THE NETHERLANDS : "LUCTOR ET EMERGO".

The Dutch have given the world at large a lesson in political civility. They did not turn their back on centuries of tolerance and thinking outside the box. The victory of P.M. Rutte is a victory for a liberal Europe, unafraid to fight bullies head on (Turkey) and justly confident in the added value of an open society.

The French and German pro-European parties and candidates will take heart in the outcome of this first post-Brexit test. The undisciplined, uninformed goings on in the Trump administration are offending European sensibilities. Far right parties in the EU will pay a price for their short-sighted praise for a president unworthy of the American presidential lineage. Their dubious references will haunt them in the future.

This has been a great day for the Netherlands.  This election is also a light in the EU's too long winter. It might create a chain reaction in favor of a renewed enlightenment in its workings and institutions.