The Netherlands is one of five European countries which have consistently blocked moves to open the way for Ukraine to join the EU, the Volkskrant says on Friday.

Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands all refused to allow any openings to Ukraine, despite the efforts of Britain, Sweden, Poland and the Baltic states during five years of treaty talks, the paper says. It bases its claims on diplomatic sources.

The Maidan revolution and the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 did not lead to any change in the opponents’ position, the paper says. Its researchers talked to German, French, Belgian, British and Lithuanian diplomats and academics.

Ukraine’s potential membership of the EU is one of the key issues in next week’s Dutch referendum on the EU treaty. The ‘no’ campaign says the treaty is a precursor to Ukraine joining the EU and this is the main reason why 75% of ‘no’ supporters say they plan to vote.

Expansion

French diplomat Pierre Vimont, who led the treaty of association negotiations with Ukraine, told the Volkskrant there was a core group of countries which wanted to include the prospect of EU membership in the final treaty. ‘A second group consistently refused… to make any pledges about the future,’ he said.

A Lithuanian diplomat said countries such as France and the Netherlands thought including a clause in the treaty on membership went too far. ‘They just kept saying “No perspective, no perspective”,’ he said.

The Netherlands and France suffered most from being ‘fed up with expansion’, Vimont is quoted as saying. Both countries also rejected the EU constitution in referendums in 2005.

Buffer

Earlier this week, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said in an interview with Nu.nl that Ukraine should never become a member of the European Union.

Speaking a week before the controversial referendum in the Netherlands on the EU’s treaty with Ukraine, Rutte said Ukraine has an important buffer role between the EU and Russia.

The Netherlands is against EU membership for Ukraine because ‘we think that Ukraine should have a good relationship with Europe and Russia. And that would not be possible if it was part of the European Union.’