Netherlands questions EU refugee distribution plan, joining three other EU countries

The Netherlands wants to reach a new arrangement on the proposed distribution of refugees in Europe, and the country is not alone. Germany, France and Belgium all plan to take their claim to the European Commission that other countries in Europe need to take on more asylum seekers, and firmly commit to arranging provisions for those who will be in their care. Prime Minister Mark Rutte told broadcaster NOS that the Dutch do not wish to sidestep their duty to Europe over the large volumes of refugees entering the continent via the southern EU nations. "But we are doing so much in the Netherlands for receiving asylum seekers, much more than in other countries," Rutte said. "How do you guarantee that those countries fulfill their responsibilities?" Prime Minister Rutte said he agrees with the analysis that must be done. "But we do so much to asylum centers in the Netherlands, much more than in many other countries," he added. "So one question will be: how do you ensure that those countries take their responsibility?" State Secretary for Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff said other countries agreed to co-operate with the Netherlands on the new plan. The countries will address the issue at the meeting of European ministers next week. Dijkhoff said the Dutch government remains skeptical of the asylum quota requiring the Netherlands to take in 2047 asylum seekers. Dijkhoff believes that effort to accommodate refugees is invested disproportionately and that other countries could do more to the accommodation process.