The new government is pressing ahead with plans to tighten up the Sunday shopping laws, a move which will stop some towns and parts of cities claiming they are a tourist draw.

At the moment, only shops in neighbourhoods considered a tourist area can open every Sunday, such as in central Amsterdam. All other places are restricted to 12 Sunday openings a year.
But many places get round the ban by claiming to be tourist centres, a loophole the new government plans to close.
On Wednesday, economic affairs minister Maxime Verhagen told MPs the new government is backing draft legislation drawn up by the previous administration, which is now being looked at by the senate.
Protestants
Insiders say the move is a gesture from the minority cabinet towards the fundamentalist Christian party SGP which has two MPs whose support could be crucial if the thin government majority disappears.
The VVD, which is the majority party in the new cabinet, was totally opposed to any measures to reduce Sunday shopping while in opposition.
Business leaders and the retail trade are angry at the cabinet’s decision. They say local authorities should be able to decide whether or not to open. This would mean shops in staunchly Protestant areas can be kept shut.