The current stringent rules on firework sales should be relaxed in order to cut illegal imports, largely from Belgium, says the Dutch retail council.

The council has has written to the environment ministry urging it to increase the number of days fireworks can be sold to the public. At the moment, fireworks can only be legally sold on three days between Christmas and New Year.
In addition, it wants the number of kilos of fireworks per customer to be raised from the present 10 to 25 kilos.
The RND says this is the only way to stop people buying fireworks illegally. It estimates that 15% of the fireworks in the Netherlands are illegal. Every year the police seize tens of thousands of kilos of illegal fireworks. The biggest single seizure so far this year has been 10,000 kilos.
Last year the Dutch spent a record €55m on fireworks for New Year’s Eve.