Marihuana and soft drugs – repression or prevention?

When it comes to The Netherlands, people think often about marihuana. And when they think about it, they usually consider marihuana to be legal in my country. However, it is not. Contrary to the belief of people that we legalized marihuana, it is not legal in The Netherlands. It is prohibited to produce, sell, possess, import or export marihuana or any other drug. The only exceptions are the so called coffee shops where you can buy “grass”, but only on a very limited scale (5 grams per person per day) and, of course, you have to use it there on its premises, not outside. The shop must also ensure there is no nuisance in its vicinity.

This is something what I explain every time when I am asked about marihuana and the Dutch drug policy. As for example last week when I attended a public debate on marihuana and its decriminalization in Slovakia. I explained the public – mostly young people – our policy in The Netherlands and the status of marihuana and the so called soft drugs. People were surprised to hear that any drug is illegal because their perception perhaps was that everyone can use drugs publicly in The Netherlands. Our countries are actually similar when it comes to drugs, but I want to mention some significant exceptions. Using a small amount of marihuana (by “using” I mean personal usage) is not a criminal act and the individuals are not criminalized and sentenced for it. Also, we have a huge prevention policy. We Dutch are very pragmatic and realistic and we know that young people are always curious to try drugs, especially soft drugs. So we prioritize prevention, not repression, and it goes together with an information campaign. Kids in schools are well informed about drugs and their effects. It is an open debate, drugs are simply not a taboo. And those who become addicts, are treated well, are given a second chance, instead of going to prison (if they commit a criminal act) they can opt for an antidrug treatment. It increases their chances for a good return to society.

The result of our drug policy is the fact that using marihuana and drugs in general below EU average. Quite paradoxical to what most people think about The Netherlands. And the number of young people smoking a joint or hashish is also lower than the EU average. It is an example how it can work – instead of repression we need more prevention. Because detaining a teenager for one or two grams of marihuana in his pocket is not going to solve anything. It is the producers and dealers of drugs who are to be punished.

P.S. If you happen to travel to The Netherlands this year, I have to tell you one thing which might disappoint you (at least those who are not Dutch). As of this year, new rules are introduced for coffee shops. They are becoming private clubs, which means that only the members can buy and smoke marihuana on their premises. Maximum 2000 members are allowed per club and the member has to be a Dutch resident. The time will show what it will mean to the so called drug tourism to The Netherlands.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

Komarno – problem not the Hungarian issue but feeling of desperation

Last week I visited the South-Slovakian town of Komarno. I was curious about the fact how do the Slovaks and local Hungarians live together, how do they get along, what are their main concerns, how they see their future… I decided to talk to various kinds of people, from young students to the local authorities. And after a whole day visit my political officer and I were leaving with a feeling that people in the South do not worry about the origin of each other, but they struggle for survival and optimism is something what they have not felt for a while. They feel forgotten.

But let’s tell the story as it went. First, I went to the local University of Janos Selye which is the only university in Slovakia where students are studying in Hungarian. I was nicely received by the rector Mr. Janos Toth and Vice-rector Mr. Imrich Okenka and then I had a discussion with a groups of students. They were all nice, they spoke excellent English, they were all in their early 20s, life is only starting for them… But there was something what surprised me. They lacked optimism, they were skeptical towards politicians and authorities. When I asked them about the elections and their perception of the future, they mostly said they do not care about politics and public life. Because the politicians are not trustworthy and they do not see a way how to influence things. One cannot change anything, they claimed. They refused to call themselves pessimists, they called themselves “realists”. However, they will go to vote, to do “at least something to influence things” as one of them put it. This is something what many young people feel nowadays, not only in Slovakia. That is something for politicians to think about.

Then I met with the local council representatives, mayor Mr. Anton Marek, his deputies and local MPs. Extremely nice people, excellent hosts. We had a long chat about the situation in Komarno and the region. Mayor and his colleagues spoke both Slovak and Hungarian among themselves. That was something what is natural to them. When I asked them about the Slovak-Hungarian relations, they described them as good and refused to call it an issue. Not the “Hungarian issue” is a topic here, they said, it is the unemployment and the desperation of people to survive. No one cares what language he or she speaks at home; what people are struggling with are the regular social issues – how to find a job to feed a family, how to be happy in a town which is often overlooked by politicians. Almost every fifth person is without a job currently. And what is worse, even the factory of Nokia in Komaron in Hungary is dismissing people, mostly Slovak citizens from Komarno district who found jobs there some years ago. The town is trying to bring in investors, so far with no remarkable result. The local politicians feel forgotten by the national government. The South is simply overlooked, they said.

