The Netherlands has become the first EU country to demand an exemption from mandatory migration rules during the crisis in an attempt to reduce the number of refugees arriving.
The Dutch government, dominated by Geert Wilders’ far-right party, said the move was justified to provide “housing, healthcare and education” to its citizens.
The request comes amid a deepening political crisis over the EU’s common refugee system and the Schengen border-free travel zone.
“I have just informed the European Commission that I want an intra-European migration opt-out for the Netherlands,” Dutch Immigration Minister Marjolein Faber wrote in a letter to Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs.
“We need to take responsibility for our own asylum policy again.”
However, the European Commission has already criticised the plans, saying that “EU law cannot be circumvented”.
Asylum seekers and refugees at a registration centre in Ter Apel, the Netherlands, in April (file photo)
Geert Wilders, who leads a far-right party that currently dominates the Dutch government
Signs indicating the arrival of new refugees in Ter Apel, Netherlands (file photo)
This comes as the new Dutch government, which came to power in November, plans to declare an “asylum crisis” to pave the way for tougher measures.
This would include a freeze on asylum applications and powers to forcibly deport people who have no right to be in the Netherlands.
Under the proposal, refugees would only be allowed to bring their family members if they have had residency status for two years, have housing and a “stable income.”
Asylum seekers are currently granted permission to remain for an indefinite period after five years.
Earlier this month, Germany announced it would introduce controls at all its land borders to deal with the “continuous burden” of migration and “Islamist terrorism.”
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the EU that the country had no choice but to implement appropriate border controls to deal with unauthorised entries.
The policy marks a shift from its stance last month, when it refused to extend strict controls first introduced last year on Germany’s borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
These rules have already led to more than 30,000 people being turned away at borders since mid-October last year.
Concerns about immigration have come to the forefront of German politics, heightened by a series of attacks by Islamists, most recently in Solingen.
The German government has also faced increased pressure to respond to migration as support for the right-wing AfD party has rapidly gained momentum.
And late last month, Germany’s police union announced that Schengen was further worsening Germany’s security crisis and should be abandoned immediately.
People hold banners reading “Direct democracy” and “No to mass immigration, yes to re-emigration” as far-right protesters march through the streets of Solingen.
Nancy Faeser of the crisis-hit Social Democratic Party (SPD) wants to introduce temporary border controls at all national land borders.
Far-right protesters hold a banner reading “Remigration Now” as they march through the streets of Solingen, following a stabbing attack, on August 26.
Teenagers draped in German flags attend an election campaign rally of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party on May 28.
Manuel Ostermann, vice-president of the Federal Police Union, has strongly condemned Schengen, the EU’s crazy plan for free movement of people, in an interview with Focus magazine.
“The security crisis in Germany is a direct consequence of ineffective Schengen policies. Schengen’s failure to effectively manage migration has jeopardized Germany’s security.”
“Germany must acknowledge the current failure of Schengen and make a concerted effort to return to the current legal situation or end Schengen,”
There he pointed to rising crime rates in Germany, aggravated by the migration crisis, as proof that Schengen is no longer viable.
He said Schengen’s open borders have made it easier for criminals to operate across Europe, affecting Germany’s security.
‘Schengen has failed to protect Germany from the influx of criminals, so immediate action is needed.’
‘We must continue to inform our internal borders because border controls, whose effectiveness has been proven, are no longer maintained within the Schengen area.
‘The failure of Schengen is evident in the rising crime rates, which makes it clear that changes are needed.’
