistory

See also : Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine

upright = 1 Netherlands rest of the European Union Ukraine



After years of negotiations, the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine was signed on June 27, 2014. In the Netherlands, on April 7, 2015, the Second Chamber approved the law approving the treaty with Ukraine. The CDA , the ChristenUnie , the SGP , the VVD , the Kuzu / Öztürk group, 50PLUS , D66 , GroenLinks , the PvdA , as well as the MPs Houwers , Klein and Van Vliet voted for the contract. The SP , the Bontes / Van Klaveren group, the PVV and the Partij voor de Dieren voted against.

The First Chamber passed the law on July 7, 2015. In the First Chamber, the Onafhankelijke Senaatsfractie also approved . One day later, on July 8, 2015, the royal copy took place and the law was published in the Staatscourant .

Consultative Referendum Act

The request for a referendum was made on the legal basis of the law on consultative referendum ( Wet raadgevend referendum ) that came into force on July 1, 2015 . The law distinguishes two phases for the application for a referendum: the introductory application and the definitive application. For the introductory application, 10,000 valid signatures are required within four weeks of the publication of the resolution declaring the possibility of holding a referendum on the respective law. In order to submit a valid application, the forms provided by the electoral council must be used. The validity of an application also depends on the data entered, the voting rights and the date of receipt. The electoral council uses a random sample to determine the number of valid forms. If the preliminary application is approved by the electoral council, the definitive phase begins. In this phase, 300,000 valid applications must be submitted to the electoral council within six weeks. If the final motion is approved by the electoral council, the government must organize a consultative referendum within six months.

Request	Duration	End date	hurdle	Submitted	Valid
Introductory proposal	4 weeks	August 6, 2015	10,000	14,441	13,480
Definitive application	6 weeks	September 28, 2015	300,000	472,849	427.939

The law approving the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine was eligible for a referendum under the law. In response to this, GeenStijl announced on July 10th that she wanted to collect signatures for the referendum together with the Burgercomité-EU . The Forum voor Democratie later joined.

The deadline for submitting the preliminary phase for the referendum was August 6, 2015. On August 13, the electoral council announced that it had received a total of 14,441 applications. Based on the random sample, the electoral council declared 13,480 applications to be valid. The introductory proposal could thus be accepted.

The deadline for submission for the definitive phase was September 28, 2015. In order to simplify the collection process, GeenStijl developed a program with which the application form could be filled out digitally and signed. According to GeenStijl , it received more than 30,000 signatures within 24 hours via this program. The electoral council announced on October 14, 2015 that a total of 472,849 signatures had been received, of which 427,939 had been declared valid on the basis of the sample. For this reason the government had to organize a referendum on the EU association agreement with Ukraine.

legal action

The former lawyer Jeroen de Kreek brought a complaint to the State Council against the decision of the electoral council to organize a referendum on the EU association agreement with Ukraine . He alleged, among other things, that the statements of support contained incorrect and incomplete data and that all electronic forms completed and signed through the GeenPeil program did not have a valid signature. However, the Administrative Legal Department of the Council of State declared the action inadmissible as De Kreek was not a victim. Since the complaint was dismissed as inadmissible, the Administrative Legal Department of the Council of State did not deal with the content of De Kreek's complaints.

Ratification of the agreement

According to Prime Minister Mark Rutte , the Netherlands will not be able to ratify the agreement for the time being due to the success of the referendum request . Under EU law , the decisions must be taken unanimously by all EU member states for the agreement between the European Union and Ukraine to come into force. The political part of the agreement has been provisionally applied since November 4, 2014 and the economic part - the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) - since January 1, 2016. This last part concerns in particular the provisions relating to foreign trade . According to the Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders , 70 percent of the treaty articles have already been applied provisionally. At the time of the preparations for the referendum, only the Netherlands, the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community had not ratified the treaty.

costs

An initial amount of 25 million euros was initially made available to organize the referendum. Of this amount, five million euros should go to the referendum commission and 20 million euros to the Dutch municipalities. The Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG) stated that this amount would probably not be enough. According to the VNG, organizing a referendum is a new task for the municipalities and the amount made available is less than half the amount made available for the parliamentary elections in 2012 . On November 17, 2015, MPs Koşer Kaya (D66) and Van Raak (SP) tabled an amendment to increase the amount in the municipal budget to 22.2 million euros. This would increase the total amount for the municipalities to 42.2 million euros. In the vote on the amendment on December 3, 2015, it was rejected because the governing parties VVD and PvdA as well as the CDA, the ChristenUnie and the SGP voted against it. An application for a budget increase submitted by the PVV parliamentary group in the first bracket was also unsuccessful. On December 22nd, the motion was rejected with 43 votes against and 31 votes in favor. In addition to the PVV, D66 and the SP also voted for this motion. On January 12, 2016 it became known that the Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk , after consulting the VNG, would increase the amount in the municipal budget by 10 million euros. This meant that a total of 30 million euros was available for organizing the referendum.

