COA confirms sufficient reception places for asylum seekers early next week

The acute need for the reception of asylum seekers has been resolved, the Central Office for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) announced on Saturday evening. The offer of the municipalities was sufficient to offer everyone a place "to get through at least this weekend and early next week." However, it is not known which municipalities specifically responded to the call of outgoing State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) to provide more places to receive asylum seekers.

Much more reception capacity will be needed in the coming period, COA said. "Thanks to the municipalities that have acted quickly and are still taking action. The latter is urgent because we need many more places in the coming period."

Van der Burg called on all municipalities to quickly provide additional accommodation for two hundred adult asylum seekers and 250 places for minors. In recent days, a particularly large number of underage single asylum seekers reported to the application center in Ter Apel. On X, he thanked the municipalities that "acted quickly and are still doing so." However, the outgoing State Secretary could not be reached for further comment.

De uitvraag aan gemeenten heeft erin geresulteerd dat de acute nood is opgelost. @COAnl heeft genoeg opvangplekken aangeboden gekregen om in ieder geval dit weekend en begin volgende week door te komen. Dank aan de gemeenten die snel in actie zijn gekomen en nog steeds komen.

— Eric van der Burg (@ericvanderburg) September 23, 2023

Arnhem has already responded to the State Secretary's call by providing space for 200 adult asylum seekers to be housed on ships. A first ship accommodates 95 asylum seekers, and a second is expected on Monday. Zwolle also announced that it could accommodate 60 asylum seekers.