Joint Statement of President of the European Parliament Josep Borrell Fontelles, President of the European Council
Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso on the results of the referendum in the
Netherlands on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
The people of the Netherlands, like the voters of France, have chosen to say no to the ratification of the
Constitutional Treaty.
This is a choice that we respect. The result of the democratic ballot taken in the Netherlands comes at the end of a
rich and intense debate and deserves a profound analysis, to which we must now dedicate the necessary time.
We remain convinced that the Constitution makes the European Union more democratic, more effective and stronger, and
that all Member States must be able to express themselves on the project of the Constitutional Treaty.
The fourteen Member States that have not yet had the chance to bring to a conclusion the process of ratification are
today faced with a situation in which, although nine member states have ratified the constitutional treaty, two Member
States have rejected it. For this reason, the Presidency has decided that the Council of 16 and 17 June could usefully
carry out a serious collective analysis of the situation.
Furthermore, we hear the messages sent by the citizens of France and the Netherlands on the European project and we note
them well. The European Institutions will listen to the concerns of European citizens and they will come together to
offer a response.
We are confident that together and in partnership – national governments, European institutions, political parties,
civil society – we will know how to find the means to move the European Union towards an enduring consensus as to its
identity, its objectives and its means. Because Europe goes on, and its institutions will continue to function fully.