Amsterdam’s iconic herring and flower stalls may be in danger of extinction according to opponents of a plan to bring the city’s licensing rules in line with EU standards.
Many of the stalls have been in business for many years, handed down through families like other stores and businesses. The new rule would end the current system of permanent licenses within two years, and new licenses would be awarded by lottery, with no preference for existing businesses.
The EU competition rule to be adopted by the city after warnings since 2017 that it was out of compliance, do not allow licenses for street stall and the like to be issued indefinitely but only for a fixed term. And, a waiting list for spots is not allowed, under the rules the licenses must be awarded by an open lottery.
Also, under the new rules, the city may not designate what the stall may sell, allowing a herring stall serving locals to be replaced by a souvenir kiosk or other tourist-oriented business, which is the opposite of what the city has been trying to achieve by pushing tourist stores out of the center.
A recent op-ed article in Het Parool, a leading newspaper, is calling on the city to defy the rules, saying “Should we fear the ire of Brussels and sanctions? No. There may be some grumbling but don’t forget the Netherlands is an economic world power and the biggest net contributor. The EU will think again before sanctioning us for a bit of civil disobedience.”