Referendum commission

In accordance with the “Wet raadgevend referendum”, an independent referendum commission consisting of five members was set up on September 29, 2015 and is responsible for the proper conduct of the referendum. Medy van der Laan, State Secretary for Culture and Media in the Balkenende II cabinet , has been appointed chairwoman of the commission. The commission was tasked with setting the date of the referendum, setting the name of the agreement on the ballot paper, providing information about the agreement to voters and providing grants for activities aimed at stimulating debate on the agreement.

grants

The referendum commission announced on November 16, 2015 that it would make two million euros available for the election campaign. Both supporters and opponents of the Association Agreement, regardless of whether (political) party, organization, company or private person, could apply for grants for their election campaign. This also applied to neutral campaigns. Of the two million euros, 700,000 euros were made available for the “yes” and “no” campaigns. The neutral campaigns were provided with 600,000 euros. Organizations received 80 percent of the total grant. The remaining 20 percent was reserved for individuals. In the period from December 14, 2015 to January 14, 2016, grant applications could be submitted, all of which were treated equally. In the event that there were still funds left, applications could be submitted until March 2, 2016. These motions were dealt with in the order in which they were received by the referendum commission.

On February 3, 2016 it was announced that the referendum commission had already received 170 applications. However, almost half of the applications received would be “technically not in order”. Some of the applications lacked a signature, and some of the applications were too brief in content. Because of the many incorrect applications, only a small part of the applications could initially be approved. As of February 3, only three applications had been approved, including a “no” campaign and two neutral campaigns. On the same day, a total of 3,769,942 euros was applied for, significantly more than the two million euros available. The SP MP Harry van Bommel , who wanted to start a “no” campaign on behalf of his party, called the procedure for grant applications a “chaos and a mess” on February 2, 2016. There is only room for one signature on the application form - also for clubs. The Minister of Housing and Public Administration Stef Blok disagreed with the view that the application form was a “mess”, but acknowledged that there were communication problems. On February 12, 2016, more than seventy applications were approved. This corresponded to a total of 850,000 euros.

After the deadline, the referendum commission announced that the grants had been distributed across 110 individuals and organizations. A total of 310 applications were submitted for a total amount of approximately 5.5 million euros. 120 applications were not granted because the budget was exceeded. Examples of activities financed by the grants are special websites , leaflets , advertisements , radio advertising , web videos , information or discussion opportunities via the Internet and social media , discussion events, printed toilet paper rolls and bicycle saddle blankets as well as a " voting advice application " and a " Fact-Checker “- a website for checking substantive facts about the topic - on the Internet.

Independent election observation

GeenPeil sent the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) a letter on December 3, 2015, requesting independent election observers . The organizers of the referendum feared an undemocratic implementation of the referendum because (according to GeenPeil ) not enough polling stations would be set up and some political parties had positioned themselves as opponents of the referendum. The Commission, which advises the government on European affairs, issued a positive opinion to the Dutch Foreign Minister on December 18, 2015, on inviting election observers. The Commission also recommended that an observation mission be carried out during the pre-election period. On January 19, 2016, the OSCE announced that it would not send election observers to the Netherlands, as it generally only sends election observers to elections and not to a referendum. In addition, elections would be held in several countries in April 2016, for which OSCE observers would be needed. However, the OSCE has limited resources.

On January 26, 2016, GeenPeil sent the OSCE another letter asking for OSCE observers for the Dutch referendum. According to GeenPeil , the Netherlands does not comply with the guidelines of the European Anti-Corruption Working Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) , which aims to curb or even ban campaign donations from abroad. With the donation from US billionaire George Soros to Stem voor Nederland , the Netherlands would not adhere to these guidelines. The Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders informed the Second Chamber on February 8th that the OSCE would definitely not use election observers for this referendum.

Number of polling stations

Voting notification ( stempas ) for the referendum

Most municipalities had fewer polling stations than in previous elections and in some municipalities the number of polling stations remained the same. Municipalities in which the number of polling stations had been reduced cited the expectation of a low voter turnout and the organizational costs as reasons. Compared to the elections for the provincial parliaments in 2015, around ten percent fewer polling stations were set up.

On February 5, 2016, it became known that Thierry Baudet , the publicist and legal scholar , co-initiator of the referendum motion and leader of the think tank Forum voor Democratie , and entrepreneur Erik de Vlieger wanted to sue the Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk. According to the plaintiffs, the interior minister must force the communities to set up sufficient polling stations. The case went to court on March 4th in The Hague . The court ruled on March 11th that Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk did not have to open any more polling stations. The law says nothing about the number of polling stations that a municipality has to provide. In addition, the municipalities could decide for themselves which polling stations will open on the day of the referendum. In addition, the state is not obliged to provide more money for the organization of the referendum.

The GeenPeil Foundation initiated urgent proceedings against the municipality of Oldenzaal - one of the municipalities in which fewer polling stations were set up than in previous elections (5 of 17). The lawsuit was heard on March 3 in Zwolle . On March 8, the court dismissed the lawsuit. According to the court ruling, the municipality of Oldenzaal made an appropriate decision: both voting and evaluating the votes are less time-consuming than in the parliamentary elections.

