Dutch and Belgian prime ministers in new diplomatic row over ‘coffeeshops’
A bitter diplomatic row has broken out between the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands over the location of Dutch shops that sell cannabis drugs within walking distance from Belgium, it emerged on Thursday. Belgium also wants the problem now to be discussed at a ministerial level in the European Union.
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has written to his Dutch colleague Jan-Peter Balkenende to tell him that “under no condition” he will accept that Dutch so-called ‘coffeeshops’ will be relocated to locations close to the Belgian border.
The relocations are the result of a decision taken by the city council in Maastricht, who wants to force the coffeeshops out of the city centre.
A spokesman for the Maastricht city council told EUX.TV that Verhofstadt’s angry letter should also be seen in the light of the upcoming national elections in Belgium in June. He pointed out that the mayor of the nearby Belgian town is of the same, liberal VLD party as Verhofstadt.
Read full article: EUX TV, 20 April 2007
