Although all five major political parties in The Netherlands support the treaty, Dutch voters, if they do not abstain, look to reject it, fuelled in part by French suspicion. As with the yes campaign in France, pro-Constitution leaders are struggling to find the winning argument to convince the nation to adopt the treaty. The Dutch citizenry are asking themselves, "Will we get back what we pay to Brussels?" They are determining that the answer is a fat no. The Dutch, like the French, feel that they will give up too much for their culture and their concerns to the Eurocrats.

"I am seriously worried the Dutch will vote no. A French no or a Dutch no means the treaty is dead," says Lousewies van der Laan of the center-left D66 party.

It is ironic that the two countries voting this week encouraged The Maastricht Treaty of 1992, in which plans for the Euro currency were accepted and the European Union as it exists today was formed. The French voted "oui," and the Treaty was signed in the Netherlands.

In addition to France and Holland, Britain, whose government still has yet to set a date for its own referendum on the treaty, is poised to reject the Consitution as well. Assuming the British referendum is held sometime this summer and the nays prevail, it will further send a message to the EU bureaucracy that nationalism is still a very strong factor that cannot be overlooked in establishing a federal European bloc.

It is theorized that Europe will only continue to accumulate power, that a federal union of the twenty-five member states will become a reality someday. But, after this week, it may be that the dream of a united Europe will remain stuck in 1992.

Article Author: Mark Edward Manning

Mark Edward Manning grew up in Boston, MA and now lives in London, England. He wrote commentaries for The Boston Herald in the mid 1990s.

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