I also visited the local members of Matica Slovenska, namely chairman Mr. Jozef Cernek to talk about their activities. Matica in Komarno is focused on cultural activities and does not deal with political issues, as Mr. Cernek explained. He and his youngsters are “only” doing theatre, dancing, singing performances etc. He has kids with Slovak and Hungarian nationality and they all do culture under the badge of Matica. That is something what I admire. They do not do it for money. They do it for all people in Komarno regardless of their nationality and they are successful.

I left this town on the Southern border of Slovakia with a feeling, that the so called Hungarian issue is not an issue here. People are struggling just like any other Slovak citizens in other regions. It is the economic situation and the unemployment which is causing nightmares to everyone. I hope the city will blossom again and people will never worry about the “Hungarian issue” here.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

(Non)Skating on thin ice – Elfstedentocht

Perhaps you have heard about the Elfstedentocht in The Netherlands. It is an ice-skating race of eleven cities which takes place in the region of Friesland in the Northern part of my country. To be more precise – on the frozen water canals of Friesland where a huge number of skaters is competing to become the national hero in this popular sport. However, as not every winter there is a freezing cold, it happens only once in a while. The race was on for the last time in 1997 and now, after 15 years, there was a big chance that the race would happen again. The freezing temperatures stopped the water in the canals and the topic of the Elfstedentocht immediately became one of the top ones in the country. Suddenly everything else was irrelevant – the crisis, politics, economy… It was all about the race. To compare it to Slovakia, it is like the weeks prior to the world championship in ice hockey when Slovaks do not talk about anything else.

However, the 200 kilometers long race which goes through eleven Frisian towns and is the longest such race in the world, can only take place when a few basic conditions are met. One of them is that the ice must be at least 15 centimeters thick, so the racers are safe during the whole journey. And this unfortunately did not happen. It did not freeze enough to make the ice really thick to bear the skaters and when the organizers had to tell the nation that there will be no skating on a thin ice, a huge sight of disappointment was heard all over The Netherlands. The press conference where this message was told was one of the most followed conferences of the year – that shows how much the Elfstedentocht means to the Dutch people. Of course, there might be more freezing next week or sometimes, but the canals of Friesland cannot be kept closed only because of waiting for a frost. The water must run again so the country has enough energy and so on…

The Elfstedentocht 2012 is probably not going to happen and the 1997 edition is still remaining the last one. We’ve been waiting 15 years for this occasion and we will have to wait one more. Hopefully it will happen soon but we need a really ice cold freezing weather. Anyway, this is not the longest time of waiting, after the 1963 race the Dutch had to wait for another 22 years for the next one. And then we had two after each other in 1985 and 1986. We are thus patient and meanwhile the Dutch skating-lovers can practice in the halls.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

How to reduce Bratislava emissions – a Dutch input

Last week I organized a dinner at my residence for a group of very interesting people. Various people, but yet people with a common interest – in reducing the CO2 emissions in Bratislava and improving the quality of transport. Green transport – especially bikes which I love to talk about J – is one of the aspects which are very characteristic for The Netherlands. That is why it is no wonder that a Dutchman was invited to consult about a project (sponsored by UNDP) aimed at reducing the emissions level in the Slovak capital. Mr. Arjen Jaarsma from an Amsterdam-based consultancy company came to Bratislava to provide services within the project and this was his inaugural visit.

Except for Mr. Jaarsma, the dinner was attended also by people involved in the whole issue – authorities, NGOs etc. – and Mr. Jaarsma was thus able to speak to the Stare Mesto mayor Ms. Tatiana Rosova, the main transport engineer of Bratislava, deputy of the city mayor Ms. Petra Nagyova Dzerengova, people from the Cyklokoalicia NGO and Energetic Center Bratislava but also the Danish Ambassador Ms. Anita Hugau, as Denmark is another country where the two-wheel wonder is a very common transport device. Mr. Jaarsma used his first visit to check the situation for the cyclists in Bratislava and even though it was cold weather, he sat on a bike and rode through the town. Later he shared the experiences and impressions during the dinner and could talk about it directly with the people involved and responsible. It was a fruitful discussion for all sides. Mr. Jaarsma revealed that he will come to Bratislava regularly during the year to check the situation and analyze it. Then he will provide consultancy and suggestions to the UNDP project.

