EU Council Presidency of the Netherlands in the first half of 2016: “Europe where necessary, national where possible”

In the first half year of 2016, the Netherlands will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union. FUEN has analysed the chosen priorities and the developments that will require most of the time and effort of the presidency in the coming six months.

The Netherlands was amongst the six founding members of the European Union. Former Presidencies have made big achievements, reflected by the fact that two major Treaties were named after Amsterdam and Maastricht. Also today, Dutchmen hold important positions in the European institutions: Frans Timmermans is the First Vice President of the European Commission and the Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem is the Chair of the Euro-Group. 

The Dutch have announced three priorities for the term of their presidency in the first half of 2016: improving quality and simplification of legislation, growth and jobs and active involvement of citizens and civil society in policymaking. The Dutch feel that the EU is doing to many small things, and are not addressing the big problems of our time.

The priorities, which were defined more than a year ago, have in the meantime been overtaken by the events of last year. According to figures by UNHCR, 1,065,184 asylum applications were submitted in the 28 EU states between January-November 2015. This great increase in numbers over the past year has led to unilateral responses by Member States, non-application of existing agreements and so far the EU proposals and plans adopted over the past year have not been successful. The Dutch Presidency will have to devote much of its time to find a beginning of a European solution for the EU crisis on how to deal with refugees and asylum seekers. The Dutch government wants to improve fair burden sharing in Europe, to secure the external borders, to secure safe resettlement in the region and to repair the European registration system of refugees. 

In the field of human rights, fundamental rights and the rules of law the Dutch want to continue the dialogue on the strengthening the rules of law within the Member States. Although not necessarily negative towards national minorities, the Dutch government traditionally does not consider this topic very important, at least not in its own backyard, or in surrounding “civilised” countries. With the debate on the multicultural society raging since the beginning of the century, acceptance of diversity inside society in the Netherlands has reduced and the common opinion is now that migrants and ethnic minorities should not be pampered, but adapt to Dutch values. Currently, as a result of the current large migration and unease about the EU, the far-right Freedom Party of Geert Wilders has become the largest party in the polls. The other Dutch parties have no simple answers to his framing of foreigners, immigrants and the EU-elite as the source of all evil and have moved to the right too. 

The Dutch government is based on an uneasy coalition between the liberal-conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy Party and the centre-left Labour Party, which is dependent on the support from opposition parties in the Dutch Senate. In April, the Dutch voters will be asked to go to the polls to vote in an advisory referendum on ratification of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine. The referendum, initiated by a satirical website that managed to get the support of almost half a million people, may turn into a test of the popularity of the EU. As Dutch elections will take place in 2017, this may create tensions between the government parties. It seems likely though that both parties will do their utmost to prevent crisis during the EU Presidency.

Another important development in the coming half year is the British campaign for EU reforms and the UK referendum on Brexit later in 2016. Prime Minister Rutte, who has good relations with British Prime Minister Cameron, will try hard to keep the British inside the Union. Cameron already quoted the motto of the Dutch Presidency to make his point: “Europe where necessary, national where possible”. The UK is the Dutch second-biggest trading partner and the Netherlands have always taken a position in between the Atlantic and free trade-oriented British as counterweight to the German-French axis in the EU. Therefore Rutte will certainly invest much to keep the UK inside the European Union. 

The Netherlands wants the European Union to concentrate on the important issues. And it also wants that the EU connects with civil society. FUEN applauds these goals and hopes that it finds common grounds with the Presidency and the other institutions in general in determining these important issues.

Ried fan de Fryske Beweging, representing the Frisian minority in the Netherlands, is a founding member of FUEN. In 2018, the FUEN Congress will be organised in the Frisian capital of Leeuwarden/Ljouwert, when it is the European Capital of Culture 2018. There are approximately 450,000 speakers of Frisian in the Netherlands.

More information:

Homepage of the Dutch Council Presidency 2016

Homepage der niederländischen Ratspräsidentschaft 2016

La présidence néerlandaise de l’UE 2016

Photos: Flickr Dutch EU 2016 Council Presidency