BRUSSELS – Shopkeepers who refuse to accept large euro notes from customers are breaking the law, according to Belgian Employment Minister Freya Vanden Bossche.

Bank notes of 100, 200 and 500 euros are legal tender and traders have to take them, Vanden Bossche explained on Friday in the Flemish daily newspapers Het Nieuwsblad and Het Volk.

Many Belgian shops including outlets for telecoms firm Belgacom refuse large notes, claiming they lead to increased costs for businesses.

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Belgian news