Nexit (a portmanteau of "Netherlands" and "exit") is the hypothetical withdrawal of the Netherlands from the European Union. The idea carried some political sway historically, seeing increased popularity around the same time that the United Kingdom voted to withdraw from the EU, but since then has been discarded as a policy by the largest party that had favoured it.
Political initiatives In 2016, former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte called the possibility of a referendum "utterly irresponsible" and dangerous to the country. Political parties that are Hard Eurosceptic, or have called for a referendum on European Union membership, include the right-wing populistMerijn Oudenampsen (2013). "[ Explaining the Swing to the Right: The Dutch Debate on the Rise of Right-Wing Populism]". In Ruth Wodak, Majid KhosraviNik, Brigitte Mral. Right-Wing Populism in Europe: Politics and Discourse. A&C Black. p. 191. Party for Freedom (PVV) and Forum for Democracy (FvD). As of 2025, these parties currently hold less than a third of the seats in the House of Representatives.
Leading up to the 2024 European Parliament election, the most electorally successful Eurosceptic party in the Netherlands PVV renounced their wish for a Dutch withdrawal from the European Union, which was found by Ipsos to have a minimal effect on their polling.
Public opinion
A poll in the Netherlands by the Pew Research Center in June 2016, conducted before the British referendum which led to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, found 51% of the Dutch respondents to have a positive view of the European Union and 46% a negative view. Another poll by peil.nl in the aftermath of the 2016 British referendum found 50% of the respondents to be against a similar referendum in their country, with 46% of those in favour of remaining in the EU compared to 43% overall against remaining. Date(s) conductedPolling FirmSample Remain LeaveUndecidedLeadRef August 2024LISS1,27610%60% 5–9 June 2020I&O Research1,63825%50% 27–31 January 2020EenVandaag23,95033%28%19–24 April 2019I&O Research2,51016%12%56% 25–28 March 2019EenVandaag27,65229%7%37% 18–22 January 2019I&O Research2,51018%10%54% 11–13 September 2018Ipsos1,01721%24%34% http://content1a.omroep.nl/urishieldv2/l27m031293d44dece972005ba4fed5000000.fd1c88970afd508c0d031a62afef8849/nos/docs/Ipsos_NOS_Prinsjesdagrapport2018.pdf 6 March – 7 April 2017 Pew Research1,00618%2%62% 5–7 July 2016EenVandaag25,68139%8%14% 23 June 2016The United Kingdom votes to leave the EU.10–20 June 2016EenVandaag27,00045%7%3% 27–31 May 2016TNS Public Affairs98133%18%16% 4–7 March 2016I&O Research2,51022%11%45% See also Brexit Withdrawal from the European Union
Danish withdrawal from the European Union (Danexit) Frexit Greek withdrawal from the eurozone (Grexit) Hungarian withdrawal from the European Union (Huxit) Polish withdrawal from the European Union (Polexit) Romanian withdrawal from the European Union (Roexit) References