The new right-wing government in the Netherlands wants to radically change asylum policy and withdraw from the EU asylum system. Success is unlikely because all 27 EU states would have to agree.
With the strictest asylum rules in Europe, the right-wing Dutch government wants to crack down on unwanted immigration. To this end, it has applied to the EU Commission for an exemption for the Netherlands, said the radical right-wing asylum minister Marjolein Faber. “We have to take our asylum policy back into our own hands,” said Faber on the short message service X.
According to Faber, the government wants to ensure that the entry of asylum seekers and irregular migrants is “drastically reduced”. This is necessary “in order to fulfil our constitutional duties such as providing housing, health care and education”.
The radical change of course in asylum policy had already been announced by the new government. The four-party coalition, which has been in office since July, includes for the first time the radical right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) of right-wing populist Geert Wilders. Faber is also a politician from the PVV.
In order to implement its plans, the government wants to opt out of the EU asylum rules. As a rule, all 27 EU states must agree to such an exception rule. Exceptions for EU member states are rare. Denmark, for example, has one for the Eurozone and Ireland for the Schengen Agreement because of the common border with the United Kingdom.
Departure from EU principles
With this proposal, The Hague is turning away from a principle that EU governments accept the decisions of their predecessors. The Netherlands also agreed to the reform of the EU-wide asylum system with the old government in December 2023. It is therefore expected that the EU Commission and other EU partners will view the new government’s plans critically, because national deviations from joint decisions could endanger the stability of the EU.
The coalition also wants to declare a state of emergency in order to repeal parts of the asylum law without the consent of parliament. Lawyers doubt the legality of the measure. The asylum issue is also dividing the coalition. The moderate coalition party NSC has already announced that it will withdraw its consent to the emergency law if there is no legal basis for it.
Number of asylum applications is stable
Experts and authorities point out that the number of newly arriving asylum seekers is relatively stable at around 40,000 per year. Based on the total population, this corresponds roughly to the EU average.
But for years there have been problems with accommodation due to austerity measures and a general housing shortage. After years of budget cuts, the country’s only registration center for asylum seekers is overloaded, meaning hundreds of people have to sleep outdoors.