The Dutch government proposes to implement immediate restrictions on asylum applicants, enacting Europe's most stringent asylum regulations.
The Dutch government is contemplating declaring a national emergency to tighten the entry of asylum seekers significantly. Marjolein Faber, the far-right minister responsible for asylum, shared in The Hague her intentions to declare a crisis situation and temporarily suspend certain aspects of the asylum law. The specifics of the plan were scheduled to be disclosed in the afternoon during the presentation of the government's program.
Despite a consistent inflow of around 40,000 asylum seekers annually, the Netherlands has been grappling with housing them for years. To manage a crisis, the government has the authority to declare a state of emergency using a royal decree, enabling it to implement measures without prior parliament approval. This was implemented during the COVID-19 crisis, with the justification required to be legal.
The announcement met with strong criticism from the opposition, who labeled it as an infringement of democracy. Legal experts and analysts are also raising doubts about the legitimacy of these emergency measures, given the stable influx of asylum seekers and the absence of an unexpected surge in demand. The existing crisis in accommodation can be attributed to budget cuts.
The reduction of asylum seekers and migrants is a core objective of the new government, which includes the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by right-wing populist Geert Wilders, for the first time. The current four-party coalition, headed by non-partisan Prime Minister Mark Rutte, has been in power for two months.
The Dutch government's plan to declare a national emergency to amend the Law on Asylum has sparked concerns about its legality, as experts question its necessity given the stable inflow of asylum seekers. This potential alteration could significantly impact the rights of asylum seekers in the Netherlands.
