Press Release
Joint Statement by Josep Borrell Fontelles, Jean-Claude Juncker and José Manuel Barroso on the results of the referendum in the Netherlands on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe

Date of release : 01-06-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

The people of the Netherlands, like the voters of France, have chosen to say no to the ratification of the Constitutional Treaty.

This is a choice that we respect. The result of the democratic ballot taken in the Netherlands comes at the end of a rich and intense debate and deserves a profound analysis, to which we must now dedicate the necessary time.

We remain convinced that the Constitution makes the European Union more democratic, more effective and stronger, and that all Member States must be able to express themselves on the project of the Constitutional Treaty.   

The fourteen Member States that have not yet had the chance to bring to a conclusion the process of ratification are today faced with a situation in which, although nine member states have ratified the constitutional treaty, two Member States have rejected it. For this reason, the Presidency has decided that the Council of 16 and 17 June could usefully carry out a serious collective analysis of the situation.

Furthermore, we hear the messages sent by the citizens of France and the Netherlands on the European project and we note them well. The European Institutions will listen to the concerns of European citizens and they will come together to offer a response.

We are confident that together and in partnership  – national governments, European institutions, political parties, civil society – we will know how to find the means to move the European Union towards an enduring consensus as to its identity, its objectives and its means. Because Europe goes on, and its institutions will continue to function fully.