Dutch Cabinet thinks nearly 50,000 more Ukrainian refugees will arrive this year

The Dutch Cabinet is anticipating the arrival of another 47,500 refugees from Ukraine this year as a result of the ongoing war with Russia. State Secretary Eric van der Burg for asylum and migration policy notified the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament, about the projection on Friday. It would mean that more than 135,000 Ukrainians will be residing in the Netherlands by the end of this year. In January, there were about 88,000 Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands.

Van der Burg said he currently sees no reason to free up more space than the planned 90,000 placements available from July 1. From that point on, the Cabinet expects to house more than 111,000 Ukrainian refugees in total. There is still some room at the moment, since 97.3 percent of the reception capacity is occupied, according to the state secretary.

He also stressed that the prognosis "is subject to many external factors and therefore remains very complex." Every two months, the prognosis is checked to see if it needs to be modified. Based on this, the reception capacity can be adjusted again.

At his weekly press conference, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that "unfortunately, nothing indicates that Putin intends to end Russia's aggression against Ukraine soon." The prime minister promised to continue to assist Ukraine "in all possible areas."

Van der Burg agreed, writing that the Netherlands "will offer protection to those fleeing the war in Ukraine for as long as necessary."

In connection with the annual spring budget memorandum, the Cabinet is discussing how the increasing number of refugees will impact the budget.