Provinces submit plans for asylum centers, but law might be repealed

Provincial commissioners in the Netherlands have submitted their plans for asylum centers to meet regional quotas, as mandated under the distribution law. This law aims to encourage more municipalities to provide structured asylum facilities, reducing the need for emergency shelters, such as sports halls or boats, which have been less suitable and more costly.

The deadline for these proposals was Thursday, according to the directive by Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber. The distribution law, passed under the previous government, is at risk of repeal under the current coalition of the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB. Faber will present all provincial site proposals on Friday to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament. Her predecessor had outlined a target of 96,000 total placements, considering each municipality’s population and socioeconomic factors.

The province of Zeeland easily met the goal of 2,109 reception places it must arrange for asylum seekers. Acting King's Commissioner Hugo de Jonge said on Friday morning in the program Goedemorgen Nederland that the province has arranged approximately 2,400 reception places with the Zeeland municipalities.

De Jonge believes that the dispersal law has really helped in realizing the reception places. "Before the distribution law, the reception was really below 2,100 places. The good thing is that all municipalities take up their fair share."

It was clear Friday morning that the province of Noord-Brabant will not meet the target for the number of reception places for asylum seekers. The province had to create 14,689 placements, but will reach 13,478 places by July 1 next year. The province said that many spots were added in recent months.

The province of Gelderland has also been unsuccessful in achieving the objectives. The province had to find 11,704 shelter placements in its municipalities, but the tally is now at 10,474. That amounts to 90 percent of the stated target.

Last week, Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced plans to introduce a bill to repeal the distribution law, leaving the future of local and regional asylum plans uncertain if Parliament approves the rollback. Under the current law, these centers are expected to be operational by July 1. According to the law, Faber can require municipalities to contribute if they fall short, but enforcement may become unnecessary if the law is repealed.

De Jonge said he thinks it is unwise that the Cabinet wants to withdraw the law as soon as possible. "A solid asylum policy is needed. But the distribution law is not part of asylum policy. That is just a fair share of the [total] reception. That repeal is a recipe for chaos."

The distribution law aims to disperse smaller asylum centers across more municipalities to improve public support and eliminate costly emergency shelters. This shift also seeks to ensure higher-quality living conditions for asylum seekers and minimize the challenges associated with large, centralized facilities.