The Forum voor Democratie , like the GeenPeil Foundation, initiated urgent proceedings against a municipality in which few polling stations should be set up - namely against the municipality of Son en Breugel , which wanted to open three of the 10 normal polling stations. The Forum voor Democratie hoped to force all polling stations to open. Obstacles in the form of a reduced number of polling stations could, according to their own statement, be viewed as “an obstacle to the democratic process”. The trial took place on March 4th in 's-Hertogenbosch . On March 14th, the court ruled that the municipality of Son en Breugel should set up at least seven polling stations. According to the court, there is a causal connection between the voting facilities offered (number, distance, location) on the one hand and voter turnout on the other. A reduction in the number of polling stations by 70% can reasonably be expected to have a negative impact on voter turnout.

Arguments

Favorable arguments

The Stem voor Nederland Foundation , which organized the “Yes” campaign, put forward the following arguments in favor of the Association Agreement:

• With a market of 45 million inhabitants, Ukraine is interesting for a trading nation like the Netherlands. More trade will offer the Netherlands more growth and jobs. Ukraine would gain access to the European market and thereby improve its unfavorable future prospects.

• Ukraine would be obliged to carry out fundamental reforms and a thorough adjustment of laws and regulations. The treaty enshrines democratic principles and improves the rule of law .

• The cooperation agreement would improve human rights in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government, for example, has promised to recognize the International Criminal Court in The Hague. With the agreement, a multiethnic society will continue to exist in Ukraine .

• The rights of the LGBT community in Ukraine would be strengthened. In autumn 2015, a change in the law was passed in the Ukrainian parliament banning discrimination on the basis of sexual preference in the workplace. This was one of the requirements for the agreement. LGBT organizations in Ukraine would show that, because of European pressure, positive changes in the country would pave the way. There is more police protection against hate crimes, and in 2015 a gay pride took place with fewer incidents.

• This cooperation agreement promotes animal welfare , supports Ukraine in the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and ensures that the EU and Ukraine reach an agreement to reduce CO ₂ emissions .

• With the unrest at the EU's external borders, Dutch security is also under pressure. The EU must create a zone of peace and stability. The association agreement is helping to build a stable and prosperous Ukraine, which is needed for this solution.

• Ukraine is being helped to become a stable country with a mature democracy, without corruption and with a wealthy population.

Negative arguments

The main sponsors of the "No" campaign, the Burgercomité-EU and the think tank Forum voor Democratie , put forward the following arguments against the association agreement:

• The association agreement is absolutely not a free trade agreement , but an integration agreement and thus a door to Ukraine's EU membership. The agreement literally speaks of the "political association and [the] economic integration between Ukraine and the European Union."

• The Ukrainian economy is very small and will continue to shrink due to the war in Ukraine and corruption. Only 0.2% of Dutch exports would go to Ukraine. This is a fraction of the trade with Russia. The confrontation between the EU, the US and Russia would have been worsening Dutch relations with Russia for years; the association agreement would damage these relationships even more. Ukrainian corruption would creep into the Netherlands because of this agreement and thereby affect politics and prosperity.

• Ukraine will be granted the right to financial support from the EU "through the relevant EU funding mechanisms and instruments". The lesson from the Greek sovereign debt crisis , however, is that this aid will also be given without the Netherlands having anything to say about the use of this financial means.

• The Ukraine, which is at war, would be given military aid and support: "The contracting parties are examining the possibilities for military-technological cooperation". This would mean that the Netherlands would be drawn even more into a major geopolitical conflict without having any particular interest in it.

• “The contracting parties will take step-by-step measures to introduce a regulation for visa-free travel in due course.” This would make visa-free travel possible, not least for criminal gangs of thieves.

• The association agreement had led to a civil war in Ukraine - now the EU will colonize the country. With the treaty, the EU is forcing Ukraine to adapt its legislation to European legislation without it being able to exert any influence on the Brussels legislative process as a non-member.

• The expansion of the EU's influence and power in Ukraine would lead to the creation of all kinds of new committees and advisory bodies that would give EU officials and politicians new power. The influence of the Netherlands on the geopolitics of the EU is further reduced by this type of EU enlargement.

At the end of March 2016, the chairmen of the Burgercomité-EU initiative said in an interview with the NRC Handelsblad that they were not interested in Ukraine, but in dissolving the EU or creating a so-called "Nexit" (made up of "Netherlands" and "Exit") ), i.e. to force the Netherlands to leave the EU. Arjan van Dixhoorn, who led the alliance that started the referendum, said: "We really don't care about Ukraine, you have to understand that". He went on to say: “A Nexit referendum has not yet been possible. That is why we are using every opportunity available to us to put pressure on the relationship between the Netherlands and the EU ”. MEP Kees Verhoeven described these statements as "shocking". The opinion of the initiators of the referendum is unjust to the Ukrainian people.

