Rediscovering Europe in the Netherlands - St Antony's College ...

ediscovering europe in the netherlands
endum outcome as ‘the result of a combination of circumstances, including
a mood of low political confidence, and especially of a largely autonomous
dynamic process towards formation of public opinion’. (cpb en scp 2007:
59). At any rate, people mostly envision a positive role for the eu, especially
regarding specific cross-border policy domains (such as fighting
terrorism and crime, defence and foreign affairs, immigration and environmental
protection) (cpb and scp 2007: 63).
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Despite these positive notes, there are indeed reasons for concern. Firstly,
support for the eu is based on the general social and economic climate in a
society and the economic position of the citizenry itself, and much less on
the judgement and knowledge of the eu’s contribution to economic prosperity.
The cpb and scp study consequently notes a ‘vulnerable basis’ of
support for the eu (cpb and scp 2007: 71). Secondly, general support for
the eu implies little about the extent to which different groups of Dutch
citizens are going to be willing to accept specific eu policy choices in the
future to be legitimate, especially now that these choices are increasingly
taking place in politically sensitive domains (such as immigration, new
enlargement rounds, social policy and education), which could have widely
differing consequences for these various groups.
Politicisation as an uncomfortable phenomenon
Looking back over the last 15 years, many informed Europe observers
believe that the Dutch political system is still having difficulties with the
increased politicisation of the enlarged eu. In the wake of the broadening
and deepening processes, the more Europe has come to focus on noneconomic
issues (which have frequently proven to be controversial and
sensitive), and the more complex and changeable the political playing field
has become as a result of European enlargement, the more visibly Dutch
eu policy loses its sense of direction, control and robustness (Van Keulen
2006: 196-7; Van Middelaar 2004; Pels 2007; De Vreese 2007).
One example of this is the trepidation with which Dutch politicians
approach European constitutional issues. According to insiders, this has to
do not only with the deeply rooted Dutch focus on the economic benefits
of integration, but also on the ‘Black Monday hangover’ – a reference to the
period following the events of September 1991, when the Dutch President
of the European Council at that time suddenly tabled an ambitious
proposal for a Common Foreign and Security Policy. The proposal was
diametrically opposed to the dominant preferences of a majority of the citizens
in the member states, leading to a scramble to rescue an old proposal
by the Luxembourg presidency (Van Keulen 2006: 102). This fiasco
brought an abrupt end to The Hague’s tentative flirtations with ambitious