Twice now you have had a go at the UK'S knife laws . Once saying the UK as gone mad and the next saying the UK isn't a decent EU country . Though I'm not sure what this has to do with this these as the op isn't going to the UK . No is he going to the Netherlands for that matter . And as for looking up your knife laws they are more restrictive than the UK's . Please feel free to enlighten me .
You know what you're right, my current perspective is based on specific information in the form of newsitems, personal tellings of people who deemed themselves wronged and the likes, but I've yet to delve into the exact laws in this area but I will soon hereafter. Working a night shift now so I'm a tad tired to get into a long debate but let's not get off on the wrong foot here.
I merely am a big advocate of peoples freedom in carrying a tool, and that most definitely includes you/me/everybody so when I say something detrimenting about the UK I merely mean on that particular part of the UK alone. Sorry my English is getting worse as the night gets longer. My perception is that UK citizens who carry knives were getting the short end, and that's something I sympathise with greatly. I am then thinking of reports of casesof people being charged with possession of a weapon when this is not even remotely the case.
As for our laws in the meantime, I quickly found a good piece from our leading supplier summarising our laws pretty well. I'll post it here for reference should it be of help to anybody in this thread now or in the future:
Dutch knife laws 2019:
https://translate.googleusercontent...700253&usg=ALkJrhhrwWeoa6ZfuSQfz4GxMJXidixQYQ
French knife laws:
https://translate.googleusercontent...700253&usg=ALkJrhgvirQ0mkkkNDe1Sti4DfVtL1m-gQ
German knife laws:
https://translate.googleusercontent...700253&usg=ALkJrhiIxQCrpLRvyYhPWkRUy9h2eowP1w
If you run it through Google translate it'll surely be of help.
I'll get back to you should you want to pursue this further as long as we can agree to be friendly about it. I'm sorry I led you to misinterpret my intentions and make you feel attacked. Bound for time to type and English being my second/third language I see why, that's on me.
Edit: a quick search landed me this result as forbidden to carry:
Lock knives
Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason. Lock knives
With as possible consequence:
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and an unlimited fine. You’ll get a prison sentence if you’re convicted of carrying a knife more than once.
Source:
https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives
I mean, if this is truly the case this strikes me as oppressive and if truly policed strictly unjust even. I think it sets a bad precedent.
Here everything except listed in quotes below is alright to carry.
Category 1 weapons - completely prohibited
Weapons in this category are, without exemption, completely prohibited: both their possession and trade in them. This category includes:
Stilettos (jumpers): blades with lateral protruding blades
Falling knives: blades with protruding blades (with or without spring)
Butterfly knives: knives with a handle consisting of two parts, which can be folded around the blade (see note below)
Foldable blades with a total, extended length above 28 cm
Foldable blades, the blade of which has more than one cutting edge
Throwing stars
Knives * and ballistic knives
White weapons that are externally similar to an object other than a weapon
Arrows and arrowheads, intended to be fired by means of a bow, which are provided with cutting parts with the apparent intention of causing serious injury.
* Feeling knives: also called palm knives or fist knives. This is a knife with the blade perpendicular to the handle. The handle is held in the palm of the hand and the blade protrudes through the fingers.
Until 2012 there were a number of exceptions to these rules when it came to stilettos, jump knives and butterfly knives, including when the blade was shorter than 9 cm, for example. However, these exceptions no longer exist.
Category 4 weapons - possession is not permitted, in public wear
Knives in this category may be owned or traded. However, these weapons may not be worn or be publicly available. That is, they must be properly packaged during transport in such a way that they cannot be used for immediate use.
From our range fall under Category 4:
White weapons (knives) of which the blade has more than one cutting edge, insofar as they do not fall under Category 1.
Explanation:
* A folding knife whose blade has more than one cutting edge falls under Category 1 - and is therefore completely prohibited. Note: A saw tooth is considered as a cutting edge!
* A knife with fixed blade and more than one cutting edge (for example saw tooth in the back) falls under Category 4.
Degens, swords, sabers and bayonets.
Objects which, by reason of their nature or circumstances under which they are encountered, can reasonably be assumed to be intended for no other purpose than to cause or threaten injury to persons - and which do not fall under one of the other three categories.
NB: It is very important that you always transport such a weapon well packaged.
This last point is an extremely important point to inculcate when you wear an EDC knife. Is it sensible and justifiable to have a knife at hand in the current situation? If you have any doubts about this, your question is actually answered: it is better to put it away so that you do not have it immediately.
I'm against any banning of tools even balisongs or auto's here, or anywhere else. Every ban sets a precedent which makes it easier to tighten laws even further. Fortunately all reasonable carry is still permitted here but you got to wonder whats next sometimes with all this negativity towards knives in general in the media nowadays and the forming stigma towards it.
Edit: added French and German current knife law links, already translated to English for those who benefit from it now or in the future.
One thing that I did find is that the law also outlawed automatics with blades over 8.5 cm in addition to the odd length to width ratio and also banned OTF knives, even ones with no springing any double edge automatic. Balisongs are also banned along with what they call "fist knives" and we call push daggers. Oddly enough, so are wrist rocket type slingshots and cattle prods that done have some kind of "non-cruelty" certification. 
