Netherlands Repeats "EU Constitution is dead"
"The European constitution is dead for the Netherlands," Foreign Minister Ben Bot repeated yesterday. He said this after a meeting with his Austrian counterpart Ursula Plassnik. Austria is President of the European Union for the next six months. Austria and Germany wish to breathe new life into the European constitution, but Bot does not wish to give them any hope. His words were not new - after a clear 'no' at last June's referendum, the Netherlands has consistently taken the position that the constitution is dead. Neither does Bot wish to encourage attempts to "extract the best parts" of the text of the constitutional treaty, though he is prepared to find practical solutions based on the Treaty of Nice for keeping the extended EU manageable. The period of reflection agreed on by the EU leaders after the French and Dutch 'no' must lead to new solutions, Bot did declare.
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