You remind me to ask a question probably nanne is best positioned to answer: as far as I know, the West German monetary bank philosophy was shared by the Dutch counterparts (not just Duisenberg). But I wonder about the logic behind it. At least from the nineties, the Netherlands is a very different economy from Germany's: due to the ports, it runs
trade deficits with the big production countries. So what is the (perceived) benefit?

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}