It should be easier for Dutch people who cannot find work in the Netherlands to travel to Germany for a job, the mayors of several Dutch border towns said on Wednesday.

Germany has a shortage of skilled workers but the rules and tax requirements in the Netherlands make it complicated to work across the border, the mayors say.

The unemployment rate in the Dutch border provinces of Drenthe and Overijssel is twice the national average in places, and this is unacceptable given that there is plenty of work in Germany, the mayors said in a joint statement.

However, people who work abroad can run into difficulty with their mortgages and insurance policies. Working abroad also has an impact on the state pension.

The mayors want the government to invest €75m to try to reduce the high jobless rates in their towns and stimulate working across the border by cutting red tape.