The asylum crisis in the Netherlands is muddling through
The Netherlands has been suffering from an asylum crisis for some time now. Asylum procedures are lengthy and there is a chronic shortage of reception facilities. Reports in the almost daily that asylum seekers have to sleep on news in application center Ter Apel. Simply because there are no beds available.
Criticism of the current term is heard from various quarters: a solution for the term term. “A national coordinator must come and take over. The State Secretary is now much too busy to continuously arrange reception,” said MP from the CDA, Evert Jan Slootweg, in the WNL Haagse Lobby on NPO Radio 1. Mayor of Leeuwarden, Sybrand Buma, would also like to see legislation changed. . “There are still a number of municipalities that do not help with the reception. If you amend the legislation, you can also oblige these municipalities to accept asylum seekers.” Buma continues: “We are now really approaching the point where it can no longer be arranged.”
Reception in the region
The former CDA leader also looks abroad, where accommodation is more often ‘in the region’. Buma takes Great Britain as an example. That country receives people in the regions where the asylum seekers come from. They can then complete the asylum procedure there without even setting foot in the UK. “We have been working on this in the Netherlands for some time, but we just can’t get it to work. We really need to watch and learn from countries like England.”
For now a temporary solution, a number of ‘mega reception locations’ are being opened. These are spread across the country such as in Vlissingen and The Hague. It is not a structural solution.
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Door: Floortje van Gameren