Red-light controversy

PLANS to build a multi­storey ‘erotic centre’ in Amsterdam to replace the city’s iconic redlight district are facing backlash from the European Medicines Agency, which has a headquarters near to the proposed location in the Zuidas district.

The EMA, which moved its headquarters to Amsterdam in 2019 due to the UK leaving the EU, stated its opposition on Wednesday, March 8, saying it is concerned that issues in the red­light district would move with it. The medical association expressed its concerns about the “nuisance, drug­dealing, drunkenness iconic red-light district as authorities look to move the strip due to concerns about safety. and disorderly behaviour” that would come with the “erotic centre.”

The EMA is not the first group to reject the plans. The city’s mayor, Femke Halsema admitted she knows many residents do not want the infamous strip located near their