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ANNOUNCEMENTS•
The cabinet will meet tonight at the Catshuis to discuss a politically precarious issue: migration. At least two ministers from all four governing parties will join, including Prime Minister Rutte and Deputy Prime Ministers Kaag, Hoekstra and Schouten.
Before the Christmas break spoke The ministers involved also talk about migration, but it is the first time that the premier and all the deputy premiers are present. The idea is that the ministers of the four parties explain how they see the issue of migration. They’re not tying knots yet; one cabinet insider involved says he doesn’t expect “any result”.
Disagreements
Migration is a hot topic within the coalition and the parties have quite different views on it. VVD and CDA I would like to talk about limiting the influx of asylum seekers – VVD leader Rutte has his own group insured examine it, but containment is a sensitive issue for D66 and ChristenUnie.
The latter two sides also disagree with each other on labor migration. ChristenUnie wants to regulate this in Europe and wants to work with a guide number, while D66 mainly emphasizes that migrant workers are urgently needed, because there are serious shortages on the labor market.
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Migration has been a priority on the agenda in The Hague ever since the chaotic scenes at the Ter Apel application centre. Last spring and summer it was overcrowded and hundreds of people were sleeping outdoors in appalling conditions.
By late summer, the coalition had already concluded a deal to avert the immediate crisis. He stated, among other things, that family reunification is becoming more difficult (something that legally difficult ) and that asylum seekers with residence permits should move more quickly to normal housing. Also, after many fives and sixes this winter, a bill was introduced to better distribute asylum seekers across the country.
The influx of asylum seekers is expected to increase again soon. In winter the numbers are always lower and in spring they increase. A November government forecast shows that more asylum seekers are expected next year than last year. Meanwhile, some large reception contracts expire on 1 April. The offices in Amsterdam, Dronten and Velsen, among others, will disappear, and with them thousands of reception places.
To keep the situation manageable, the government is therefore planning new measures. Today’s conference at the Catshuis is a start, but it won’t be concrete for now.
