Netherlands, Belgium sign border adjustment treaty, exchange land

THE HAGUE - Belgium and the Netherlands signed a treaty to exchange pieces of land along the Meuse river border.

In accordance with the treaty, the peninsulas Presqu'ile de L'llal and Presqu'ile d'Eijsden (0.04 square km) will be given to Belgium in exchange for the peninsula Petit Gravier. As a result, the Netherlands will become about 0.1 square km larger.

Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders signed the convention for adapting the border in the presence of royal couples of both countries.

"This unique border agreement is an example of our excellent cooperation with the Belgian people. We have showed today that the Netherlands and Belgium succeeded, as good neighbors, can adjust borders in a peaceful way," said Koenders.

According to Reynders, the border treaty symbolizes the excellent state of the Belgian-Dutch relations.

This is the second border adjustment between the Netherlands and Belgium in 175 years. The current border was established in 1843 and followed the deepest point of the Meuse river. Adjustment was necessary because in 1961 the winding banks of the river were rectified for navigation purposes. As a result, parts of Belgian territory were attached to the Dutch riverside and vice versa.

As these parts of land were suddenly located on the "wrong" side of the border, they were not accessible by road from their own country, which led to small regions of lawlessness.

According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, Belgian police officers, for example, could only reach L'llal by boat or via a detour, and only with the consent of the Netherlands. According to complaints by local residents, this had led to nuisance caused by illegal parties, drug dealers and sex tourists in the area.

Although there are neither people living nor buildings on the peninsulas, adjusting the border situation still is a lot of work, said Theo Bovens, Commissioner of the King in the Dutch province of Limburg.

Ministries of both countries such as water boards, land registry agencies and three municipalities will be involved in the land swap.

In preparation to this treaty, a memorandum of agreement was signed on June 23 this year. If the parliaments of both countries adopt the treaty next year, the border correction will take effect on Jan 1, 2018.