EU agency unhappy at Amsterdam red-light district move plan

The European drugs regulator says it does not privation a purpose-built red-light territory adjacent its post-Brexit office successful Amsterdam.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it fears "nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour".

Amsterdam's mayor, Femke Halsema, wants to physique a multi-storey "erotic centre" to regenerate its cardinal red-light area.

But she faces beardown section absorption to the caller centre, wherever legalised prostitution would instrumentality place.

Now the EMA has joined the criticism, saying the problems presently plaguing the red-light territory would simply beryllium transferred to immoderate caller location.

"Locating the Erotic Centre successful adjacent proximity to EMA's gathering is apt to bring the aforesaid antagonistic impacts to the adjacent area," it said successful a statement.

The EMA moved its office to Amsterdam's confederate Zuidas territory successful 2019 aft the UK near the EU. Zuidas is 1 of respective locations nether information for the erotic centre.

In 2021, Amsterdam officials agreed plans to determination the city's infamous red-light territory amid rising transgression and overcrowding successful the area's constrictive lanes and canalside paths.

They commissioned architects to plan a gathering containing rooms for enactment services, arsenic good arsenic bars and amusement centres.

Ms Halsema said she wanted to amended the concern of enactment workers and trim the power of organised crime.

"I anticipation it's imaginable to make an erotic centre that has immoderate people and favoritism and isn't a spot wherever lone petty criminals and the astir susceptible women gather," she told the Observer paper past November.

She besides admitted that she was alert galore residents would not privation it located adjacent them.