REUTERS
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the Netherlands will not be able to "just proceed" with the ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement after the Dutch referendum on April 6 when the majority of citizens rejected the EU-Ukraine deal.
"If this is the outcome, we will have to consider this advice carefully. It implies a political fact that ratification cannot just proceed. But the majority of the people that cast their ballot, have voted against," Rutte said in a statement on April 6.
Read alsoUPDATE: Dutch referendum says No with 61.1%, turnout 32.2%: preliminary count over"We'll need to follow a step by step approach. The first step will now be to get more clarity on the outcome, after which the cabinet will deliberate and enter into a discussion with parliament, as well as with our European partners and Ukraine. This will process will take time, not just days, probably weeks," he said.