There's good news for squatters, Bosnians, Albanians and Germany's Green Party in today's Dutch papers. But things aren't looking quite so good for the Mayor of Gouda and illegal cannabis growers.

Squatters' victory
Jubilant squatters adorn the front page of today's De Telegraaf "dancing with joy in the centre of Amsterdam to celebrate a favourable court ruling". The paper reveals that appeal courts in The Hague and Amsterdam have "planted a bomb under the new anti-squatter law that came into force in October".

The ruling came as Amsterdam, The Hague and Leeuwarden were gearing up to evict squatters from a number of buildings in their cities. The courts found that evictions based on the new legislation violate the European Treaty of Human Rights, as the law does not allow squatters to go to court to contest an eviction before it takes place.

A lawyer for the squatters sees the decision as proof that "this ridiculous and unenforceable law … should be thrown out once and for all". De Telegraaf's editorial begs to differ, slamming the ruling as "an incomprehensible slap in the face for the legislators, who had finally taken property rights seriously after so many years of disastrous squatting". It roundly condemns squatting as "a criminal form of rough justice that cannot be tolerated".

Be that as it may, de Volkskrant reports that "the squatters' movement is crying victory" but trying not to get too carried away since "the exact implications of the ruling … are still unclear". The paper describes their mood as one of "cheerful bewilderment". As one squatter explains "Ten minutes ago I was worrying about whether I was going to be arrested during tomorrow's eviction - and now that's all out the window."

Mayor of Gouda's dilemma
Forget cheese. In the Dutch press, the name Gouda has become synonymous with out-of-control Dutch-Moroccan youths terrorising the streets. The town's mayor, Wim Cornelis, stands proud on the front of today's AD next to the headline "I'll throw anti-social Moroccan families out of Gouda". He's referring to around 20 problem families in the town who are not prepared to do anything to stop their kids committing acts of vandalism, nuisance and assault.

The mayor's frustration soon surfaces in an interview as he admits he "can't solve all the problems" that Gouda has been facing for years: "What do you want us to do? Execute youngsters? Chop off their hands? We're doing all we can. It's driving me up the wall."

De Volkskrant also explains exactly what the mayor is up against: young troublemakers, some of whom are under the age of 12 and cannot therefore be prosecuted for their offences. Their last dastardly deed was to disrupt a neighbourhood event by chucking flower bulbs at the people who turned up, including a clown brought in for entertainment. To add insult to injury, the bulbs were financed by the local council: "They were supposed to be planted to brighten up the neighbourhood with flowers," sighs the long-suffering mayor, who seems resigned to a long battle ahead. "I'll take another two generations for us to achieve some kind of balance."

EU welcome with emergency brake for Bosnians and Albanians
The EU's decision to lift the visa requirement for Bosnians and Albanians travelling to Europe features in several of today's Dutch papers. In Trouw the Albanian prime minister heralds the news as "the best greeting card Albanians could receive for the festive season". One very relieved Albanian woman reveals how difficult it used to be to obtain a visa for Belgium. A diplomatic row meant that she was unable to apply for a Belgian visa directly in Albania. Instead she had to travel to the Belgian embassy in Bulgaria, "which meant spending a week in Sofia, paying for a hotel and an interpreter to help you with your application".

Trouw also notes that "the Netherlands was against, but voted in favour" of the measure. The Netherlands' new Immigration Minister Gerd Leers tells De Telegraaf that there was no point in sticking to his guns as "it would have left the Netherlands isolated; this way we've achieved the best result possible". De Telegraaf describes that result as "an emergency brake", which means that the visa requirement can be reinstated if "it turns out that the EU is swamped with Albanians and Bosnians who come here looking to stay".

The minister's position sounds plausible enough but, as de Volkskrant's front page shows, it's cutting no ice with Geert Wilders, leader of the populist Freedom Party on whose support the government relies. He attacks the minister's performance as "extremely weak" and insists, "of course he should have voted against. This is a bad result: the borders are now open and that's no good for anyone in the Netherlands". He continues "We will judge Gerd Leers on his results. Let's hope they improve and that he shows more backbone."

German anti-nuclear protests
Today's papers also take a look across the border at this weekend's anti-nuclear protest in Germany. The protest, which focuses on the transport of highly radioactive waste by rail from France to a depot at Gorleben, makes the front page of NRC Handelsblad. The paper reports that the tens of thousands of demonstrators failed to prevent the latest train from reaching its destination despite a massive presence and blockades.

But the paper goes on to note that the event itself was anything but a failure. It points out that "the traditional anti-nuclear protests" attracted "young and old" and attributes the healthy turnout to Germany's Green Party, which it says "seems to be making a breakthrough as a popular party by capitalising on popular anger". It continues "the self-confidence of the protestors was striking … the Greens have the electoral wind in their sails … and it showed".

De Volkskrant treats its readers to a centrespread of action shots from last weekend's demonstrations and announces, "the anti-nuclear movement is back with a bang; and renewed impetus". The paper wonders why things are hotting up in Germany while in the rest of Europe the attitude towards nuclear energy is a lot milder than it used to be. The answer comes from a German sociologist who explains that anti-nuclear protests are part of "a typically German tradition" and that the country's history has led to the environmental and peace movements being more firmly intertwined than elsewhere. The paper concludes, "However old-fashioned it may seem … the German protest movement in 2010 is fully modernised."

Scratch 'n' sniff cannabis
De Telegraaf's front page features an amusing snap of a police chief and City of Rotterdam officials awkwardly sniffing at a bit of card. Not the most flattering of photo opportunities but then it's not just any old card: the paper reports that the gentlemen pictured are developing "a nose for Dutch grass" courtesy of a "scratch and sniff card" which reproduces the smell of cannabis.

The cards are being distributed to 30,000 households in Rotterdam and The Hague in the hope that upstanding citizens will be more alert to the pong of possible illegal cannabis-growing operations in their neighbourhood and put the authorities on the scent. Don't be fooled by the sheepish grins on the faces of the gents in the photo; we're reliably informed that you can't get high by sniffing the card itself...