New Dutch PM vows to carry out ‘strictest-ever’ immigration policy

12 comments

1. **From The Telegraph’s Europe Editor, James Crisp:**

   The Dutch king has sworn in former spy chief Dick Schoof as prime minister of a government promising to deliver the [Netherlands](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/netherlands/)’ “strictest-ever” immigration policy.

   Mr Schoof takes over from [Mark Rutte](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/20/rutte-to-land-natos-top-job-after-lone-rival-drops-out/), the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history, 223 days after Geert Wilders won a shock victory in an election that stunned Europe.

   He presented his ministers in the Right-wing coalition to Willem-Alexander in the ornate “Oranjezaal” in the royal palace, with them each stepping forward to swear allegiance to the king and the constitution.

   [Mr Wilders](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/16/dutch-government-set-for-immigration-showdown-with-eu/), the populist firebrand leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), was forced to shelve his ambitions to become prime minister to keep coalition talks on track.

   There were fears his campaign promises to ban the Koran and hold a Nexit referendum on Dutch EU membership were too extreme.

   Instead, the four coalition partners agreed their leaders would not be in government before compromising on Mr Schoof, 67, who previously ran the Dutch secret service.

   Mr Wilders, who campaigned for “zero asylum seekers”, secured backing for a crackdown on asylum and migration from the pro-business VVD party, radical centrist NSC and farmers’ party the BBB.

   The coalition has pledged a two-year asylum crisis act to drive down numbers arriving in the Netherlands and to demand an opt-out from EU asylum rules, which will put the new government on a collision course with Brussels.

   It plans a maximum reduction in migrant numbers without giving a hard figure. The agreement includes austere reception centres, a hold on processing asylum applications and only temporary asylum being granted.

   The 26-page coalition agreement, titled Hope, courage and pride, also calls for considering the idea of moving the Dutch embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

   Seven youth branches of Dutch political parties, including the VVD and NSC, called on the new government to reconsider the asylum plans on Tuesday.

   They said that the asylum crisis was actually a reception crisis caused by a staffing and housing shortage that left asylum centres overcrowded.

   Amnesty International held a protest outside the royal palace as the ministers were sworn in.

   **Article Link:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/02/new-dutch-pm-strictest-ever-immigration-policy/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/07/02/new-dutch-pm-strictest-ever-immigration-policy/)

2. to be fair, Europe really needs actual immigration policy, not just handing out asylum status to everyone who shows up without passports, and then have the human rights to have asylum application be processed for 20 years.

3. Finally

4. Based. /s

5. [removed]

6. [removed]

7. Usually when politicians say something like this, they will target regular migration (like international students and high-skilled workers coming from non-EU countries) instead of refugees. Targeting regular migration from non-EU countries is much easier because you just need to make domestic law stricter and there’s not much legal hurdle. On the other hand, zero asylum seeker is difficult to implement without going against EU law, ECHR, and international law.

8. DUTCHLAND FOR THE DUTCHES!!!

9. rejoice r/europe
   you are step by step getting what you dream about.

   See you in 5 years when things got increasingly more shitty

10. Yay I sure do love being blamed for all your problems

    -Sincerely, a romanian guy studying at a dutch university

11. Doesnt mean much when the constitution, human rights, and international treaties that we signed dont allow for much stricter policies.

    It’s already really difficult to get in here for anyone who isn’t an actual refugee or very valuable to our economy (expats). At most the people who follow family here will be blocked more often, but that will lead to only a couple hundred people less yearly.

12. What would a “strictest-ever” immigration policy look like?

    * In 2022, 404k people immigrated to and 179k emigrated from the Netherlands, leaving a net migration of around 224 000 people. [Source](https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/dossier/asylum-
    migration-and-integration/how-many-people-immigrate-to-the-netherlands-). For comparison, the net migration in 2003 consisted of 317 people.

    * Meanwhile, the local population declined and the population growth was entirely due to migration. [Source](https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2024/01/population-growth-slower-in-2023).

    This means that the group of people from outside the Netherlands are rapidly growing and the people whose families have lived there for generations will rather soon be outnumbered.

    * **A strictest-ever immigration policy must be stricter than 2003, and as such would have a negative net migration.** In 2022, this would have meant that 224 000 immigrants should have been turned away.

    A dynamic system which allows 100 people to immigrate for every 110 people who emigrate could be one solution.