Drugs dispute sours Schengen commitment

Date: 22/02/1996

By Rory Watson

THE Dutch government, still stung by overt French criticism of its domestic drug policies, has pointedly not suggested a new date for the early March mini-summit abruptly postponed last week.

The five-nation summit had originally been designed as an opportunity for the French and Dutch, in particular, to bridge the divide in their radically different approach to drugs.

The cancellation - at France's insistence - surprised many observers, as French European Affairs Minister Michel Barnier had struck a noticeably upbeat tone when he visited the Netherlands just days earlier to monitor bilateral progress in the fight against drugs.

But one senior Dutch official said this week: “It was really no surprise that the French wanted it called off. Officials are still meeting at working group level, but we have no plans for a new date.”

The latest dispute has already soured the Dutch presidency of the Schengen group committed to ending internal border controls. There are also fears that the friction might spill over into the Netherlands' wider EU dealings with France as the Union uses the reform of the Maastricht Treaty to search for more effective ways of tackling drug trafficking and international crime.

France, which is highly critical of the relatively lenient Dutch approach to soft drugs, is pressing for substantial changes in domestic Dutch policy. Barnier has specifically called on The Hague to introduce a mechanism to inspect containers in the port of Rotterdam, reduce the number of 'coffee shops' and clamp down on cannabis production.

“If progress fails to be reached on these points in the Schengen area through intergovernmental work, perhaps a more Community-wide action will be necessary, and all European countries will have to take action together,” he said.

But the Dutch are equally adamant that their approach has successfully kept down the numbers of drug addicts, drug-related deaths and AIDS victims. The country's Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo has insisted his government will not abandon a policy which has been implemented with broad political support for two decades.

“I am not saying it is impossible to make concessions ... but it would be very difficult to give up a policy that scores better on so many points than other policies,” he said.

The increased tension between the Netherlands and France comes as the Dutch government is attempting to steer through crucial legislation to agree to raise the country's contributions to the annual EU budget until the year 1999.

The Dutch have still not implemented the agreement struck by Union leaders at the 1992 Edinburgh summit to increase the EU's budgetary resources to 1.27&percent; of its GDP. Their failure has been largely prompted by criticism of the scale of the net contribution the country is likely to make towards the cost of Union policies.

Until 1990, the Netherlands received more from the EU budget than it paid in. Since then it has become a net payer. According to Dutch finance ministry figures, the country received back just over half its 4.6 billion-ecu gross annual payment last year, providing a net contribution of some 1.9 billion ecu. By 1999, this is set to rise to 2.9 billion ecu.

Dutch officials recognise it is logical that the country should be a net payer, but argue that questions must be raised when a country in the middle of the Union prosperity league will, in such a short space of time, be contributing more than other relatively more affluent member states.

The argument is not universally accepted by the Netherlands' partners, who retort that Dutch payments are inflated by the large volume of customs duties collected at Rotterdam on goods unloaded at the port but destined for other EU countries.

After steering the budgetary legislation through the lower second chamber before Christmas, the government now hopes to win the first chamber's approval next month. But there are fears that it could be further delayed until April.