Amsterdam delays vote on erotic center after D66 pulls support
Amsterdam has postponed any decision on a proposed erotic center in Zuid after D66 withdrew its support from the project, leaving the plan politically uncertain ahead of the municipal elections in March 2026, NRC reports. Mayor Femke Halsema described the initiative as “a complex and sensitive process” in a letter to the municipal council Thursday.
The center, planned for the Europaboulevard near the Amsterdam RAI, is intended to provide a regulated alternative to window prostitution in the Wallen district and reduce overcrowding in the city center. While the project is “spatially and financially feasible,” Halsema said further study is needed on traffic, parking, the center’s size, and security.
The proposal has faced resistance since its inception. The Zuid district committee opposed the plan, and the city received nearly 800 responses from residents, businesses, sex workers, and civic organizations expressing concerns. D66, formerly a coalition supporter, removed the center from its local election program, advocating instead for multiple smaller sex work locations rather than a single large facility. GroenLinks continues to back the plan.
Halsema said delaying the decision gives the incoming council and new mayor the opportunity to guide the next steps. The project, part of the city’s broader “City Center Approach,” aims to normalize and protect sex work while improving livability in the Wallen. Once the new council is in place, it will review the investment proposal and related studies before moving forward.
“The Erotic Center is more than a building. It is an attempt to normalize and protect sex work and erotic activities, while maintaining a livable city center,” Halsema said.
