The results of the Dutch national elections on March 15 are looked upon in the European Union (EU) as a possible precursor of the upcoming elections in France and Germany later this year. Although the EU has hardly played a role in the debates during the Dutch election campaign, much of the international debate has focused on whether an ‘anti-EU’ government will be elected. This article analyses the EU positions of the Dutch political parties.
A detailed overview of the priorities of the political parties can be viewed in the mattermap.
While there are at least two political parties that desire to leave the EU, this time an extraordinary amount of political parties compete in the Dutch elections. As a result, as far as the EU is concerned, a variety of opinions exists. The outgoing Dutch government consists of two parties, but if current polls are anything to go by, four or maybe five parties will be needed this time to form the next government. This would render a clear-cut Dutch stance on the EU difficult.
