All spots for Ukrainian refugees now full; Municipalities demand long-term financing

Municipalities demanded long-term financing for the housing of Ukrainian refugees on Thursday. They made this claim in an emergency meeting with the Minister of Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber after the last beds meant for Ukrainian refugees were filled this week. The 94,650 available beds are currently occupied, while around 300 Ukrainians come into the country every week.

One of the issues for the municipalities is that they are unable to secure lengthy contracts for rental properties. One of the reasons that they struggle with this is the fact that the European guidelines with regards to the reception of Ukrainian refugees is being extended every year. The current guidelines are valid up to March 2026, Nu.nl reported.

Because of this, municipalities are only given enough money to house Ukrainian refugees for a year from the Cabinet. The municipalities will push the Cabinet for more money to complete this task, otherwise the Ukrainians may be housed in hotels, which will cost the municipalities a lot of money.

The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) have been complaining about a lack of control from the government regarding the reception of Ukranians for a while. They claim that they were much more involved in the decision making with the previous Cabinet’s.

Faber said that her ministry is going to solve the issues after the meeting with the municipalities, but she did not say how they were going to do it yet. She said that she understands the municipalities concerns and that she realizes that they have a “very difficult job.” The VNG have said nothing about the meeting as of yet.