ENLARGEMENT: NETHERLANDS NIGHTMARE HAUNTS ENDGAME PLANS.

(From European Report)

The European Commission has declined all specific formal comment. "As a matter of principle, the Commission does not comment on internal political developments in Member States", it said as the news broke of the decision to call new elections. All it added was: "Obviously, it is up to the Netherlands to decide, in the current situation, whether or not they can take a position on the next steps of the enlargement process and if so, which position. The Commission is confident that the Netherlands, as they always have done as a founding Member State, will continue to play a constructive role in the development of the European Union".

But privately, officials in all the EU institutions admitted to dismay at this latest blow to the enlargement scenario. The Brussels Summit on October 24-25 is scheduled to take firm decisions on which candidates' …