The project, however, does not include bicycles exclusively. It has four parts, except for the non-motorized transport (bicycles) there is the tram transport as a priority one, better parking strategy in the town and car sharing (that means more people travelling in a car to work, not only one) which can help to reduce the traffic jams which are so common in Bratislava. I find this project a perfect opportunity to improve the quality of life in Bratislava. And I am also happy that there is a Dutch input. We are glad to help with a good advice. We love biking and green transport. And it would be nice to see the Slovaks sharing this love with us.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

Water mission – Dutch sharing water experiences with Slovaks

“Managing” the water is a very Dutch activity. Of course, it is not entirely only our thing but it is no secret that The Netherlands has fought and “managed” the water for centuries. As a country with 60 percent of its land below sea level, we gained a lot of experiences in dealing with water challenges. Slovakia is also a country with its own water challenges, for example flooding. That was one of the reasons why we recently organized a so called “Water Mission” in Slovakia when we invited two Dutch water management organizations to meet their Slovak counterparts and exchange experiences and investigate the potential for cooperation in this area. And not only because of the flooding, but also due the fact that water is worldwide becoming more and more a political issue. It is an important topic to talk about and deal with it in the decades to come.

Our embassy received a welcoming hand from numerous Slovakian organizations dealing with water and flood management and the Dutch representatives visited Slovak ministries, authorities, various water institutes and also academia in Bratislava, Modra and other Western Slovak locations. The meeting with their Slovak counterparts identified a common understanding of the issues at hand in Slovakia and even though there were some differences, there was a general and friendly agreement for an integrated and joined approach regarding the strategies that will improve and resolve the given issues. Both sides were very satisfied after the four day mission which brought the Dutch and the Slovaks closer to each other in this area of water management.

I find it very useful to organize events and missions like this because I sincerely believe that we Dutch can offer a lot to Slovaks just like the Slovaks have to offer us a lot. This was certainly an area where the sharing of experiences was excellent and the people at the meetings found a way to each other and – what is very important – to a future cooperation. Because only a successful cooperation like this will bring an effective and useful water management in the future, when the water will be one of the key issues and key commodities.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

 

Turecký med – a Dutch book loved by Slovaks

Books usually represent culture and books translated in other languages then also represent the country of the writer. This is also the case of a famous Dutch book which became the “foreign book of the year 2011” in the traditional Pravda daily poll. I am talking about the 1969 novel written by Dutchman Jan Wolkers (1925 – 2007) which is called Turks Fruit, in Slovak “Turecký med”. Even though it was translated into Slovak only last year (by Mr. Adam Bžoch, the best-known Slovak “Nederlandist” who is translating Dutch literature), it is still very actual. The winning in the poll only proves this.

This novel is a product of its time. When it was first released in The Netherlands in late 1960s, it was the time of the sexual revolution, a time when the young generation was throwing away the conventional way of life and was rebelling against the older generations. It is about a man who lost the love of his life and is thinking back about her. The story is full of sexuality, candidness, humor but also sadness and hatred towards hypocrisy. It reflects the time of 1969 but at the same time it reflects a lot what we see today and what also the Slovak are experiencing after 1989. That is why the novel is so popular here, I would say. Sexuality is no longer a taboo, candidness is demanded by people and always will be, hypocrisy will be always hated but it will still be here, unfortunately. It is worth to read and you also get to know The Netherlands and Dutch people much better. Additionally, the book was read in 2011 during the Literature Night in Bratislava and this also shows the quality of the novel. By the way, one year before, another Dutch book was read during this Night:  Dom pri mešite from Kader Abdolah. That one is also a „must-read“ novel.

Turecký med and Dom pri mešite are, of course, not the only Dutch books which were translated into Slovak or Czech (as I know that Slovaks read Czech translations with no problems). Except for Jan Wolkers or Kader Abdolah, there are other very famous Dutch writers like Willem Frederik Hermans, Harry Mulisch, Gerard Reve or Cees Nooteboom. Hermans is available in Czech translation (Uz nikdy spanek; Damoklova komora), Mulisch was translated into Slovak by Adam Bžoch (Dve ženy; Objavenie neba) just like Nooteboom (Nasledujúci príbeh) or Reve (Večery). If you have time and a chance to read these books, use it. I really recommend it to you. As I said – not only because they are still actual, but you also learn something about The Netherlands and the Dutch soul.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

Vlado – a Slovak Roma who made it to Hollywood

Vlado Sendrei and director Guy Ritchie at the London premiere of Sherlock Holmes 2.

