Thursday, June 2 2005 08:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

The Hague: Dutch voters fired a second shot to the heart of the European project yesterday (Jun 1, 2005), rejecting the first-ever European Union (EU) constitution after a campaign that exposed deep divisions over the direction of the continent.

An exit poll released as soon as voting closed showed more than 63 per cent of voters had rejected the treaty, ignoring calls by all political parties to back the text.

The stinging defeat, three days after nearly 55 per cent of people in France also voted it down, is a second, potentially fatal blow to a treaty cherished by EU officials but viewed warily by much of the population.

The latest setback in another of the EU's six founding members deepens the crisis among EU leaders who say the treaty would harmonise how the bloc is run and ensure long-term economic and social progress.

The exit poll by the Interview-NSS bureau for the national ANP news agency and Dutch public radio and television put the turnout at 62 per cent.

Although the referendum is not binding on the Government, all the political parties had said they would respect the result if turnout reached at least 30 per cent.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday warned any countries thinking of abandoning the treaty not to be so hasty.

He said it "will not be wise" for EU leaders "to come with new initiatives or unilateral decisions that could make it more difficult to reach a consensus" at a June 16-17 summit.

In the wake of the French vote, media in euro sceptic Britain were already citing senior Government sources reporting that London could call off its plans for a referendum.