The Dutch government is in "uncharted waters" after voters rejected an EU deal with Ukraine in a non-binding poll, leaving its leaders to decide what to do next, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday. Lawmakers will meet next week after Dutch voters on Wednesday spurned a planned EU pact with Kiev for closer ties in referendum, a result quickly hailed by eurosceptics across the continent as well as in Russia.
The Netherlands is now the only country in the 28-nation EU bloc still to ratify the accord, and Rutte has the unenviable task of finding a solution acceptable both to parliament, citizens and the Netherlands' EU partners. His coalition cabinet "will discuss the matter with parliament next Wednesday" a tight-lipped Rutte said at his usual post-cabinet press conference.
"But it's a complex process. It's uncharted waters," he said, referring to the referendum triggered by a newly introduced law that allows citizens to retroactively voice opinions on legislative decisions. Asked why he thought that 32 percent of eligible Dutch voters - enough to validate the referendum's results - said "No" to the accord, the Liberal premier said "it's not up to me to make an interpretation." He said several issues were highlighted in public debates including that people may have been worried the agreement would lead to Ukranian integration into the EU or that Kiev may be allowed to join Nato.