The province of Drenthe has not managed to arrange the required fifty emergency places for asylum seekers. “It’s true, we were not successful. We are still in discussions with municipalities to look for places,” a spokesperson for the province explains.
Last Monday, outgoing State Secretary for Justice and Security, Eric van der Burg (VVD), called on all provinces to arrange fifty emergency places for asylum seekers before Monday, April 22. This number must be expanded to two hundred places on May 13. These extra places are necessary to prevent asylum seekers in Ter Apel from having to sleep outside on the grass.
There is no answer to the question why it is not possible to provide fifty places in Drenthe. The provincial spokesperson only states that the situation is the same as a week and a half ago, when the call was made.
The government announced on April 15 that there is ‘an urgent situation in asylum reception’. “As a result, the backlog on the housing target is significant. 12,000 shelter places are needed until July 1, 2024. That is why the cabinet is urgently requesting 5,000 temporary municipal shelter places from municipalities,” Van der Burg and Minister of the Interior Hugo de Jonge wrote. , in a letter to the House of Representatives.
To accelerate the search for places, the government wants to make buildings and land available for shelter. This includes buildings of the Ministries of Defense and the Interior. The government also looks at Staatsbosbeheer properties.
It was previously announced that the provinces of Flevoland, Utrecht and Groningen also did not meet the first deadline. RTV Noord reported last week that the inventory of available buildings and land in Groningen would take longer.
Groningen municipalities and the Groningen King’s Commissioner also hope that the government can still offer government buildings that can quickly be used as reception places for asylum seekers.
Tags: province Drenthe failing governments instructions arrange emergency places asylum seekers
