ESTABLISHED half a century ago to bring the people of Europe together through music, the Eurovision Song Contest now seems set to blow the European project apart.

The rejection of the Dutch entrant from this year’s contest by a coalition of Eastern European states has intensified opposition to the European constitution in the Netherlands ten days before the country holds a referendum. Pollsters say that it is now all but certain that the Dutch people will reject the constitutional treaty in the vote on June 1.

Three opinion polls indicated a huge advance in the “no” vote, which now outnumbers the “yes” vote by as much as two to one. Although EU leaders have shown most concern about France, whose referendum on Sunday is too close to call, rejection of the treaty by the Netherlands, an EU founding member, could also kill off the treaty.

Opposition to the constitution has hardened after Glennis Grace, the Dutch Eurovision contender, was eliminated from the semi-final of the Eurovision contest, apparently defeated by an alliance of Eastern European countries, according to Dutch media.

De Telegraaf devoted its front page to the reaction of readers. “The elimination of the Netherlands shows again who will have the largest say in Europe in the future,” one reader said. The newspaper said that many compatriots reacted by using the occasion of the contest “to speak out against European unification and the future the EU constitution”.

The Dutch rejection from the contest has touched a raw nerve in a small country worried about being swallowed up in an ever-enlarging European Union.

Maurice de Hond, the country’s top pollster, found that 71 per cent of people “think that the fact that substantially more Eastern European than Western European countries have reached the final (of Eurovision) is an example of how the power within the EU has shifted to the east.”

He said: “People feel it is confirmation of the feeling they are losing power in the EU and that Eastern Europe is working together against Western Europe.”

Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister, who was put on the defensive in a television interview about the EU constitution, insisted: “The race is far from over. I’m putting my money on the ‘yes’ vote.”

Dutch ministers issued ever more apocalyptic warnings to voters of what will happen if they reject the constitution.

Ben Bot, the Foreign Minister, said that it would be disastrous for the economy. Piet Hein Donner, the Justice Minister, gave warning of “Balkanisation”, referring to the civil wars in the former Yugoslavia.

Mr Balkenende recalled the Holocaust and the Second World War, saying that the constitution was the way to peace and preserving civilisation.

“Yes” campaigners were forced to withdraw a television commercial that showed historical footage of Jews being deported in trains during the Holocaust and rooms full of coffins from the Srebrenica massacre in former Yugoslavia, after complaints from viewers. Campaigners argued that the commercial reinforced their view that the constitution was needed to prevent war and terror.

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