Supporters and opponents

Advocates

politics

Campaign poster from D66

The governing parties VVD and PvdA as well as the CDA did not carry out a broad-based campaign. The VVD is fundamentally against holding referenda. However, the ruling parties took part in discussions on the referendum. The political youth organization of the PvdA, the Jonge Socialisten , organized a visibility campaign at train stations, for which they received a grant of 50,000 euros.

Left-liberal party D66 was in favor of the treaty and ran a “yes” campaign led by MP Kees Verhoeven . D66 used 50,000 euros from their party coffers for the campaign. In addition, the party received a grant amounting to 50,000 euros for “online advertisements, the distribution of posters, a phone call and the distribution of leaflets”. The referendum commission also approved the GroenLinks party a grant of 11,000 euros for the development and distribution of leaflets and for a “social media” campaign. The ChristenUnie was a supporter of the association agreement, but against the referendum. Still, she encouraged her supporters to take part in the referendum.

societies

The “Yes” campaign was organized by the Stem voor Nederland Foundation . This was founded by the conservative Dutch political activist Joshua Livestro and the former PvdA chairman Michiel van Hulten.

On January 22nd, 2016 it was announced that billionaire George Soros had donated 200,000 euros to Stem voor Nederland through his Open Society Foundations . Stem voor Nederland's grant application was returned by the referendum commission due to missing signatures on the application form.

International

During a state visit to the Netherlands in November 2015, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in an interview with the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad that the referendum " plays into the hands of Putin " and "consciously or unconsciously" for Russian aggression. He said the idea of ​​"the Dutch being held hostage in a political game" was abhorrent. He also said: "Everyone should know that a vote in the referendum is also a vote for or against the Ukrainians who gave their lives for European values". Poroshenko said after a conversation with the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte that a possible “no” would not mean the end of the association agreement. "Nobody can stop us. For us it is the last farewell to the Soviet Union , to communism, ”said the Ukrainian President.

The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker warned in an interview with the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad on January 9, 2016 that a Dutch “No” could “open the door to a major continental crisis”. Juncker was also of the opinion that the referendum was playing into Russia's hands and that “the populists who want to blow up the EU” were grist to the mill. The European Commission President said he hoped that "the Dutch will not say 'no' for reasons unrelated to the agreement itself". During the 14th Norbert Schmelzer reading on March 3 in The Hague, Juncker repeated his warning: A Dutch “No” would lead to destabilization in Europe. Juncker also emphasized that the agreement was not about Ukraine's accession to the European Union. An enlargement of the EU is currently out of the question. Juncker said that in the past the EU had "given a little too much gas" on enlargement.

Herman Van Rompuy , who during his time as President of the European Council was heavily involved in the agreement with Kiev, said in an interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw that a “no” in this referendum would be “an embarrassment” for the Dutch government. Van Rompuy pointed out that the Dutch government had already agreed to the association agreement. If the majority of voters retrospectively reject the association agreement, "this would make the Netherlands a less reliable partner," said Van Rompuy.

opponent

politics

The PVV, the SP and the Partij voor de Dieren were opponents of the agreement and organized a “no” campaign. The SP has applied for grants from the referendum commission. MP Harry van Bommel, who organizes the campaign, said he wanted to mobilize 1,750 SP members for the campaign. The Partij voor de Dieren has received a grant of 50,000 euros for a poster campaign and an internet film.

societies

The think tank Forum voor Democratie (converted into a party after the campaign), led by Thierry Baudet , co-initiator of the referendum motion, led the “No” campaign. According to Baudet, Ukraine was “a victim of imperialist EU policy” with the treaty. Forum voor Democratie received a grant of 46,913 euros from the referendum commission to organize a conference.

International

After signing the Association Agreement on June 27, 2014, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that the Russian government would respect it, even if it was hostile to the agreement. Talks between the European Union and Moscow , addressing Russia's concerns about the treaty, collapsed on December 21, 2015. On January 16, 2016, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that the US security services were assessing "Russia's influence on the Referendum ”. According to the newspaper, "US intelligence sources" reported that "arguments used by supporters of the referendum are very similar to Russian propaganda ." The Russian State Department rejected the "paranoid" allegations. According to the ministry, the referendum is a "natural reaction to the EU's foreign policy that does not take into account public opinion in the member states." Moscow criticized the reduction in the number of polling stations and the "resistance to the referendum by the Dutch government."

The British UKIP - MEP Nigel Farage announced in late February that he supported the "no" camp. Farage took part in a debate in Volendam on April 4th. Farage hoped that a Dutch 'no' would have an impact on the referendum on whether to remain in the European Union on June 23, 2016.

Neutral

The GeenPeil Foundation (led by GeenStijl blogger Bart Nijman) organized a neutral campaign. The foundation was committed to high voter turnout and wanted to use 1,500 volunteers. GeenPeil applied for a grant from the referendum commission, but the application was initially rejected. The foundation then decided to withdraw its application. GeenPeil was finally able to raise money for their campaign through crowdfunding .

