‘Cash-for-housing’ asylum bill gains majority in Dutch parliament

The long-debated asylum bill, which would compensate local authorities for taking in additional refugees, secured a majority in parliament on Tuesday before a final vote next week but is unlikely to be ratified by the Senate.

The majority was achieved through support for an amendment proposed by the Socialist Party (SP/EU Left) demanding that the law consider local communities’ wealth when allocating migrants.

“With the adoption of this proposal for fair and equitable distribution, the [cash-for-housing bill] can count on the SP’s support,” the party stated in a press release.

The bill has long been controversial among parties in parliament and even within parties themselves. Despite being proposed by Justice State Secretary Eric van der Burg, a member of the VVD party, the VVD itself is vehemently opposed to the law and prefers to look for methods to reduce migration flows in general.

Several right-wing parties warned that the bill if implemented, could act as a ‘pull factor’ for asylum seekers and also criticised the fact that municipalities could be forced to take in asylum seekers if they fail to meet the minimum quota.

“FVD is, of course, strongly against forcing municipalities to take in asylum seekers. But if we do anyway, place the asylum centres in municipalities where predominantly pro-immigration parties such as VVD are voted for,” the right-wing party Forum for Democracy (FvD/ID) demanded on X.

Opposition to the law also came from the upstart agrarian party Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), whose demand for a cap of 15.000 asylum seekers per year in exchange for supporting the bill fell on deaf ears. BBB also called for asylum seekers to be distributed according to communities’ populations, as most asylum centres are still in rural communities – where the party gets most of its support.

Supporters of the bill hope it can help mitigate the extreme pressure on existing asylum centres, which have been struggling to cope with the rising influx of migrants. The low point of this development came last year at the country’s main asylum centre in Ter Apel, where chaotic living conditions forced humanitarian organisations to intervene.

Senate support rather unlikely

While the law is now likely to pass through parliament during the final vote next week, it is still doubtful that it will subsequently be ratified, as the parliamentary majority does not have a majority in the Senate.

The parties supporting the bill currently have 36 of the Senate’s 75 seats, narrowly missing out on a majority. BBB, the largest group in the Senate with 16 seats, will likely oppose the law due to its proposed amendments falling through.

(Benedikt Stöckl | Euractiv.com)