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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Netherlands votes on EU-Ukraine trade agreement | Netherlands votes on EU-Ukraine trade agreement |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Voters in the Netherlands are taking part in a referendum on an EU partnership deal removing trade barriers with Ukraine. | Voters in the Netherlands are taking part in a referendum on an EU partnership deal removing trade barriers with Ukraine. |
| The referendum was triggered by an internet petition begun by Eurosceptic activists that attracted some 450,000 signatures. | The referendum was triggered by an internet petition begun by Eurosceptic activists that attracted some 450,000 signatures. |
| The Dutch parliament has already ratified the EU agreement and the result of the vote is not binding. | The Dutch parliament has already ratified the EU agreement and the result of the vote is not binding. |
| But the vote is being seen as a test of public opinion towards the EU. | But the vote is being seen as a test of public opinion towards the EU. |
| Correspondents say many voters are using the referendum as a chance to protest against the EU's expansion and what they consider to be its undemocratic decision-making processes. | Correspondents say many voters are using the referendum as a chance to protest against the EU's expansion and what they consider to be its undemocratic decision-making processes. |
| Under the 2015 Dutch law that created advisory referendums, the result will be considered valid only if turnout is higher than 30%. | Under the 2015 Dutch law that created advisory referendums, the result will be considered valid only if turnout is higher than 30%. |
| Voters are asked to either back the deal, reject it or fill in a blank box. Polling booths were opened at the main city stations, in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, but by midday fewer than 2,000 voters had used them, Dutch ANP news agency reported. | |
| Turnout was sluggish during the morning, with only 6.5% of voters casting their ballot in the capital, Amsterdam, by 13:00 (11:00 GMT). Voting was set to continue until 21:00 and first projections of the result were expected shortly afterwards. | |
| The vote comes less than three months before British citizens decide in their own referendum whether to leave the EU altogether. Nigel Farage, who leads the anti-EU UKIP party, said a "No" vote would embolden those campaigning in the UK to leave the 28-member bloc. However, he acknowledged that a "Yes" vote would be a blow to the Brexit campaign. | The vote comes less than three months before British citizens decide in their own referendum whether to leave the EU altogether. Nigel Farage, who leads the anti-EU UKIP party, said a "No" vote would embolden those campaigning in the UK to leave the 28-member bloc. However, he acknowledged that a "Yes" vote would be a blow to the Brexit campaign. |
| Watching the vote, by Anna Holligan, BBC News, The Hague | Watching the vote, by Anna Holligan, BBC News, The Hague |
| A steady trickle of voters filed in and out of two booths that attracted commuters as they passed through the central station. | A steady trickle of voters filed in and out of two booths that attracted commuters as they passed through the central station. |
| If enough Dutch people vote "No", the result could have repercussions for Europe, the UK and, of course, Ukraine. The geopolitical stakes are high. | If enough Dutch people vote "No", the result could have repercussions for Europe, the UK and, of course, Ukraine. The geopolitical stakes are high. |
| The anti-EU leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, is poised for potential political gains. Greeted by TV crews, including two Russian reporters, he told them his vote would send a message to the European elite. | The anti-EU leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, is poised for potential political gains. Greeted by TV crews, including two Russian reporters, he told them his vote would send a message to the European elite. |
| And that's what the "Yes" campaigners fear. Posters at railway stations portray Mr Wilders and Russian President Vladimir Putin locked in a mocked-up steamy embrace. "Yes" campaigners are trying to convince voters that a vote against the EU deal would provide President Putin, who opposed the deal, with a propaganda triumph. | And that's what the "Yes" campaigners fear. Posters at railway stations portray Mr Wilders and Russian President Vladimir Putin locked in a mocked-up steamy embrace. "Yes" campaigners are trying to convince voters that a vote against the EU deal would provide President Putin, who opposed the deal, with a propaganda triumph. |
| One of the Russian journalists told me why she had come all the way to The Hague: "It's a referendum, that's interesting, no?" | One of the Russian journalists told me why she had come all the way to The Hague: "It's a referendum, that's interesting, no?" |
| President Putin's government was vehemently opposed to the EU deal with Ukraine and was widely thought to have pressed then-President Viktor Yanukovych to reject it in November 2013. Mr Yanukovych's decision prompted protests in Kiev that ultimately led to his downfall. | President Putin's government was vehemently opposed to the EU deal with Ukraine and was widely thought to have pressed then-President Viktor Yanukovych to reject it in November 2013. Mr Yanukovych's decision prompted protests in Kiev that ultimately led to his downfall. |
| Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have widely been blamed for the killing of 298 people, when a Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam was shot down in July 2014. The Netherlands lost 193 of its citizens. | Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have widely been blamed for the killing of 298 people, when a Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam was shot down in July 2014. The Netherlands lost 193 of its citizens. |
| One of the Dutch Eurosceptics behind the referendum, Thierry Baudet, has warned the government to heed a "No" vote on the deal. "It is not good for the Netherlands, not good for Europe and not good for Ukraine," he said on TV on the eve of the vote. | One of the Dutch Eurosceptics behind the referendum, Thierry Baudet, has warned the government to heed a "No" vote on the deal. "It is not good for the Netherlands, not good for Europe and not good for Ukraine," he said on TV on the eve of the vote. |
| A "No" vote would put the Dutch government under pressure to cancel its ratification. | A "No" vote would put the Dutch government under pressure to cancel its ratification. |
| EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has described the stakes in the run-up to the vote as being high, warning that a "No'" vote could trigger a wider crisis in the 28-member bloc. | EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has described the stakes in the run-up to the vote as being high, warning that a "No'" vote could trigger a wider crisis in the 28-member bloc. |
| View from Kiev - by BBC Monitoring | View from Kiev - by BBC Monitoring |
| The Dutch vote is being covered prominently in Ukraine. "How will our politicians react if the outcome is a resounding no?" One Plus One TV asked as the polls opened. | The Dutch vote is being covered prominently in Ukraine. "How will our politicians react if the outcome is a resounding no?" One Plus One TV asked as the polls opened. |
| In the run-up to the vote, Ukraine's media were abuzz with stories about various Ukrainian initiatives to promote the Yes campaign, including what they called an "invasion by propaganda troops" - local politicians and activists travelling to the Netherlands. | In the run-up to the vote, Ukraine's media were abuzz with stories about various Ukrainian initiatives to promote the Yes campaign, including what they called an "invasion by propaganda troops" - local politicians and activists travelling to the Netherlands. |
| Many commentators in Ukraine are now wondering whether Kiev has done enough to counter the No campaign, whose efforts included the distribution of free waffles in wrappers with slogans urging the Dutch to vote against the agreement. | Many commentators in Ukraine are now wondering whether Kiev has done enough to counter the No campaign, whose efforts included the distribution of free waffles in wrappers with slogans urging the Dutch to vote against the agreement. |