Secretary of State's warning over EU membership is “attempt at blackmail”
29 May 2007
Secretary of State's warning over EU membership is “attempt at blackmail”
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans' assertion that the Netherlands will put its EU membership at risk if it rejects a European treaty for a second time is nonsense, according to SP European affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel. Van Bommel described the PvdA (Labour Party) Secretary of State's statement as “pure blackmail”.
“Timmermans is obviously afraid that the Dutch people will once again reject a European treaty, as they did in the referendum on the European Constitution two years ago,” Van Bommel said. “Blackmail didn't work then and it won't work this time, either.”
The SP is demanding that Timmermans come before Parliament to explain his outburst.