Dutch asylum agency must pay municipalities more than €10 million in fines

The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) must pay more than 10 million euros in fines to municipalities for problems at its locations, with the total climbing above that mark over the weekend. The largest share of the penalties went to the municipality of Westerwolde in Groningen, home to the Ter Apel registration center.

Ter Apel is allowed to house a maximum of 2,000 asylum seekers. The COA paid 1.5 million euros in fines during 2024 for exceeding the limit. An additional 5 million euros in penalties accrued between September and March.

The fines have not worked: the center has housed more than 2,000 asylum seekers almost every day, with only a single exception.

In Hardenberg, Overijssel, an asylum seekers' center remains open even though its operating agreement and permit expired at the beginning of March. The facility originally housed 700 asylum seekers and now holds just under 200. The COA must pay 55,000 euros for each day the center stays open. The total has reached about 2.6 million euros so far and could hit a maximum of about 4.95 million euros on June 22.

A hotel in Epe in Gelderland continues to serve as an emergency shelter for asylum seekers after its permit and agreement expired in March.

More than 200 asylum seekers were there when the documents lapsed, and according to a COA spokesperson, that number remains the same now. The daily fine is 63,480 euros. The agency has already incurred nearly 1.3 million euros. The penalties would stop at 11.4 million euros if asylum seekers are still housed there in October.