ANP
News from the NOS•
There is a good chance the coalition will reach an agreement on the new asylum law next Monday, after months of difficult negotiations. This law makes it easier to oblige municipalities to take in asylum seekers.
The four parties are now awaiting a final and amended version of the law, which officials of Secretary of State Van der Burg (Asylum) are still working on. The VVD group will discuss the revised version together this weekend, possibly Saturday.
If the four coalition parties agree with this, the final agreement will follow Monday morning, sources confirm to the NOS. “Hopefully, the green light will be given on Monday,” says a source, who finds it hard to imagine one of the coalition parties still saying no. Another coalition source says Monday is a more important day than any moment in recent times.
Financial bonus
It is primarily the largest ruling VVD party that has serious objections to its Secretary of State’s plan to oblige municipalities to provide housing for asylum seekers.
The VVD believes that much more needs to be done on the influx to prevent newly arrived asylum seekers from having a place to sleep in the Ter Apel application center, as is often the case now.
The party is also reluctant to ask municipalities to provide housing for asylum seekers given the current housing shortage. The VVD also does not want to speak of coercion, but rather of dispersion and requires a limited term for this law of coercion or dispersion.
It appears that the obligation will be structured differently after four years. There will also most likely be a financial bonus for municipalities providing additional housing for many asylum seekers.
Optimistic for the first time
Van der Burg had actually hoped that there would be an agreement on the new asylum law before 1 October. He wants it to go into effect on January 1, 2023 and is therefore in a hurry. Meanwhile, the influx of asylum seekers is only increasing: this year there will be more valued between 48,200 and 55,700 people come to the Netherlands in the hope of a residence permit.
In recent weeks there have been dozens of consultations, including online, between the party leaders of VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie. So always without result. Van der Burg looked optimistic for the first time this morning. “You can see from my face that I’m not very grumpy today,” he said before the cabinet meeting started.
