The future of the Dutch government hangs in the balance as the governing coalition faces disintegration over a package of measures designed to limit the flow of asylum seekers to the Netherlands.
A plan by Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party to make it more difficult for refugee families to be reunited has sparked a major split in the coalition he leads as two junior parties refuse to back the proposals.
A crisis meeting of the cabinet on Thursday, which lasted until the early hours of Friday morning, brought no breakthrough. Talks will continue on Friday and are expected to continue into the weekend, although Rutte’s party has given a deadline to table a package of measures before the end of the week.
When Rutte left the negotiations late Thursday evening, he did not comment on the content of the talks, instead saying: “It’s a step-by-step process and tonight was a step.”
Dutch media reported that Rutte was ready to have the government overthrown if no agreement could be reached. Rutte has led the Netherlands in four different coalitions since October 2010, making him the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.
asylum policy
The number of asylum applications in the Netherlands rose by a third to over 46,000 last year and is expected to rise to over 76,000 this year – beating the previous peak of 2015.
This will put a strain on the country’s asylum facilities. For months last year, hundreds of asylum seekers often slept outdoors with little or no access to drinking water, sanitation or health care.
To improve conditions, Rutte’s party, supported by the conservative CDA, proposed restricting access for children of war refugees already in the Netherlands and allowing families to wait at least two years before they can be reunited . So far, however, he has failed to garner support from his other coalition partners, who felt his policies went too far.