Survey

date	For	Against	Undecided	Participation	scope	Institute
30.03. – 01.04.2016	25%	40%	11% cont. for, 12% wschl. against	no information	27,253	EenVandaag
23.03. – 30.03.2016	36%	54%	10%	at least 32%	no information	TNS Nipo
25.03. – 28.03.2016	36%	47%	18%	at least 43%	2,382	I&O Research
March 13 - March 20, 2016	40%	60%	not applicable	24-37%	3,000+	Peil.nl
03.03. – 07.03.2016	33%	44%	23%	at least 37%	2,510	I&O Research
February 19 - February 22, 2016	19%	30%	14% incl. for, 15% wschl. against	no information	29,650	EenVandaag
29.01. – 08.02.2016	32%	38%	30%	at least 32%	2,388	I&O Research
02/01 - 02/07/2016	40%	60%	not applicable	at least 26%	3,000+	Peil.nl
January 12 - January 21, 2016	31%	38%	31%	at least 34%	2,550	I&O Research (in conjunction with the University of Twente )
December 18 - December 28, 2015	13%	51%	13% cont. for, 23% wschl. against	at least 53%	27,151	EenVandaag
December 3rd - December 20th, 2015	25%	41%	34%	at least 28%	3,490	I&O Research (in conjunction with the University of Twente)

Result

According to the official result, 61% of those who voted voted “against”; H. rejected the agreement. The turnout was 32.28%. The vote was then formally valid.

Nationwide result

Results

be right	number	percent
Valid votes	4,113,613	99.08%
Invalid votes	38,000	0.92%
Voters	4,151,613	32.28%
Eligible voters	12,862,658	100.0%
Voting decision
Therefore	1,571,874	38.21%
On the other hand	2,509,395	61.0%
Blank ballot papers	32,344	0.79%

Results by provinces

province	electoral legitimate	Voters	Participation (%)	Invalid (%)	For		Against
					number	%	number	%
Groningen	458.018	146,665	32.0	0.63	63,387	43.5	81,063	55.6
Friesland	502.101	172.041	34.3	0.74	66,621	39.0	102,950	60.3
Drenthe	383,387	128,583	33.5	0.76	50,696	39.7	76.171	59.7
Overijssel	871,518	271,377	31.1	0.87	110,982	41.3	155,887	57.9
Flevoland	290,521	97.276	33.5	0.53	29,356	30.3	66,809	69.0
Gelderland	1,569,493	509.908	32.5	0.87	206.178	40.8	294,967	58.4
Utrecht	954.484	330,977	34.7	0.88	146.357	44.6	178.231	54.3
North Holland	2,055,308	698.718	34.0	0.92	277.165	40.0	410.173	59.2
South Holland	2,685,944	877.757	32.7	0.93	304,977	35.1	558.012	64.2
Zeeland	290,872	91,278	31.4	1.06	30,853	34.2	58,963	65.3
North Brabant	1,915,001	555.174	29.0	1.06	201.256	36.6	343.296	62.5
Limburg	871.472	271,323	31.1	1.14	83,836	31.3	182,567	68.1
Caribbean Netherlands	14,539	536	3.7	1.49	210	39.8	306	58.0
Netherlands	12,862,658	4,151,613	32.3	0.92	1,571,874	38.2	2,509,395	61.0

1. ↑ Based on the total number of votes cast.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Based on the total number of valid votes.

Voting cards

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  Majorities in the communities: For Against
  
  

• 

  Turnout by municipality: over 30% under 30%
  
  

The law requires voter participation of at least 30%. Had this quorum not been achieved, the referendum would have been invalid. As the minimum participation was reached in the referendum and a majority voted against the Dutch approval of the contract with Ukraine, the Dutch government now had to revise its approval of the approval law of the contract or revoke the approval law. In response to questions in parliament before the referendum, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that he would wait for the outcome of the referendum and would not comment on it beforehand.

On November 24, 2015, the co-initiator GeenStijl carried out his own research on the question of the extent to which the respective parties would support acceptance of the referendum result. The PvdA, the SP, the CDA, the PVV, the ChristenUnie, the SGP, the Partij voor de Dieren, VNL and 50PLUS expressed their view that the government should respect the result if the participation threshold is reached. This means that the opinion that the government should respect the result of the referendum has a majority in the Second Chamber. The VVD and D66 stated that they would not decide in advance, but rather wait for the result first.

Reactions and analyzes

Following the announcement of the preliminary results on April 6, 2016, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that the Netherlands would ratify the treaty “not just like that”. Rutte said that the effects of the result must now be sought “step by step” together with the government and Brussels.

The reactions to the outcome of the referendum varied across Europe. Nigel Farage , the leader of the British UK Independence Party , who had also campaigned on the side of the opponents of the treaty, welcomed the result together with other British EU opponents as the "end of the expansionist EU policy". British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed the hope that the Dutch referendum would not affect the upcoming UK EU referendum as it was about two very different issues. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker regretted the result; Spokesmen for the European Parliament groups, the European People's Party , the Social Democrats and the Liberals made similar statements.

