Actress and former footballer seen as faces of Ukraine yes campaign

Dutch actress Victoria Koblenko  and former footballer Evgeniy Levchenko are among the personalities and politicians whom government strategists think could be used to win support for the European treaty with Ukraine.

Their names are included in the communications campaign outlining how the government should tackle the referendum, and which has been leaked to broadcaster RTL news. The vote takes place on April 6.

The referendum, called after a campaign by shock blog GeenStijl managed to gather over 400,000 signatures, is actually about whether or not the EU should ratify the treaty of association with Ukraine. However, it is widely being seen as a test of Dutch public opinion about Europe in general.

Public opinion

The document outlines how officials and ministers should deal with questions about the referendum. The emphasis, for example, should be on a ‘yes’ vote being good for the economy because it will ‘open the door to a market of 45 million people’.

Spokesmen are also being advised to use the term ‘alliance treaty’ rather than ‘treaty of association’ because it is easier to understand.

Former Volkskrant editor turned Hilversum mayor Pieter Broertjes, gay rights lobby group COC, Greenpeace, railway company NS and ING and Rabobank are also included on the list of potential supporters.