Coalition was willing to make many compromises on asylum policy behind Cabinet collapse

The coalition parties were willing to make significant compromises on their standpoints in the migration policy that ultimately led to the Rutte IV Cabinet’s collapse in July. The D66 and CDA agreed to deal with asylum seekers with little chance of getting refugee status more harshly, while the VVD was prepared to give those with a good chance of a Dutch residency permit more room to work under certain conditions. Nieuwsuur reported this based on a draft letter that was never sent to parliament because the government collapsed before they reached an agreement.

The policy involved covers all migration - asylum, study, and labor migration - but asylum was the sticking point.

The draft letter shows that coalition parties had largely agreed on a much stricter policy for asylum seekers with little chance of their application being granted. Their shelter would be cut back, legal assistance by a lawyer would no longer be free, and people with no documents or who previously applied for asylum in another country would be detained in immigration detention more quickly. “Combined with a quick handling of the asylum procedure, this can discourage illegal migration,” the letter states, according to Nieuwsuur.

The parties also agreed on stricter border controls - more money and personnel, and the government would advocate for permanent border controls between Schengen countries in Europe when large flows of asylum seekers arise.

The stricter approach to asylum seekers with little chance of a successful application was pushed by the VVD and CDA, while the D66 and ChristenUnie opposed it. The latter two parties proved willing to compromise on those beliefs.

In exchange, the VVD and CDA agreed to give asylum seekers with a good chance of getting residency in the Netherlands access to more facilities, including the possibility to work under certain conditions. The VVD always opposed this point, saying it would make it more difficult to deport asylum seekers if their applications got rejected. They also agreed to give refugees access to housing more quickly.

According to PvdA parliamentarian Kati Piri, the proposals in the draft letter are symbolic politics. “Mainly to satisfy the VVD.” She described the plans as “bullying asylum seekers,” while similar measures hadn’t reduced the influx in the past. “If this were really about controlling migration, the Cabinet would not have fallen over this,” Piri told Nieuwsuur.

Migration the main point of the VVD’s election campaign

Migration is the spearpoint of the VVD’s campaign for the upcoming parliamentary elections, which new party leader Dilan Yesilgoz presented on Friday. The title of the campaign program is “Give Space. Set Boundaries,” NOS reports.

According to Yesilgoz, the Netherlands needs to set boundaries so that everyone can live in freedom. The boundaries she mentioned included limits on the number of asylum seekers and migrant workers the Netherlands would allow.

The party also wants to create “breathing room” for Netherlands residents by lowering taxes for workers and lowering energy taxes. Another interesting point on the program is that the VVD wants nitrogen emissions to be halved by 2035 and not 2030, as the Rutte IV Cabinet agreed in the coalition agreement.