On June 2, 2016, the electoral council published an evaluation of the course of the referendum. The Council was critical of the way in which the signatures for the referendum motion had to be submitted. This way was described by the electoral council as "cumbersome, not very customer-friendly and not efficient". The electoral council also criticized the fact that it was impossible for it to check the authenticity of the signatures that had been collected. The electoral council also criticized the required voter turnout of 30%: it was undesirable for eligible voters to stay at home in order to invalidate the referendum. Furthermore, the electoral council recommends that the cabinet limit the freedom of the municipalities to set polling stations at their own discretion and to draw up guidelines on the number of polling stations. The electoral council is also of the opinion that the ballot papers were too indistinct.

Web links

Commons : Referendum in the Netherlands on the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine  - Collection of images

• Referendum on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement on the Electoral Council website (Dutch)
• GeenPeil (Dutch)
• Association Agreement Ukraine on the website of the Dutch state (Dutch)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Groen licht voor referendum over Associatieovereenkomst Oekraïne. Kiesraad.nl, October 14, 2015, accessed on January 25, 2018 (Dutch). 
2. ↑ Niklaus Nuspliger: A cautious European in a dilemma. Neue Zürcher Zeitung , January 11, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2016 . 
3. ^ Politics: Dutch initiative against association agreement between EU and Ukraine. Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität , September 29, 2015, accessed on February 20, 2016 . 
4. ↑ Referendum EU verdrag met Oekraïne is on April 6th. de Volkskrant , October 29, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
5. ↑ Poroshenko celebrates "the most important day since independence". Die Zeit , June 27, 2014, accessed on February 20, 2016 . 
6. ↑ 34.116 Goedkeuring Associatieovereenkomst tussen de Europese Unie en de Europese Gemeenschap voor Atoomergie met Oekraïne. First Chamber of the States General , accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
7. ↑ Raadgevend referendum over verdrag EU-Oekraïne? Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken , July 29, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
8. ↑ Wet raadgevend referendum in werking. Kiesraad.nl, June 30, 2015, accessed on January 25, 2018 (Dutch). 
9. ↑ ^{a b} Inleidend verzoek referendum over associatieverdrag met Oekraïne toegelaten. Kiesraad.nl, August 13, 2015, accessed January 25, 2018 (Dutch). 
10. ↑ Van Rossem: GeenPeil is terug! We gaan voor een EU referendum. Geenstijl.nl, July 10, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
11. ↑ Johnny Quid: #GeenPeil: je kunt nu ONLINE ondertekenen! Geenstijl.nl, August 19, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
12. ↑ Johnny Quid: EPIC! Online tekenen #GeenPeil: 30k in 24 uur! Geenstijl.nl, August 21, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
13. ↑ Beroep tegen besluit referendum. De Telegraaf , October 19, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
14. ↑ Donderdag 22 october legal referendum Associatieovereenkomst Oekraïne. State Council , October 19, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
15. ↑ Referendum Associatieovereenkomst Oekraïne kan doorgaan. Council of State, October 26, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
16. ↑ Application of the trade provisions of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine begins on January 1, 2016. European Commission , December 31, 2015, accessed on February 20, 2016 . 
17. ↑ Reply to varsh van de leden Omtzigt, Verhoeven en Voordewind over de voorlopige inwerkingtreding van het associatieverdrag tussen de EU en Oekraïne. Second Chamber of the States General , February 3, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
18. ↑ Cabinet: niet nóg meer geld naar referendum. NOS, November 3, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
19. ↑ Eric de Kluis: Gemeenten krijgen te little money for referendum. Binnenlandsbestuur.nl, October 30, 2015, accessed on February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
20. ↑ 34 300 B - Vaststelling van de begrotingsstaat van het gemeentefonds voor het jaar 2016. Overheid.nl, accessed on February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
21. ↑ Vaststelling van de begrotingsstaat van het gemeentefonds (B) voor het jaar 2016. Second Chamber of the States General, accessed on February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
22. ↑ Ook Eerste Kamer for extra money for organizing a referendum. NOS, December 22, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
23. ↑ 30 miljoen voor referendum Oekraïne. NOS, January 12, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
24. ↑ ^{a b} De Referendumcommissie. Referendum Commission, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
25. ↑ Oud-D66 Staatssecretaris voorzitter referendumcommissie. NOS, October 2, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
26. ^ Subsidie ​​voor campagnes referendum over Oekraïne. NOS, November 16, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
27. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Hoe wordt de subsidie ​​voor de campagne verdeeld? de Volkskrant, February 1, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
28. ↑ Toelichting op de subsidieregeling. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Referendum Commission, archived from the original on November 17, 2015 ; Retrieved February 20, 2016 (Dutch). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
29. ↑ ^{a b} Oekraïne referendum: 170 subsidieaanvarsh maar vele niet in orde NOS, February 3, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
30. ↑ "Pas" drie subsidieaanvragen toegewezen voor Oekraïne-referendum. NOS, February 3, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
31. ↑ Subsdieaanvägen referendum Oekraïne overtreffen budget. Trouw , February 3, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
32. ↑ ^{a b} Blok: genoeg tijd voor campagne bij Oekraïne-referendum. NOS, February 2, 2016, accessed February 2, 2016 (Dutch). 
33. ↑ ^{a b} GeenPeil en GeenStijl v credit toch geen subsidie ​​voor referendum. AD , February 12, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
34. ↑ 110 partijen verdelen 2 miljoen subsidie ​​Oekraïne-referendum. de Volkskrant, March 2, 2016, accessed March 3, 2016 (Dutch). 
35. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Referendumcommissie - Nieuws. Referendum Commission, accessed on March 3, 2016 (Dutch). 
36. ↑ Geenpeil wil OVSE-waarnemers bij referendum Oekraïne. Nu.nl, December 4, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
37. ↑ GeenPeil urgent letter to OHDIR. (PDF) Geenstijl.nl, December 3, 2015, accessed on February 20, 2016 (English). 
38. ↑ Brievenlijst met besluiten behorende bij de procedurevergadering van donderdag December 17, 2015. (PDF) Geenstijl.nl, December 18, 2015, accessed on February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
39. ↑ Geen OVSE-waarnemers bij referendum over Oekraïne. NOS, January 19, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
40. ↑ ^{a b} Amerikaanse miljardair sponsors' ja'-campagne Oekraïne-referendum. NOS, January 22, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
41. ^ Formal and urgent request to reconsider electoral observation in the Netherlands. (PDF) Geenstijl.nl, January 26, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2016 (English). 
42. ↑ OVSE stuurt geen waarnemers naar Geenpeil referendum on April 6 aanstaande. The Post Online, February 8, 2016, accessed April 5, 2016 (Dutch). 
43. ↑ ^{a b} Minder stembureaus bij referendum GeenStijl. De Gelderlander , January 9, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
44. ↑ Tholen pakt referendum over Oekraïne sober aan. Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant , January 20, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
45. ↑ Aantal stembureaus voor referendum blijft gehalveerd. allesoverkatwijk.nl, January 15, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
46. ↑ Ermelo halveert aantal stembureaus voor referendum. ermelovannu.nl, December 28, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
47. ↑ Referendum kost Stad bijna half miljoen. oogtv.nl, January 15, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
48. ↑ Overal stembureaus in The Hague for referendum GeenPeil over Oekraïne. Omroep West, December 9, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
49. ↑ Ook Barneveld kan stem in referendum. (No longer available online.) Barneveldvandaag.nl, January 14, 2016, archived from the original on January 28, 2016 ; Retrieved February 20, 2016 (Dutch). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
50. ↑ "We guarded a location opkomst, dus less stembureaus". NOS, February 16, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
51. ↑ ^{a b c} right buigt zich over less stembureaus bij Oekraïne-referendum. NOS, March 3, 2016, accessed March 4, 2016 (Dutch). 
52. ↑ Plasterk hoeft niet voor extra stembureaus te zorgen at the referendum. NOS, March 11, 2016, accessed March 11, 2016 (Dutch). 
53. ↑ Geen extra-stembureaus voor referendum in Oldenzaal. NOS, March 8, 2016, accessed March 11, 2016 (Dutch). 
54. ↑ Right: Meer stembureaus in Son en Breugel. NOS, March 14, 2016, accessed January 26, 2018 (Dutch). 
55. ↑ WAAROM VOOR? (No longer available online.) Stem voor Nederland, archived from the original on March 10, 2016 ; Retrieved March 10, 2016 (Dutch). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
56. ↑ Associatieverdrag with Oekraïne en het referendum. Burgercomité-EU, accessed on March 10, 2016 (Dutch). 
57. ↑ Ukraine referendum is really about a Nexit, say backers. Dutch News, March 31, 2016, accessed April 5, 2016 . 
58. ↑ Wilmer Heck: Bedenkers referendum gaat het niet om Oekraïne. NRC Handelsblad, March 31, 2016, accessed April 5, 2016 (Dutch). 
59. ↑ ^{a b} Negroes as a campagne strategy. NRC Next, October 29, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
60. ↑ Dutch PM to campaign for Yes in EU-Ukraine referendum. eubserver.com, January 8, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 . 
61. ↑ Kees Verhoeven: Opinie: “Pechtold is really niet verdrietig”. D66 , September 9, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
62. ↑ Referendum associatieverdrag Oekraïne. ChristenUnie , accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
63. ↑ Ja-kamp referendum Oekraïne verenigt zich. de Volkskrant, January 8, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
64. ^ Subsidie ​​referendum lastig proces. Trouw, February 5, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
