JUST three days after the French referendum, citizens of another founding member of the European Union will go to the polls, and they could seal the fate of the constitution.

Euroscepticism is riding high in the Netherlands, traditionally one of the most ardent pro-European nations, which is holding its first national referendum on June 1.

Political turmoil over radical Islam has created an unpredictable political climate, putting many Dutch on the defensive about handing over powers to an international institution. The Union is increasingly seen as remote and interfering, and the Dutch Foreign Minister has accused Brussels of meddling in matters that it should avoid.

The Dutch are also frustrated at being the biggest net payers to the EU, per capita, and, like the French, are strongly opposed to allowing Turkey to join the EU.

Unlike France, however, the referendum campaign has barely got off the ground. Polls have proved confusingly volatile, but apathy appears to be a constant. In one poll, two thirds said they would not vote. Maurice de Hond, the leading Dutch pollster, believes that the turnout could be as low as 35 per cent.

The referendum is not binding on the Government, which may make a powerful case for ignoring it if the vast majority of Dutch do not bother to go to the ballot box.

However, a “no” vote by another founding member would make it far more difficult to write off a French “non” as a protest against M Chirac.

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