Sometimes you meet people that you know you will remember for the rest of your life. Vlado Sendrei is one of them. I met him last spring when I was travelling around Eastern Slovakia and visiting Roma villages. He is a musician, a Roma activist, a former football player… I have a suspicion that he actually did everything in his life :-) And now he is a Hollywood star. Well, not exactly a star like Robert Downey junior or Jude Law but a musical star whose music appeared in the new “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” movie hit of the winter season (with the two actor stars mentioned). Vlado and his band Kokavakére Lavutára were chosen to the movie by Mr. Hans Zimmer, the Hollywood best-known music composer and producer, and that is something to be proud about and talk about.

Vlado and his music band made music for a Hollywood movie but their own story can be a Hollywood movie. They were discovered by Hans Zimmer last summer when this famous composer was given the script for the second Sherlock Holmes movie directed by the famous British director Guy Ritchie. When he read the script and found out that a Roma woman is one of the central characters in the movie (alongside Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson), he decided to find a Roma music band from Central or Eastern Europe which will play a few songs for the soundtrack and also be part of the movie itself. Hans Zimmer, who spent his childhood in Germany and remembered Roma people as excellent musicians, ended up in Slovakia last July touring the towns and villages with Roma population. He listened to more Roma bands, played with them and then he met Vlado and his band on a concert in Rudnany. And Hans Zimmer – whose music enriched movie hits like Rain Man, Gladiator, Beyond Rangoon or Lord of the Rings – chose Vlado and Kokavakére Lavutára for the Sherlock Holmes movie. He took them to Vienna to record the songs. Later, I met Vlado in September in Kosice and he told us about this experience. He praised Hans Zimmer as a very solid and friendly man and he looked so happy. No wonder, a Slovak Roma who makes it to a Hollywood movie is not an every-day issue.

However, that was not the end of the story. Hans Zimmer and the filmmakers invited Vlado and his band to the official premiere in London in December. They played their Roma music there and attended the after-party where they had a chance to meet Guy Ritchie and the actors personally. It was the time of their lives. Not only they had a beautiful experience and became stars – the Slovak newspapers noticed the whole thing and wrote about it – but they also made a great promotion for Slovakia. Slovaks should be proud of this enthusiastic man with a big heart and smile. He is a great example how a man coming from a marginalized community can achieve a great success with his talent. It would be great if there were more lovely stories like this in this part of the world. With this in my mind I wish you all the best in the new year of 2012. And I hope it will be another successful year for Vlado as well.
Vlado and his band with Mr. Hans Zimmer at the premiere

Best wishes,
Daphne Bergsma

Pictures by Vladimír Sendrei

More pictures at: https://www.facebook.com/the.dutch.embassy.bratislava

A Christmas gift for Danubiana

A few days before Christmas, I learned some good news. It was concerning one of my favorite places in Slovakia, the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Cunovo, just outside Bratislava. This modern art gallery on the banks of the Danube was one of the first places I have visited when I came to Slovakia and it immediately became of one my dearests. It was founded by Mr. Meulensteen, a Dutchman, and soon I learned from him about his plans to extend the museum.   He was negotiating with the Ministry of Culture about possible cooperation.

These days, an agreement was reached with Minister Daniel Krajcer who signed a deal with Mr. Meulensteen. They agreed on a project of a gallery which will be run jointly by the Ministry and a private company Via Danubia. This so called “Kunsthalle” will present modern art and also document Slovak painting art. It will be led by Mr. Vincent Polakovic, who was also the director of the museum until now. Mr. Krajcer called it a Christmas gift for culture and I would only add that it is a right and a generous gift.

I am glad that Danubiana will be here in the future as well. It is a place which has an important asset: a top class museum of modern art in a beautiful building at a very special ‘Dutch’ location – near the water. Many royals and other VIPs had the pleasure to visit, including our Queen Beatrix. I think this museum is important for presenting international contemporary art, including Slovak and Dutch, and it attracts tourists as well. Even the location of the gallery is unique – Danubiana is not only near the water as I said but also on a border of two culturally rich countries – Slovakia and Hungary. And only a few kilometers further south there is another country full of culture – Austria. There cannot be a better location for this museum and I am glad we will have Danubiana here for the coming time as well and that is also has a Dutch connection.

