This new four-party cabinet was formed last week by the far-right anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders. With the support of the liberal VVD party of former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the new farmersâ party BBB, and the new citizensâ party NSC, he appointed former intelligence service director Dick Schoof as Prime Minister.
One of their first government intentions is to declare an asylum crisis in the Netherlands and to suspend the processing of new asylum applications from immigrants and refugees for two years. According to the European asylum directive, suspending the processing of asylum applications is not allowed.
The coalition agreement of the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB states that a temporary Asylum Crisis Act will come into effect immediately, âwith crisis measures to tackle the acute asylum influx and accommodation crisis for the near future.â One of the provisions in this temporary law, which should last at most two years, is the suspension of the processing of asylum applications.
To declare an asylum crisis, the Netherlands must submit a well-founded request to the European Commission. The Brussels Commissioners will then assess such a request, writes European Commissioner for Migration Ylva Johansson. The Netherlands must first show that it has done enough to get the asylum system under control before it can declare an asylum crisis, Johansson writes in response to questions from former MEP Sophie in ât Veld.
The new right-wing coalition in The Hague intends to adopt a less pro-EU course in the coming years. Party leader Wilders has even advocated a Nexit in the past, a Dutch exit from the EU. This has now been softened to an âopt-out,â an exemption from receiving asylum seekers. It is also clear that the Netherlands intends to align more closely in the coming years with the anti-EU stance of Hungarian Prime Minister OrbĂĄn.
If the Netherlands does not follow European rules and declares an asylum crisis without the European Commissionâs permission, the Commission can intervene through an infringement procedure. A warning that the Netherlands must comply with European rules is the first step in such a process, which could ultimately lead to a case before the European Court of Justice.