Deepening of River Scheldt gets green light

The Dutch authorities have finally agreed to the deepening of the Scheldt River, bringing good news for the Antwerp port. BELGIUM – The lower house of Parliament in the Netherlands has finally agreed to the deepening of the River Scheldt. The four Scheldt treaties, which were concluded between the Netherlands and Flanders at the end of 2005, deal with nature management, traffic management, better anti-flood measures and the depending of the river. Flanders approved the treaties at the beginning of 2007 while the Netherlands approved them on Tuesday. There was much resistance in the Netherlands to the deepening of the River Scheldt on Dutch territory because it will lead to the loss of some farming land. Good news for Port of Antwerp Flemish Prime Minister Kris Peeters is pleased that the Dutch have finally approved the... [read full story]