I amsterdam - Follow-up action plan

The College of Mayor and Aldermen, assisted by various schools, sports clubs, customers and proprietors of the local pubs & clubs, is devising a code of conduct aimed at combating all forms of nuisance and discrimination.

• In order to recognise radicalisation before it is too late, a small specialised unit is to be set up to collect and analyse information from the various areas of the municipal organisation.
• The College wants to forge agreements with employers’ organisations and large businesses to reduce the incidence of exclusion and discrimination on the job market.
• Courses are being designed to coincide with the proceedings against Mohammed B. to provide students with more insight into the Dutch legal system. Individual initiatives will be supported and a communication campaign will be launched to promote the feeling of ‘belonging’.

These are just a few of the measures that the College plans to introduce in the near future. These measures are part of the action plan ‘Wij Amsterdammers’, which has been adopted by the College.

We will not succeed without the help of the people of Amsterdam
Mayor Cohen: “In this action plan, ‘Wij’ includes everyone in Amsterdam who rejects violence and accepts the basic rules of our society. By laying down clear, unambiguous rules about what is and what is not acceptable in Amsterdam, by nipping extremism and terrorism in the bud and by taking stringent measures, the College is hoping to counter polarisation in the city. And to achieve this, we need the help of the every member of the Amsterdam population: the youth, employers, parents and administrators. Amsterdam’s response during the past few months has been a controlled one. But if we are to keep it this way, we now need extra commitment.”

The ‘Wij Amsterdammers’ action plan
The ‘Wij Amsterdammers’ action plan focuses on tightening up counter-terrorism activities, preventing the process of radicalisation and bringing the people of Amsterdam closer together. Alongside the short-term measures mentioned above and the activities of the past few months, this year we will be investing more effort in bringing education into line with the job market in Amsterdam.

Amongst other measures, more attention will be paid to high-risk students. The regulations governing the granting of subsidies will be tightened (the so-called Bibob Act), to prevent the authorities from granting subsidies to organisations that might be supporting terrorist activities. The municipal authorities have asked external experts (from the universities for example) to help look for ways of tackling the problem of young people’s vulnerability to extremist behaviour.

2005 Interim Budget Report
When approving the budget in December 2004, the city council made a structural reservation of 2.5 million euros for the ‘Wij Amsterdammers’ action plan. The (indicative) budget that the College is now requesting falls within the boundaries of this reservation. A definitive budget will be available with the 2005 Interim Budget Report, when the city council discusses the main points of the 2006 budget.