The Dutch EU-Ukraine vote raises some tricky questions for team Brexit

Yesterday’s rejection of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement by Dutch voters was loudly cheered by Leave campaigners. It will certainly have boosted their morale. It will also have increased the sense that the continent is in chaos and that the EU is becoming less credible. Ultimately, the result is rooted in the EU’s longstanding failure to address its many internal problems, above all its lack of accountability and weak democratic legitimacy. Since the referendum mechanism did not allow for a vote on EU membership itself, Dutch campaigners used the EU-Ukraine deal to express their displeasure with the EU project. However, I doubt it will have significant implications for the UK referendum. From a Dutch perspective, the vote offered a free hit at domestic and EU elites, but also had the advantage of having virtually no practical implications for the Netherlands itself. The biggest repercussions will be felt in Ukraine, which wanted closer ties with the West but has now found itself rebuffed.