Dutch PM losing party trust amid calls for stricter asylum policy

Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party (VVD/Renew) members are growing impatient about the lack of a harsher migration policy, with some even being willing to accept a fall of the current cabinet.

The party is set to hold a congress on Saturday, during which the recently high migration numbers are sure to be a hot topic. In its coalition agreement, the cabinet previously promised to ensure arrival numbers would be lowered.

“Rutte promised to reduce the inflow. Making promises involves accountability,” VVD member and councilman for Castricum, Paul Slettenhaar, told AD.

“We’re going to ask: gosh, Mark Rutte, you’ve said some things, how’s it going,” he added, referring to the imminent party congress.

Migration boosted the Dutch population significantly in 2022, as the country’s population increased by 227,000 that year. This led the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) to experience difficulties in processing asylum applications last year, with the backlog, at times, being as high as 30,000.

“Rutte was always untouchable,” a minister from a different party stated on the condition of anonymity. “But that is over. Rutte could always stifle any resistance in his party by saying: for the sake of good and quiet in the cabinet, you have to give in. He is increasingly unable to do that”, the minister added.

This has even led to certain party members questioning the current cabinet’s viability.

“Maybe we should say: we cannot be ourselves in this coalition,” Teun Heldens (VVD), member of the Limburg provincial council, stated. He oadded that “asylum [is] important enough [for the party] to break from [the] cabinet”.

Looking for answers in North Africa

Meanwhile, Rutte reiterated his intention to meet up with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss a potential migration deal with Tunisia during the Second Summit of the European Political Community in Moldova.

“We notice that Tunisia has started to move,” with Tunisian President Kais Saied “really making strides,” said Rutte, as reported by De Telegraaf.

“For the Netherlands, it is very important because part of the high asylum influx is because so many people from Tunisia are making that terribly dangerous crossing,” Rutte added.

Just last month, the EU executive sent an internal note to member states, laying out its plans to tackle political and economic instability in Tunisia, which is leading to the migration influx.

A potential migration deal with Tunisia would include granting financial help to the country in exchange for the country limiting the stream of migrants.

However, it is still unclear whether a joint visit to Tunisia is in the cards.

“I’m willing to go in whatever composition, but only if it is helpful,” Rutte stated.

(Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)