Dutch government in crisis over asylum measures
Talks will continue on Friday and are expected to run into the weekend | Robin Utrecht/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
The future of the Dutch government is hanging by a thread, as the ruling coalition faces breaking apart over a package of measures designed to limit the flow of asylum seekers to the Netherlands.
A plan by Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party to make it harder for refugee families to reunite has caused a major rift in the coalition he leads, as two junior parties are refusing to support the proposals.
A cabinet crisis meeting on Thursday, which spilled into the early hours on Friday, failed to reach a breakthrough. Talks will continue on Friday and are expected to run into the weekend, despite a deadline of Rutte’s party to have a package of measures on the table before the end of the week.
Leaving late-night negotiations on Thursday, Rutte would not comment on the content of the talks, saying instead: “It’s a step-by-step process and tonight was a step.”
Dutch media reported Rutte is willing to let the government fall if an agreement can’t be reached. Rutte has led the Netherlands since October 2010 in four different coalitions, making him the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.
Asylum policy
Asylum applications in the Netherlands jumped by a third last year to over 46,000, and are expected to increase to more than 76,000 this year — topping the previous high of 2015.
This will put a strain on the country’s asylum facilities. For months last year, hundreds of asylum seekers frequently slept outdoors with little or no access to drinking water, sanitary facilities or healthcare.
To improve the conditions, Rutte’s party, supported by the conservative CDA, proposed to limit entrance for children of war refugees who are already in the Netherlands and to make families wait at least two years before they can be united. However, he has so far failed to win the backing of his other coalition partners who felt his policies went too far.
Source: POLITICO Europe
