Holland will vote next week on controversial plans for a ban on wearing burkas in public places.

Anyone caught covering their face in government buildings, on public transport and in schools and hospitals in the Netherlands could face fines of up to £350 under the proposals.

The ban, which would also apply to the use of non-religious ski-masks and full-face helmets,is likely to have a clear majority in the upper house of parliament when senators vote next week.

The Dutch Senate debated the proposals, first mooted 13 years ago, on Tuesday and a vote is now scheduled for June 19.

Holland will vote next week on controversial plans to ban burkas in public places (file picture)

It comes nearly two years after the country's lower house of parliament backed the scheme.

Last week, Denmark became the latest European country to ban the Islamic full-face veil in public spaces in a move slammed by human rights campaigners as 'a violation of women's rights'.

'Anyone who wears a garment that hides the face in public will be punished with a fine,' says the law, which was passed by 75 votes to 30 in the Danish parliament.

Presented by the centre-right government, the legislation was also backed by the Social Democrats and the far-right Danish People's Party. The new rule will take effect on August 1.

Wearing a burka, which covers a person's entire face, or the niqab, which only shows the eyes, in public will lead to a fine of 1,000 kroner (134 euros).

The ban also targets other accessories that hide the face such as balaclavas and false beards. Repeated violations will be fined up to 10,000 kroner.

Europe and the Islamic full-face veil The Islamic full-face veil - the burka, which covers a woman's entire face, or the niqab, which shows only the eyes - is a key issue across Europe. Different policies exist in different countries, with Denmark becoming the latest country to ban the wearing of the full-face veil in public. - Austria - The ban on the full veil in public places took effect in October 2017. Violations can lead to fines of up to 150 euros ($170). - Belgium - The wearing of the full veil is regulated by a 2011 law that bans 'appearing in places accessible to the public with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable'. The European Court of Human Rights upheld the ban in July 2017. - Britain - There is no law restricting the wearing of garments for religious reasons. However, in March 2007 the education ministry published directives allowing directors of public establishments and denominational schools to ban the niqab. - Bulgaria - In September 2016 parliament adopted a law banning the wearing of the full veil in public, apart from for health or professional reasons. - Denmark - Denmark banned the full-face veil in public spaces on May 31 in a ruling that will take effect on August 1. Wearing a burka or niqab in public is punishable by a fine of 1,000 kroner ($156, 134 euros). The Islamic full-face veil - the burka, which covers a woman's entire face, or the niqab, which shows only the eyes - is a key issue across Europe - France - France was the first European country to ban the full-face veil in public places with a law that took effect in 2011. The European Court upheld the French burka ban in 2014, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breached religious freedom. The law has resulted in around 1,600 arrests since it came into force. Violations can result in fines of up to 150 euros. - Germany - German lawmakers have approved a partial ban on 'covering the face'. According to the legislation civil servants and officials, including judges and soldiers, must have their faces uncovered, and people can also be required to remove facial coverings in order to match them with their identity papers. - Italy - A 1975 law aimed at protecting public order makes it illegal to cover the face in public places but courts have systematically thrown out local moves to use the ban to outlaw the full-face veil. Two regions held by the anti-immigrant Northern League, Lombardy and Venetia, have banned the burka and full-face veil in hospitals and public places. - The Netherlands - Legislation passed by the lower house in November 2016 and currently being examined by the Senate would ban the wearing of burkas, helmets and face masks on public transport as well as in schools, hospitals and government buildings. Violations would result in a fine of up to 405 euros. - Sweden - Since 2006, schools are allowed to ban the face-covering veil if it prevents communication between the student and teacher, if it is dangerous (such as in a laboratory or during a sports class) or if it contravenes hygiene rules. Elsewhere in the country, wearing the full veil is authorised. Advertisement

It is not known how many women wear the niqab and burka in Denmark.

Amnesty International condemned the law as a 'discriminatory violation of women's rights', especially against Muslim women who choose to wear the full-face veils.

'Whilst some specific restrictions on the wearing of full-face veils for the purposes of public safety may be legitimate, this blanket ban is neither necessary nor proportionate and violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion,' the organisation's Europe director Gauri van Gulik said in a statement following the vote.

'If the intention of this law was to protect women's rights, it fails abjectly. Instead, the law criminalises women for their choice of clothing and in so doing flies in the face of those freedoms Denmark purports to uphold,' she added.

Supporters argue the ban enables better integration of Muslim immigrants into Danish society, claiming the garment is used to oppress women.

Last year, the European Court of Human Rights upheld a Belgian ban on wearing it in public.

France was the first European country to ban the niqab in public places with a law that took effect in 2011.

German lawmakers approved a partial ban on 'covering the face' last year.

According to that legislation, civil servants and officials including judges and soldiers must have their faces uncovered. People can also be required to remove facial coverings in order to match them with their identity papers.

Austria's law on banning the full-face Muslim garment in public spaces came into force last year.