Poll shows majority of Dutch in favor of amended EU constitution

Almost 66 percent of Dutch voters would vote in favor of an amended European Union (EU) constitution if it is a traditional treaty containing certain changes to the existing EU treaties, according to a poll by Radio Netherlands.

Most Dutch people want a new referendum on the new treaty, the poll showed. The current EU presidency holder Germany wants EU leaders to agree on the final text of the treaty before the 2009 European elections.

Although the Dutch view an amending treaty far more positively than the constitution, which was rejected in by French and Dutch voters in referenda in 2005, most Dutch respondents said they were not overly impressed by the changes to the constitution proposed by the Dutch government.

The poll also revealed that a majority of Dutch are opposed to Turkish membership of the EU.

The Dutch government said it wants the EU constitution to be substantially revised. Among others, the constitution should be deprived of any element associated with "constitution" -- the title, the EU flag and anthem, for instance -- and should give national parliaments a greater say in EU decision-making.

After a meeting with his EU colleagues in Luxembourg on Sunday, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said there was a "real chance" that "all symbols of a super state, like the European flag, will be scrapped."

But he said the Dutch demand for bigger power for national parliaments did not get much support. Another Dutch proposal, that the Charter of Fundamental Rights be scrapped from the EU treaty, was also not well received.

Source: Xinhua