Referendum and Robbery of a Museum, or how Political Technologists Combined Something that cannot be Combined

In December of the last year the Ukrainian informative space was staggered by a regular scandal: an announcement appeared on the website of West Frisian Museum in Netherlands city Hoorn: it was said that the pictures and valuables stolen in 2004 are in Ukraine.

Before the scandal was raised, the Netherlands (by the way, the only one in the European Union) decided to arrange a consultative referendum in relation to ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

Decision taken by this will expression will not be obligatory for implementation even if on the 6th of April this year over 30 percent of citizens of Netherlands will come to the voting boxes.

However, let’s hope that the majority participants of referendum, even in a consultative way, will not deprive Ukraine of its right to have the place in the family of the European nations. The more so is that Ukrainians also have something regarding the return of cultural valuables to bring to the attention of Amsterdam. The point at issue is a famous history about the Scythian gold. The Verkhovna Rada in May of the last year supported the appeal to the parliament of the Netherlands with a request to assist in returning the Scythian gold to Ukraine.

Larysa MARYSHCHENKO