Geert Wilders has lost the legal case he began against the European rescue fund.

A judge in the Hague has ruled that Wilders’ objections to the creation of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) are not a legal basis for stopping parliament from ratifying the plan.

Wilders wants the ratification of the plan to create the ESM to be postponed until after the election in September. According to the plan, the Netherlands will transfer 4.5 billion euros into the fund and will commit itself to providing an additional 35 billion euros, if the economic situation in Europe worsens and more funding is needed.

Wilders claimed that the current caretaker government does not have the authority to ratify the plan. Nevertheless, the lower house of the Dutch parliament has voted in favor of ratification.

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RNW