BRUSSELS — It once seemed a quaint formality, but the Netherlands’ referendum on a European Union free-trade deal with Ukraine amounted to a slap in the face for the EU — and yet another serious challenge to the European dream.
Under Dutch law, it gave them the best chance to snub their nose at “Brussels” — increasingly used as a negative term for the home of EU institutions and their continentwide policies, which critics see as interfering with national life.
“That is a vote of no confidence by the people against the elite from Brussels,” said right-wing firebrand Geert Wilders, who has …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
