Dutch provinces must organize 96,000 reception places for asylum seekers

Provinces and municipalities must together arrange for 96,000 reception places for asylum seekers this year, caretaker State Secretary Eric van der Burg announced. The distribution per province was also published in the Staatscourant on Wednesday, as well as an indicative distribution per municipality.

The provinces of Zuid-Holland, Noord-Holland and Noord-Brabant will especially face major challenges. Zuid-Holland must create shelter for almost 20,000 placements. Noord-Holland needs more than 16,000 and Noord-Brabant just under 15,000. For years they have been receiving fewer asylum seekers than what was asked of them. Of the 96,000 placements needed across the country, at least 8,140 need to be suitable for children who arrive in the Netherlands without a parent or legal guardian.

The first indication is that Amsterdam will need 4,479 places for asylum seekers, far more than any other city. That was followed by Rotterdam with 2,667, The Hague with just over 2,500, and Utrecht, which needs just shy of 2,000 spots. These first estimates per municipality are only an initial indication, and can change for a variety of reasons in the coming months.

Publication of the capacity estimate and the breakdown per province are the first concrete steps toward the implementation of the new law about evenly distributing asylum seekers in a more proportionate manner. The figures, determined by the Ministry of Justice and Security, were required to be published by February 1, the date in which the law comes into effect. According to the law from Van der Burg, the Cabinet member in charge of asylum policy, the estimates may be revised.

This breakdown is based on the number of inhabitants and the socio-economic status of a municipality. Each province has until November 1 to make arrangements with its municipalities. The provincial reception plans must then be submitted to the Ministry of Justice and Security. The law is controversial for a number of reasons, as it gives the national government authorization to force provinces to take in more asylum seekers if they have not met the quota regarding the need for reception places.

In the coming months, each province’s King's Commissioner will consult with their municipalities about capacity and arrangements at the local level. The indicative distribution per municipality is not yet concrete. A municipality can indicate that it does not want to accommodate asylum seekers, but will, for example, accept people who have been granted residency through the completed refugee process, or refugees from Ukraine who entered the Netherlands under special conditions. Municipalities can also make side deals with each other as long as the requested number of shelter placements is met per province.

The indicative distribution is important for the possible financial bonus that municipalities can receive if they arrange more shelter places. Municipalities can receive 1,000 to 2,000 euros from the ministry for each additional placement that is made available for at least five years.

The state secretary will assess all 12 provincial plans before January 1. If provinces have provided sufficient placements, municipalities have six months to arrange them. In provinces without a proper plan, the state secretaris can intervene by issuing a distribution decision obliging municipalities to arrange a certain number of shelter placements.

If that also yields insufficient results, the Ministry of Justice and Security will ultimately arrange the placements in a municipality itself. This coercive measure will not be used for a year at the earliest.

The new distribution law makes this coercion possible. This made the law extremely politically sensitive.

Asylum reception placements needed in the Netherlands, per province

Asylum reception placements needed in the Netherlands, per municipality