MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2023) The Dutch ruling coalition has broken apart after failure to agree on the measures to limit the influx of asylum-seekers into the country, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported on Friday citing sources.
On Friday evening, the Dutch cabinet held a final meeting on the migration crisis, preceded by a number of consultations, during which the ruling parties discussed measures to curtail the stream of asylum-seekers, the broadcaster said.
The parties reportedly agreed on labor migration and the migration of skilled professionals, failing, however, to obtain consensus on the refugee issue.
Failure to reach an agreement would mean the disintegration of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's fourth cabinet, the broadcaster said.
The Dutch ruling coalition, which was formed in January 2022, comprises four parties: the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the Democrats 66 (D66), the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the Christian Union (CU), the same parties that formed Rutte's preceding third cabinet.
The situation with refugees deteriorated dramatically in the Netherlands in August 2022. About 700 asylum-seekers reportedly had to sleep rough due to lack of beds in the reception center in the city of Ter Apel. Amsterdam city council had to temporarily accommodate at least 1,000 refugees in a passenger cruise liner due to lack of reception centers in the country.
In November 2022, Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Dunja Mijatovic called on the Dutch authorities to take immediate action to improve the situation with refugees reception in the Netherlands. After that, the District Court of The Hague ordered the authorities to urgently take steps to improve the situation and bring it in line with the EU standards.
