Belgium will launch a flyer campaign to discourage people from the Netherlands and Germany from doing their Christmas shopping across the border.
There is currently no question of closing the borders, but the government continues to "discourage the Dutch and Germans in every possible way" from coming to Belgium to shop, according to the cabinet of Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden.
A joint communication with fellow ministers from neighbouring countries is in the making, and a flyer campaign will be launched at the borders.
Now that non-essential shops in the Netherlands and Germany have had to close down, there is a risk that Germans and Dutch people will cross the border to come and shop here, despite advice against it from national authorities.
However, closing the borders is out of the question, according to Verlinden.
"This is a very far-reaching measure that can only be taken in consultation with the neighbouring countries, because there is free movement of goods and persons within the EU."
The Brussels Times
