The Dutch government aims to significantly decrease the number of asylum seekers through urgent measures.
The Dutch authorities, spearheaded by the conservative asylum minister Marjolein Faber, propose declaring a nationwide emergency to tighten asylum regulations considerably. Faber announced this move in The Hague, signaling her intentions to declare a crisis and consequently, swiftly revoke certain asylum regulations. Further details were set to emerge later in the day during the presentation of the government's program.
The Netherlands has grappled with housing asylum seekers for quite some time, despite a relatively stable influx of new arrivals. On average, around 40,000 asylum seekers make their way to the Netherlands annually.
The government has the authority to declare a state of emergency via a royal decree in the face of a crisis, bypassing the necessity for parliamentary approval before taking action. This was seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, as an example. However, such decrees demand legal justification.
Legal Experts Express Doubts
Critics, including legal experts, have voiced concerns about the legality of these proposed emergency measures. They argue that there is no sudden surge in asylum seekers, which is usually a prerequisite for declaring a state of emergency. Instead, the current accommodation crisis is a direct consequence of austerity measures.
Reducing asylum seeker and immigrant numbers is a key objective for the new coalition, which includes the populist right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders for the first time. This four-party coalition, helmed by non-partisan Prime Minister Dick Schoof, has been in power for about two months.
The Dutch government, headed by The Commission, must provide a solid legal justification for declaring a nationwide emergency due to concerns raised by legal experts. Despite the proposals to tighten asylum regulations, the current accommodation crisis in the Netherlands is primarily attributed to austerity measures.
