Taking office in July, the coalition of Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced that, in accordance with the wishes of its main component, the Party for Freedom (PVV, far right) of Geert Wilders, the Netherlands would develop “the strictest immigration policy ever seen”. The series of provisions supposed to come into force before the end of the year, however, is still delayed, faces legal obstacles or divides the four parties in power.
So far, only the reestablishment of controls “enhanced random” at the borders, a measure intended to stem illegal migration, is in force. Forty-six municipalities and companies have criticized these measures which, according to them, will have little effect since it will be impossible to control the approximately 800 entry points into the country.
Marjolein Faber, the Minister of Asylum and Migration, close to the PVV leader, is the target of other criticism. His party tried to impose the idea of an emergency law necessary, according to him, to resolve an asylum crisis which would be of unprecedented magnitude. In reality, some 38,000 asylum applications were submitted in 2023, or 2.1 per 1,000 inhabitants, while the European average is 2.3 – and 2.5 in Germany. During the first half of 2024, the number of applications fell by 25%. “The continued assertion that compared to all other countries, more and more refugees would come to the Netherlands, is simply incorrect”says Mark Klaassen, professor of migration law at Leiden University.
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