On July 30, 2015 when the euroskeptics set up the national discussion of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, most people could hardly find this country on the world map. In the same time the vindicators of this campaign affirmed that submitting the ratification issue of the Agreement on referendum is simply a combination of circumstances and that the utmost priority is to preserve the electorate’s right to influence directly the political decisions of the government and parliament, in particular, when it comes to the EU.
Such a right is guaranteed by the Law on advisory corrective referendum came into force on the April 1, 2015. That is why those supporting the Association Agreement as well as its opponents followed the initiative to hold the referendum thinking first of all about EU. But in the course of campaign of agitation for referendum its originators slipped down to the emotional slogans instead of informing the community on pros and cons of the Agreement (e.g. for a specific domain of the economy, environment, human rights). Besides they emphasized on the negative image of Ukraine by using often repeated points of the Russian propaganda, even when it became alarming.
The votes for referendum were gathered the date was set. The time is flying fast. As the referendum day is looming the word “Ukraine” has almost came into common use of the Dutch. Day to day TV screens, national and foreign newspapers are full of comments forecasts of the analytical researches and appeals of the politicians pertaining to this referendum. In the Netherlands people are discovering Ukraine for themselves not only from the perspective of the Putin’s deceitful propaganda but as a country forced to resort to the revolution in the form of Maidan in order to do away with Soviet past and set foot on the road of developing full-fledge European state. Apart from this people are shown that promoting European course of Ukraine is really profitable. Among the principal advantages are free trade with a civilized access for businessmen to a huge Ukrainian market and security enhancement on the Eastern borders of Ukraine. Besides it is also war on corruption which existence in Ukraine is usually stressed by the euroskeptics though the Association treaty is a really efficient tool for cracking the corruption down.
Meanwhile the opponents of Association Agreement ratification surpass the number of the supporters even though the proportion is getting leveled. Regarding that in December the “for” and “against” ratio was 38% to 62%. In the mid-February this proportion made 44% to 56%. Evident is the tendency that the emotions spawned by the deceitful propaganda are being superseded by reasonable and deliberate position based on the objective reality and facts. Many people are also insulted by being cynically manipulated demonizing the image of Ukraine and consequently such information appears to be nothing but propaganda rubbish.
The Dutch start to realize one more very important thing which is hybrid war waged by Russia against Ukraine and expanding its scale up to European terrain. What is the aim of the ratification opponents? By calling up to vote against, they jeopardize the European unity seeking to split the Member-States. It is hardly ever possible that euroskeptics’ victory will become the victory for the democracy in case of relatively small part of the relatively small EU member-state blocks up the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement ratified by the Parliaments of the rest of the EU member-states and by both European and Ukrainian parliaments. Who will reap profits? Obviously it will be the one yearning for the disintegration of the EU and corruption of its unity.