Almost half of Dutch voters are convinced the EU’s treaty of association with Ukraine paves the way for membership of the European Union, according to an Ipsos poll on Tuesday.

Just 17% believe ‘yes’ campaigners who say the treaty focuses on trade and 37% are unsure, the poll showed.

The Netherlands will hold a referendum on whether the Dutch should complete the treaty ratification process on Wednesday. The result of the vote is only advisory and at least 30% of the electorate have to vote for it to have any legal weight.

The Ipsos poll also shows that just over half of voters (52%) do not consider the referendum is about the EU in general. Of the rest, 28% say their vote is an anti-EU vote and 20% say their vote is in support of the institution.

Just over half (56%) of voters think the government should respect the result of the referendum, as long as the 30% threshold is reached.

The poll indicates that the ‘no’ camp are still ahead but does not say how many people are likely to vote.