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Dutch Social Democrats suggest alternative for Schengen agreement

01 January 1991

Dutch Social Democrats suggest alternative for Schengen agreement
artdoc August=1991

The Dutch Social Democrat Party (PvdA), which together with the
Christian Democrat CDA constitute the present Dutch government,
has expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the cabinet's
decision to go ahead with the ratification procedures on the
Schengen agreement. At the end of May, the cabinet decided to
ignore the negative advice given by the government's supreme
advisory council, `Raad van State', on the ratification of the
Schengen treaty (see Statewatch No 2, p.5). Social Democrat MP
Maarten van Traa has contacted his colleagues in Belgium and
Germany in order to bring together an alternative text for
Schengen. Attention would be focused on improving the
arrangements for political asylum, on installing an impartial
European court to settle conflicts caused by Schengen
arrangements, and on better protection of privacy in exchanging
police information. Both the leftwing and the rightwing liberal
parties have expressed their support for the initiative, which
theoretically would give it a majority support in parliament,
however, most observers give the initiative little chance of
success.

Statewatch no 3 July/August 1991