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                      Dutch Voters Reject EU-Ukraine Deal

   by VOA News

   In a non-binding referendum, Dutch voters have signaled that they do
   not approve of an EU trade deal with Ukraine.

   With 99 percent of the votes counted after Wednesday's ballot, 61
   percent of voters rejected the deal, while 38 percent approved it. The
   vote sends a clear signal to the Dutch parliament, which had been
   expected to ratify the deal.

   Prime Minister Mark Rutte said late Wednesday that the Dutch government
   will consult with parliament and with its European partners to decide
   what do to next. Rutte cautioned the process could take "days or
   weeks."

   While the vote count is nearly complete, officials results are not due
   to be released until April 12.

   After Wednesday's referendum, turnout among the Netherlands' 12.5
   million voters was counted at 32.2 percent, with a margin of error of
   three percent. Thirty percent turnout was needed to validate the
   results of the referendum.

   The referendum is a signal of scant support for the EU among Dutch
   citizens, despite the Netherlands' status as a founding member of the
   trade bloc.

   ''

   Dutch opponents of the EU agreement say its ultimate goal is to bring
   Ukraine, which struggles with corruption and an ongoing separatist
   movement, into the bloc.  Supporters say the agreement would aid
   economic development on both sides and improve human rights in the
   former Soviet republic.

   The United States backs the deal. State Department Deputy Spokesman
   Mark Toner said Wednesday that it is "in the interests of the United
   States, of the Netherlands, of the EU to help ensure that Ukraine
   becomes a democratic and economically stable country. "

   The rejection of the deal by Dutch citizens is an important signal that
   support for the EU in the Netherlands is not high, raising questions
   about what the future of the bloc will be. In three months, British
   citizens are set to go to the polls to decide whether to remain in the
   EU or not.

   The trade bloc formally established in 1993 is now struggling to cope
   with economic woes, political divisions, and the worst refugee crisis
   since the World War II.
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   274175.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/dutch-voters-reject-eu-ukraine-deal/3274175.html