65. ↑ Hubert Smeets: Porosjenko: GeenPeil is 'koren op molen Poetin'. NRC Handelsblad, November 26, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
66. ↑ Porosjenko doet beroep op solidariteit Nederlanders. NOS, November 26, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
67. ↑ ^{a b} Juncker warns the Netherlands. Tageblatt , January 9, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 . 
68. ↑ Stéphane Alonso: Juncker: 'Nederlands nee kan suffer dead grote continentale crisis'. NRC Handelsblad, January 9, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
69. ↑ ^{a b} 14th Norbert Schmelzer reading - lecture by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, "The European Union - a source of stability in times of crisis". European Commission , March 3, 2016, accessed March 4, 2016 . 
70. ↑ Van Rompuy: 'Een nee bij referendum is blamage voor Nederland'. Trouw, March 14, 2016, accessed March 14, 2016 (Dutch). 
71. ↑ Rusland niet blij, het accepteert. NOS, June 27, 2014, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
72. ↑ Moscow imposes an embargo on Ukraine. Tagesschau , December 21, 2015, accessed on February 20, 2016 . 
73. ↑ ^{a b} Russia accused of clandestine funding of European parties as US conducts major review of Vladimir Putin's strategy. The Daily Telegraph , January 16, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 . 
74. ↑ Peter Mühlbauer: The Dutch could vote against the EU agreement with Ukraine. Heise online , February 11, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2016 . 
75. ↑ ^{a b} Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, Moscow, February 4, 2016. Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation , February 4, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2016 (English). 
76. ↑ Farage to back 'no' vote in Dutch referendum on Ukraine's EU association. EurActiv.com, February 29, 2016, accessed March 10, 2016 . 
77. ↑ Farage is entitled to the Netherlands for the Brexit referendum. de Volkskrant, April 4, 2016, accessed April 4, 2016 (Dutch). 
78. ↑ Farage says Dutch "No" would boost Brexit support. Reuters , April 4, 2016, accessed April 4, 2016 . 
79. ↑ Onderzoek: 'Het Oekraïne-referendum'. (PDF) EenVandaag, April 2, 2016, accessed April 4, 2016 (Dutch). 
80. ↑ Referendum Oekraïne: 'Nee-kamp' loopt uit. (No longer available online.) Elsevier, March 30, 2016, archived from the original on March 31, 2016 ; Retrieved April 1, 2016 (Dutch). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
81. ↑ Report: HET REFERENDUM OVER DE ASSOCIATIE-OVEREENKOMST MET OEKRAÏNE Slotpeiling I&O Research 31 maart 2016. (PDF) I&O Research, March 31, 2016, accessed on April 2, 2016 (Dutch). 
82. ↑ ^{a b} Onderzoeksopzet. Peil.nl, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
83. ↑ De Stemming van 20 maart 2016. (PDF) Peil.nl, March 20, 2016, accessed on March 24, 2016 (Dutch). 
84. ↑ Report: het referendum over de associatieovereenkomst met Oekraïne (maart 2016). (PDF) I&O Research, March 12, 2016, accessed on March 12, 2016 (Dutch). 
85. ↑ Onderzoek: 'Het Oekraïne-referendum'. (PDF) EenVandaag, February 25, 2016, accessed on February 29, 2016 (Dutch). 
86. ↑ Report: het referendum over de associatieovereenkomst met Oekraïne (February 2016). (PDF) I&O Research, February 19, 2016, accessed on February 27, 2016 (Dutch). 
87. ↑ De stemming van 7 februari 2016. (PDF) Peil.nl, 7 February 2016, accessed on 20 February 2016 (Dutch). 
88. ↑ Oekraïne referendum: 'nee-kamp' ligt voor, maar 'ja-kamp' loopt in. I&O Research, February 1, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
89. ↑ Onderzoek: 'Het Referendum 2016'. (PDF) EenVandaag, January 13, 2016, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
90. ↑ Report: Het referendum over de associatieovereenkomst met Oekraïne. (PDF) I&O Research, February 1, 2016, accessed on February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
91. ↑ ^{a b} Uitslag referendum Associatieovereenkomst met Oekraïne. Kiesraad, April 12, 2016, accessed January 25, 2018 (Dutch). 
92. ↑ Duidelijkheid iced van Rutte over GeenPeil. De Telegraaf, October 16, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
93. ↑ Kamermeerderheid steunt uitkomst GeenPeil. AD, November 24, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
94. ↑ Kamer: uitslag referendum Oekraïne respecteren. NOS, November 25, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 (Dutch). 
95. ↑ Wilders: "This is the beginning of the end of the EU". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , April 7, 2016, accessed on April 7, 2016 . 
96. ^ Raheem Kassam: UKIP's Nigel Farage In Amsterdam For Wednesday's Little Known Dutch EU Referendum. Breitbart.com, April 4, 2016, accessed April 7, 2016 . 
97. ↑ Katie Mansfield: 'The beginning of the END for the EU' Brexit fans rejoice as Dutch vote humiliates union. Express, April 7, 2016, accessed April 7, 2016 . 
98. ↑ Cameron Hopes Dutch referendum 'won't affect' Brexit vote. (No longer available online.) AFP April 7, 2016, archived from the original on April 7, 2016 ; accessed on April 7, 2016 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
99. ↑ Maïa de La Baume: Juncker is 'sad' about Dutch No vote. politico.eu, April 7, 2016, accessed on April 7, 2016 . 
100. ↑ Maaike van Houten: Kiesraad kraakt referendumwet. Trouw, June 2, 2016, accessed September 13, 2016 (Dutch).