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The Dutch Referendum and the Future of Europe
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canada goose outlet in uk But this week, the Dutch held a referendum on a trade agreement with Ukraine that has already been approved by the Dutch parliament and by all the other members of the EU. Indeed, the agreement has already been partially in effect for much of 2015. The organizers of the referendum, only the second one in modern Dutch history, don’t actually care much about Ukraine. They simply wanted a way to rally Dutch public opinion against the EU. The association agreement, because of its European connection, served as a nice fat target. canada goose outlet in uk
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canada goose outlet website legit The association agreement with the EU the same association agreement proposed in 2014 that sparked the Euromaidan protests might ordinarily be a lifesaver for Ukraine. As Russia steps away, the EU steps in. And boy, what a economic plum the EU is! Through this agreement, Ukraine gains preferential access to a market of 500 million customers. canada goose outlet website legit
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canada goose outlet new york city You’d think, perhaps, that the Dutch pored over all of these statistics to determine whether or not to support the association agreement. But the Dutch referendum, as I said, was not about Ukraine. canada goose outlet new york city
canada goose outlet black friday The opponents of the association agreement an odd combination of Euroskeptics, right wing populists like Geert Wilders, the left wing Socialist Party, and even an animal rights group made any number of absurd objections to the agreement: that it will cause Ukrainian workers to flood the EU (they won’t), that fascists are in control of Ukraine (they aren’t), or that the agreement is the first step for Ukraine to join the EU (in another 50 years, if the Ukrainians are lucky and the EU still exists). canada goose outlet black friday
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