The Dutch national agency responsible for refugee settlement faces heavy repercussions from a local court, having been ordered to pay a continuous fine whenever the country’s principal asylum centre in the north sees an overflow of inhabitants. The cumulative fine, which amounts to €1 million, was disclosed by the agency itself.
Judges in the Westerwolde municipality, where the Ter Apel asylum centre is based, ratified the ruling earlier this year. The judgement orders that the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) is to be slapped with a €15,000 penalty daily whenever a flood of more than 2000 residents occurs in the centre.
The local authority advocated for a steeper fine of €25,000 per night. They argued that the centre’s limit, established for safety measures in 2010, was consistently being violated. This was especially observed in August 2022, as scores of newcomers had no option but to bed down outdoors for weeks.
During the peak of this humanitarian crisis, Medicines Sans Frontiers, a medical charity, was summoned to assist the centre following the tragic death of a three-month-old within an overcrowded sports venue, a makeshift expansion from the main home, which the medical professionals labelled as ‘inhuman’.
In addition, many organisations alerted that the staff were unprepared to manage such an emergency. Buildings were also deemed as flouting the fire safety requirements. Besides, there was a surge in violent incidents and children without guardians were constantly at risk and often left unsupervised.
The calamity even compelled the appointed official of the monarch for the region of Groningen, along with the heads of nine local areas, to draft a letter to the caretaker justice minister Dilan Yesilgoz. They called out the turmoil as ‘unacceptable’. The letter, which quickly emerged in the public view, protested that it was implausible for such a disaster to occur in their nation.
Months later, Yesilgoz succeeded Mark Rutte as the leader of the centre-right VVD. She currently participates in prolonged alliance talks with three other right-wing parties Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party; BBB, the agricultural party; and Pieter Omtzigt’s New Social Contract. Immigration, a matter that led to Rutte’s downfall, still remains a hot-button topic on the negotiation table, parallel with the debate about strategies to reduce CO2 emissions.
The alarming reality that over one-third of the 342 local authorities haven’t set aside any lodging, provisional or otherwise, for refugees in the last dozen years proves to be quite difficult to address. The past regime had hinted at introducing legislations to compel compliance from these authorities. The future course of action now relies on the incoming administration.
The two key individuals steering the coalition discussions are scheduled to present their findings to parliament the coming Wednesday. Frans Timmermans, from Labour-GreenLeft, cautions that if no agreement is reached by June 1st, parties of the left should be granted permission to explore different options.