Expatica � Living in, moving to, or working in the Netherlands, plus Dutch news in English: Dutch vow to fight drugs during EU presidency
30 June 2004
"AMSTERDAM — On the eve of the Netherlands taking over the European Union presidency, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende urged on Wednesday for a crackdown on drug trafficking and called for harsher domestic and European-wide sentences.
The Netherlands is unpopular with its European neighbours for its toleration of soft drugs. The Dutch are also renowned as the world's largest producers of ecstasy and vast quantities of cocaine are smuggled through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. "
