The new programme of the Dutch cabinet under Prime Minister Dick Schoof reflects the tough migration stance promised during the election campaign, outlining a comprehensive plan to radically reform the country’s asylum system and push for an opt-out from EU migration policies.
The Schoof cabinet’s plans for the upcoming term were unveiled today (13 September).
The government’s newly published programme builds on the key agreements reached earlier this year after extensive negotiations between the former Liberal Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), led by the successor to former prime minister Mark Rutte, Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV), New Social Contract (NSC) party and Citizen-Farmer Movement.
The programme echoes the hardline stance on migration that dominated the campaign rhetoric and outlines a broad package of measures aimed at radically reforming the asylum system, citing “pressure on housing, healthcare, and education” as threats to social cohesion and safety.
“We must change direction and cut the influx immediately. That’s why I’m introducing the strictest asylum policy ever,” said the Minister of Asylum and Migration from the far-right populist PVV Marjolein Faber on X just before the programme’s release.
A key element of the strategy focuses on action at the European level, including reforms to regulations and international treaties, as the government plans to take the issue to Brussels “as soon as possible” to achieve “an opt-out from European asylum and migration regulations.”
At last week’s Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, PVV leader Geert Wilders reiterated his call for EU countries to have an opt-out option on immigration and asylum policies.
Last week, Minister Faber announced in her debut parliamentary debate that the cabinet intends to declare the asylum crisis an emergency – bypassing parliamentary approval – to swiftly enact measures to cut the migrant influx.
The programme addresses the asylum crisis, including a new Asylum Crisis Law as part of its structural reforms, as well as a redefinition of the nuclear family to restrict family reunification.
It also mentions the scrapping of indefinite asylum permits, allowing periodic reviews to determine if protection is still needed or if individuals can be returned to their home countries.
Following last November’s national election, which was prompted by the collapse of the fourth Rutte cabinet over immigration policy disputes, Geert Wilders’s far-right party PVV emerged victorious. Securing a landslide victory with 37 seats, PVV became the largest party in the Dutch parliament.
However, despite winning the election, Wilders opted not to personally join the government. Instead, Dick Schoof, an unelected career bureaucrat who previously headed the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD and served as a top official at the Ministry of Justice, was appointed prime minister by the King last July.
Source: New Dutch government unveils toughest asylum reform in history – Euractiv
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