Abstract

On 1 June 2005, the Dutch voters said no to the ratification of the "European Constitution" with a clear majority of 62% (at a turnout rate of 63%). To many domestic as well as international observers, this result came as a surprise. After describing the run-up to the Dutch referendum and the campaign for it, this contribution reviews the various explanations that have been presented to explain the outcome and tries to put the events in a broader context. On the basis of these findings for the Dutch case, the authors formulate a perspective on how to move on from here with the European constitutionalisation process.