Let me finish this blog with wishing you all a beautiful and peaceful Christmas and all the best in the new year of 2012.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

Roma woman wins her case – a breakthrough for sterilized women

November 8^th 2011 might have looked like on ordinary autumn day but in fact it became a breaking day in one case. I do not know how many people have actually heard this information, but the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg decided on this day in favor of a Roma woman from Slovakia who was suing the government for a forcible sterilization. The European Court declared it a violation of woman’s rights to freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment and the right to private and family life. The Slovak government was ordered to pay her compensation in amount of 31.000 euro.

 What exactly happened? The whole case started on August 23^rd 2000 in Presov Hospital where this Roma woman – known only under initials V.C. – was giving birth to her second child. While she was in labour and had contractions, the hospital staff gave her a paper to sign. It was a paper saying that she agrees with her sterilization but the staff told her that she was in danger and unless she gave the signature, she or her baby would have died. The woman, who was scared, signed it not knowing what exactly the document said. And after she gave birth to her baby, she was sterilized and could not have children anymore. Since 2004 she has been seeking compensation from the hospital, but with no results, so in 2007 she turned to the European Court. And now she won.

During the whole time she was not alone in her fight and also the Dutch have contributed to her victory. She was legally counseled by the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Kosice (www.poradna-prava.sk), a group of young lawyers and activists whom I know personally and whom I admire for their work for the Roma community which is often left without any legal counseling and cannot defend itself. This woman was helped by them, particularly by the leader of the Center’s team Ms. Vanda Durbakova, and the Center was helped by Dutch people. Especially by the MamaCash foundation who contributed a big amount of money to the legal cases connected to the forcible sterilizations. This foundation is a generous one to people in need and has its own story behind – it is led by a Dutch woman who inherited a fortune and dedicated her life and finances to helping others. That is where the simple name MamaCash comes from.

There are also other Dutch supporting the Center’s work with Roma, for example the DOEN foundation which supported their community work. And we at the embassy are also interested in their work with Roma people and in these legal cases.   

This Roma woman bravely fought for her rights for more than 11 years and won. With help of others who were willing to stand up for her. This is a signal that some things which look hopelessly can change and that justice can win. I strongly admire all who were involved on the woman’s side. The decision of the European Court is a breaking one. Because there is more than 100 Slovak Roma women waiting for a decision in the same case. V.C. was the first one and now we can expect that her victory is a precedent which will help the others to win as well. I wish them – and the people helping them – the best luck.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma

Sustainable packaging – Dutch are pioneers in ecological way of packing

Saving the environment is an evergreen topic. I already mentioned it in my previous blogs but in this one I would like to say a few words about sustainable packaging. As in a few other areas, the Dutch are pioneers here. What exactly am I talking about? About the environment-friendly packaging of goods which saves the nature from more pollution and – of course – is made of recycled materials. That is why we decided to organize an expo with this topic in Bratislava in the first part of November.

The expo called “Sustainable packaging – Trvalo udržatelný obal z Holandska“ took place at the Faculty of Architecture in Bratislava and followed previous such expos in Utrecht, Paris and Prague. The public could see examples of packages which can be recycled (and are made of recycled paper, glass or natural products), which are considerate to nature, producer and the consumer. The Dutch are pioneers in producing of sustainable packages for goods and are nowadays followed by Britons, Americans or French. All the exponates which the Slovak public could see at the faculty were examples of many sorts of this packaging like multilayer packaging, replacement of glass, carbon neutral etc. The intention of the organizers – and also ours – was to inspire the Slovaks and especially the students of design who can follow this example in their future works, and to offer the local public an alternative to “one-use” packages which are so unfriendly to the environment. The development in this area goes fast and we have to realize that in a few years these packages will become a rule and most probably will be mandatory. So it is good to think about it now before it is late. That is why we wanted to introduce this packaging.

I am glad we organized it and we are thankful to all those who helped us with it. Thinking “green” is – or shall be – an essential part of our lives because with our actions and our way of thinking we directly influence our environment. Sustainable packages, which can be used many times because they are recycled and can be used again and again, are a positive example how to help the environment. It is a small contribution to a cleaner world we all want to live in.

Kind regards,

Daphne Bergsma