Netherlands joins call to shetler intercepted asylum seekers in non-EU countries: report

The Netherlands and several other European Union member states are working on a letter urging the European Commission to arrange shelter for asylum seekers in non-EU countries. They want asylum seekers intercepted while trying to reach Europe to be sheltered outside of Europe, NOS reports.

The asylum seekers can apply for asylum in the European Union but will have to stay in the non-EU country while they await the decision on their application. Asylum seekers who have exhausted all legal remedies could also be accommodated in non-EU countries until their return journey.

The Czech Republic and Denmark initiated the plan. The idea is similar to an agreement Italy signed with Albania in November. Albania, a non-EU country, houses some of the asylum seekers rescued on the sea at Italy’s expense while the Italian authorities process their asylum applications.

The letter also mentioned the Turkey asylum agreement, implemented when the Netherlands led the EU, as an example. This deal stipulated that people who made the crossing from Turkey to Greece “irregularly” would be sent back to Turkey unless they applied for asylum in Greece. Last month, three aid organizations sued the Dutch State over the Turkey deal, holding the Netherlands responsible for violating “Dutch, international, and EU law and for the years of inhumane conditions on the Greek islands.”

It is not clear which non-EU countries the Netherlands and other EU member states want the European Commission to make these agreements with. The letter contains no concrete plans, according to the broadcaster.

State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum) told NOS that the EU countries are looking for “additional solutions” to strengthen their grip on migration. He called cooperation between countries essential for this. “That is why I am in favor of countries also looking for out-of-the-box solutions such as the agreements that Italy made with Albania,” he said. He added that these solutions must “at all times” be in line with international and European law.