Netherlands missed asylum shelter target by 27%, creating 73,000 spaces in total
As of the start of this month, Dutch municipalities have created over 73,000 shelter spaces for asylum seekers. That is over 28,000 short of the 101,500 target set by the Asylum Distribution Act for 1 July 2025. About a third of the shelter spaces also involve expensive, temporary spots, according to a study by NOS, Nieuwsuur, and the regional broadcasters.
If temporary shelter spaces, available for less than six months, are left out of the count, the Dutch municipalities have created approximately 55,000 spots for asylum seekers to stay. About two-thirds of the municipalities did not achieve the target set in the Asylum Distribution Law.
Various municipalities and the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) told the broadcasters that many reception locations will be added in the coming months and years, but not before the July 1 deadline.
Municipalities mentioned several reasons for failing to achieve their target, including a difficult search for suitable locations, uncertainty in national politics about whether this law would be scrapped, and resistance among locals. Some also said that reception locations aren’t getting off the ground due to COA requirements or because the agency is taking too long to make decisions.
Barendrecht, for example, said arranging asylum reception “when there is little to no available space” is a complicated task. “In addition, the erratic national policy in The Hague does not contribute to solutions.” Municipalities in the Haaglanden region also said that the now-collapsed government’s plan to scrap the distribution law “has significantly reduced the support for new reception locations,” and a “clear and unambiguous position of the government” would help a great deal.
Despite the target being missed, the COA, provinces, and municipalities are almost unanimously enthusiastic about the Asylum Distribution Law and want it to remain in force. According to NOS, they point out that more municipalities than ever have concrete plans for asylum shelters, and that would not have happened without the law.
Due to the Cabinet’s collapse and the departure of Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber (PVV), the Asylum Distribution Law will become the responsibility of Mona Keijzer. The transfer hasn’t happened yet, so Justice Minister David van Weel is currently responsible for the law. He refused to comment on the conclusions of this study.
