Speech: The Netherlands: A bumpy bull-ride. The holes in Europe’s past, present and future

Europe's citizens are reluctant to commit themselves to Europe. At the dinner before the intellectual summit in Rotterdam, Minister for European Affairs Atzo Nicolai spoke about Europe's democratic deficit. He said that although Europe does not figure in the hearts and minds of Europeans, it is too beautiful an idea to abandon altogether. The summit in Rotterdam marked the end of a series of five international conferences during the Dutch EU Presidency