The Netherlands intends to declare a state of emergency in order to limit the number of asylum seekers entering the country.
Right-wing Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber said the move would allow the Dutch government to “very quickly” suspend parts of existing asylum laws.
Details of the plan are due to be released later on Friday after Prime Minister Dick Schuff’s government presents its policy program in The Hague.
Every year, about 40,000 asylum seekers arrive in the Netherlands, which, as critics claim, negatively affects the lack of housing in the country.
In the event of a crisis, the Dutch government can declare a state of emergency thanks to the use of a royal decree, which allows it to take certain measures without the approval of parliament, as was the case during the coronavirus pandemic.
But such a decision must be legally justified, and legal experts have questioned whether the number of asylum seekers, which has remained stable, is sufficient to declare a crisis.
Opposition parties reacted to such an announcement with indignation, calling the government’s plan undemocratic. The opposition believes that the housing crisis in the country is a consequence of austerity measures.
Reducing the number of asylum seekers and migrants is one of the main goals of the new Dutch government that took office in July.
The four-party coalition also includes the Party for Freedom (PVV) of populist leader Geert Wilders, which won the parliamentary elections in November 2023.
