Dutch gov't has military plans for Budel barracks; A blow for asylum reception: report

The Cabinet has plans to use the barracks in Budel, which is currently used as an asylum shelter, for military purposes, sources told De Telegraaf. That will be a real blow to the already scarce asylum reception in the Netherlands. The Budel barracks is the second largest asylum shelter in the country, offering space for 1,500 people.

Defense needs more space to expand and train in an increasingly safe world, insiders told the newspaper. The Cabinet is seriously considering not renewing the lease for the Budel barracks with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) when it expires in 2028. The final decision will be made in May, according to the newspaper’s sources.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense did not want to anticipate the decision. He said that the asylum reception at the barracks is not in danger in the short term, but acknowledged that a different decision may soon be made about the use of the space in the long term.

It is well known that State Secretary Gijs Tuinman of Defense is looking for suitable locations for soldiers to train in the country. The advantage of the Nassau-Dietz barracks in Budel is that it already belongs to Defense and is still zoned for military use, according to the newspaper. Tuinman has a visit to the barrack scheduled for next month.

The COA told the Telegraaf that it was talking with Defense about the barracks. The COA is aiming for joint use. “The defense site in Budel is approximately 100 hectares in size, of which the COA uses approximately 30,” the agency said. “Simultaneous use of the surrounding site by Defense is not an obstacle to the current use of the COA.”