Municipalities that provide accommodation for asylum seekers will receive financial compensation, according to the latest version of the asylum bill, which the ruling VVD party previously delayed due to the burden it imposed on municipalities.
Municipalities that offer accommodation to asylum seekers will receive financial compensation, according to the latest version of the much-debated asylum bill.
Municipalities will receive €2,500 if they offer at least 100 places for five years. Though the government will announce how many required places will be needed in February before asking municipalities to voluntarily offer extra places, it is estimated that about 55,000 places are needed for 2023.
The bill’s latest version writes that municipalities that do not voluntarily offer places will be forced to provide them.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s ruling VVD party was the only party in the ruling coalition to oppose the bill, saying it preferred to explore ways to limit migration flows to the country, rather than oblige municipalities to receive their fair share of asylum seekers.
On Tuesday, however, the VVD party changed its mind following a “tough consultation” with Rutte, NL Times reported.
“The aim of the bill is to achieve a sustainable and stable reception landscape, with a balanced spread over the Netherlands,” State Secretary Eric van der Burg wrote in a letter sent to the president of the House of Representatives of the States General.
“We need more peace, stability and a fairer distribution in asylum reception,” said van der Burg, adding that municipalities that offer to accommodate asylum seekers will receive more money.
“Together with the cabinet, I will continue to work on measures that ensure more control over the applications, the processing thereof and, if necessary, the return,” he added.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
