France, Nov. 1 -- The finely balanced provisional results of the Dutch election has intensified the debate over European security and dependence on the United States, prompting urgent questions about defence autonomy and the respective roles of the Netherlands and France.

"Almost all Dutch parties agree on the severity of the Russian threat, and, increasingly, the risks stemming from China," says Bart van den Berg, head of the security and defence programme at the Hague-based think tank, the Clingendael Institute.

On Friday, Dutch press agency ANP's election service announced that D66 has become the largest party in the parliamentary elections.

Although not all votes have been counted yet, the news agency says that the party led by D66...