Dutch PM wants to declare more countries "safe" to reject more asylum seekers faster

Prime Minister Dick Schoof wants more countries to be declared safe, he said on Thursday before the EU summit with government leaders. Asylum seekers who have had their request for asylum rejected are only able to be sent back to their countries if the country has been declared safe. He also plans to join other member states like Denmark and Italy to give an “extra push to a strong and robust migration policy.”

Part of that is the return of rejected asylum seekers. Schoof does not feel that these people always have to be sent back to their country of origin. “That could also be to a nearby country, temporarily or structurally.” He added that this would only be the case if the asylum seeker had a connection with the country in question.

Schoof is “absolutely convinced” that the influx of asylum seekers will be reduced if the return is arranged in an efficient and effective way.

The prime minister recognizes that declaring a country safe is complicated. “Because usually there is always something which will make people wonder ‘Is that country actually safe?’” If countries are declared safe then a request for asylum can be rejected instantly, said Schoof. "Except for very specific individual reasons."

Schoof would like to see agreements within the European Union about which countries are safe. The Netherlands determines whether a country is safe based on official reports. These are drawn up after an on-site assessment of the situation in the country in question.

He also expressed support for the European Commission’s proposal to harmonize asylum procedures in the EU. He thinks this will prevent human smugglers and asylum seekers from making attempts at countries with looser rules.

The Netherlands, Denmark, and Italy have been invited member states to a “migration breakfast” to continue talks about sharpening the EU migration policies during the previous summits. Schoof is the chairman of these talks on Thursday. In total, government leaders of 14 member states will join the meeting.