Ruling party wants "mini Schengen zone" for closing borders to migrants

Ruling party VVD wants to create a mini-Schengen zone, in which a group of neighboring countries can jointly close their borders if a large number of migrants come to Europe. In "emergencies" the Netherlands should close its own borders, parliamentarian Bente Becker said to newspaper AD.

According to Becker, "there is a great risk" that large numbers of migrants will come to the Netherlands "because of our prosperity". As the European asylum system is still in the making, the Netherlands must be ready to "keep a grip" on migration itself. "Not every citizen of the world who wants a safer or better life is welcome in the Netherlands. We should not only say that, but also be able to deliver when it comes down to it," Becker said.

She calls her proposal for a mini-Schengen zone a "more realistic answer" to the migration problem than the Netherlands leaving the European Union. "They never honestly say how damaging a departure from the EU would be for our jobs and security. And it is not necessary either. We can works towards a stricter European asylum system and at the same time make a plan to protect ourselves in times of crisis."