Netherlands - January 2024

On 23 January, the Dutch Senate approved a law on fair distribution of asylum seekers between Dutch municipalities. Over the past decade, only roughly half of Dutch municipalities have provided accommodations for asylum seekers. With 32,000 people currently housed in temporary shelters, the objective of the law is to tackle the lack of accommodation by granting the government authority to override municipalities’ refusal to accept asylum seekers. The Senate approved the law with 43 votes in favour, 27 against, and 5 abstentions. The law could be passed largely due to the support of the conservative-liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVP), the party of former prime minister Mark Rutte, even though Geert Wilders’ right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV), currently trying to form a government, voted against it.

Sources: Netherlands government, Dutch News (1), Dutch News (2), NL Times, RTL Nieuws