The Dutch government has announced the introduction of its “strictest ever” asylum policy, refusing to abide by EU rules, GB News reports.
The Dutch coalition government has announced that their asylum policy will involve expelling people from the country “by force” – a move likely to infuriate the EU.
It comes months after Geert Wilders won a shocking election victory. A coalition government has formed yesterday under an agreement under which Wilders will not become prime minister.
The four-party coalition published a government plan on Friday in which it said it would try to introduce the strictest asylum policy in history, which involves increased border controls and tougher rules for asylum seekers arriving in the European country. The pact says:
“An opt-out clause for European asylum and migration policies will be submitted as soon as possible to the European Commission. Concrete steps will be taken towards the strictest ever entry rules for asylum and the most comprehensive ever package to control migration.”
The EU has tightened its migration policy in recent months with a new pact to combat irregular migrants. However, many member states want the bloc to go further.
Historical moment of the introduction of the Migration and Asylum Pact
In April, the EU voted in favour of a landmark pact to control migration, which leaders say will allow the bloc to “regain control” of its borders and reduce economic immigration.
The adoption of the Migration and Asylum Pact, a law that overhauls the EU’s migration and border rules, drew a favourable reaction from leading European lawmakers and leaders, who called the decision “historic.”
The plans include detaining migrants for up to six months in some cases, as well as detaining unaccompanied minors deemed to pose a security risk. They also limit the number of people arriving in the EU, as well as an agreement designed to share the costs of admitting migrants and refugees.
Despite the EU’s new migration pact, the bloc faces growing demands from more than half of member states to allow them to control their own migration policies and ask for the right to introduce Rwanda-style deportation schemes.
Meanwhile, Italy and the Czech Republic lead the revolt by 19 member states. Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Czech leader Petr Fiala said:
“The Czech Republic and Italy are among the countries that want to go beyond where the migration pact has taken us and want to find a real solution to illegal migration, which we do not yet have in Europe.”
