Nov. 29, 1996

International Herald Tribune

DUTCH DRUG TOLERANCE IS UNDER EU PRESSURE

by Tom Buerkle

Brussels - The Netherlands is facing mounting pressure to abandon its liberal drug laws, as most of its European Union partners have lined up behind a French-led plan to wage a Europe-wide war against drugs.

The country's isolation, which was evident at a meeting of EU ministers of justice and interior affairs that opened here on Thursday, comes as a deep embarrassment to the government of Prime Minister Wim Kok and threatens to be a disruptive theme of the Duthc presidency of the Union that begins in January.

The Netherlands regards its distinctly tolerant attitude toward the sale and use of soft drugs as a source of national pride, believing it is responsible for one of Europe's lowest addiction rates. But the fight against drugs is one the few issues that unites governments across Europe, and Dutch diplomats acknowledge their that their government is likely to face intense pressure to close down, or severely restrict, the coffee shops that have made the country a mecca for Europe's marijuana users.

The immediate issue involves a proposed joint action calling on the 15 EU countries to harmonize their anti-drug legislation, toughen sentences for drug traffickers and increase cooperation between national police forces and justice authorities in combating drugs.

The proposal, which ministers were to debate Friday, was launched by France in September and quickly won the support of at least 13 countries.

Dutch officials initially sent positive signals on the action, but the government has mounted a last-ditch attempt to block or amend the plan i the past week following protests in Parliament in The Hague. Dutch legislators fear that the action plan's references to making laws "mutually compatible to the extent necessary to fight drug addiction," and to combating drug tourism, will lay the ground work for a frontal assault on the country's entire drug regime.

"We are quite willing to cooperate with our partners to combat drug trafficking," one Dutch official said. "But are not willing to close our coffee shops because of French pressure." Dutch diplomats have suggested striking out references to drug addiction and focusing the joint action strictly on trafficking, but have received little support.

President Jacques Chirac of France has made Dutch drug laws a prime target since he came to office in May 1995, claiming they have turned the Netherlands into a distribution center for the trafficking of soft drugs and hard drugs into France. He personally upbraided Mr. Kok at an EU summit meeting in Cannes in June 1995, suspended plans to lift French borders controls with six other Eu countries in the so-called Schengen group and pulled out of a planned drugs summit meeting in Amsterdam earlier this year.

The Kok government responded earlier this year by slashing the limit on sales of marijuana and hashish to five grams customer from 30, and limiting the number of coffee shops licensed to sell. But it defended the principle of allowing controlled sales of soft drugs, introduced in the 1970s, saying it discouraged use of heroin and other hard drugs. Indeed, the country has 1.7 addicts for every 1,000 people, below France's rate of around 2.5.

To Dutch dismay, Mr. Chirac ha preserved and gained numerous allies, including current EU president, Ireland Prime Minister John Bruton, under attack over drug crime since last summer's killing of the investigative reporter Veronica Guerin outside Dublin, wants to win approval of a raft of anti-drug measures - including the action plan - as a centerpiece of the EU summit meeting in Dublin on Dec. 13 and 14.