Dutch Cities Criticize Urgent Call for Additional Asylum Seeker Reception Areas

Cities are criticizing the government’s request to urgently set up additional reception areas for asylum seekers. Outgoing Secretary of State Van der Burg and Minister De Jonge yesterday asked the provinces and the five largest municipalities 12,000 more places to create Accordingly, another emergency situation will arise in the shelter next week.

Amsterdam councilor Rutger Groot Wassink (GroenLinks), who is responsible for asylum and migration on behalf of the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), says of the request: “I think it mainly shows that we cannot to the cabinet still to implement the act properly. shape the reception of asylum seekers and that is a cause for great concern.”

According to him, it cannot be a complete surprise that more beds are needed, because, for example, festival sites such as in Biddinghuizen would have to be evacuated again. That was known beforehand.

Groot Wassink: “We have a law of circulation, but it does not automatically lead to solutions. ” The VNG believes that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the law. “What is the finance, who is responsible for it and how are we going to do this? That is why we as VNG have sent a letter today, and We hope to have an answer this week.”

The municipalities agree with the cabinet that people should not sleep in the grass and, according to Groot Wassink, they will seriously investigate whether they can create additional shelter facilities. “But formally it is the work of the government. At the moment it seems that it is being transferred to the municipal areas and that does not seem desirable to me.”

The consultant also believes that many are still uncertain about the shelter in tents that Van der Burg is researching. “Is that the responsibility of the towns or the COA? That is not yet clear and that also makes it unlikely that anything will be achieved in the short term.”

The growing numbers make it difficult, he thinks, especially as cities have often stepped in to accommodate asylum seekers and Ukrainians in recent years. last. And that in combination with a lack of clarity. “I’m having a really hard time about it,” Groot Wassink said.

“We have not had a stable reception landscape for a long time, with temporary places and yo-yoing with policy. It would be great if we could work together to achieve a balanced distribution. Then we should be able to prevent this.”

According to the Secretary of State, plans are being worked on in most areas, but they will only provide places at the end of this year or early next year. “But we need places now,” says Van der Burg.

“The inflow is 30 to 40 percent higher than last year. This means that we have to do something to limit that inflow, because we cannot sustain this no way. But we don’t let people here sleep outside.”