By Job van der Plicht and Sanne Oving
Jan 23, 2024 at 2:20 PM Update: 8 minutes ago
The COA must ensure that within four weeks there will be fewer than two thousand people staying in the registration center in Ter Apel. The municipality of Westerwolde, which includes Ter Apel, receives 15,000 euros for every day that this fails.
The judge in Groningen decided this on Tuesday. The penalty imposed by the judge can amount to a maximum of 1.5 million euros.
The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and the municipality of Westerwolde met in court almost two weeks ago. The municipality had filed a case against COA.
The reason for this was the persistent pressure on the registration center in Ter Apel. In the administrative agreement with the municipality, the COA has agreed that a maximum of two thousand asylum seekers will be given shelter in the Groningen village.
In 2022, people had to sleep outside at the registration center. The agreement was then underlined once again: two thousand was really the maximum.
It has been way too busy again since October
But since October last year it has been way too busy in Ter Apel again. On several occasions people have had to spend the night in waiting and recreation areas. This has not happened since the nearby Stadskanaal opened a special crisis night shelter. But the pressure on the registration center remains high.
The municipality of Westerwolde therefore wants COA to adhere to the agreements again. The situation not only affects asylum seekers and COA employees, but also the residents of Ter Apel and nearby villages.
COA also wants that. But the organization indicates that it is very dependent on the availability of other reception places, the flow of status holders and the speed with which asylum applications are assessed.
2024-01-23 13:20:58
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