Five EU countries remain firmly against Ukraine ever joining the union, French diplomat Pierre Vimont, who has helped negotiate the Ukraine – EU Association Agreement, told a Dutch publication ahead of next week’s advisory referendum on the deal in the Netherlands.
Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands all rejected the idea of Ukraine’s potential EU membership during the five-year negotiation period in 2008-2012, Vimont told Volkskrant.
The Netherlands will hold an advisory referendum on a key treaty between the European Union and Ukraine on April 6, 2016. Only Dutch nationals will be able to vote. While not legally binding the vote will serve as an indication of attitudes towards Ukraine. At least 30 percent of the electorate have to vote in the referendum for it to have any weight.