Dutch government led by hard right asks for formal opt-out from EU migration rules

THE HAGUE -- The new Dutch government dominated by the far-right party of Geert Wilders officially asked the European Union for an exemption from its migration obligations on Wednesday, setting up a confrontation over one of the most explosive issues facing the bloc at a time when support for anti-immigration parties in Europe is rising.

Dutch Migration Minister Marjolein Faber of Wilders' party wrote to the European Commission that the Netherlands wants out of regulations for accepting refugees, claiming that otherwise one of the wealthiest countries in the world would struggle to provide public services.

“I have just informed the EU Commission that I want a migration opt-out within Europe for the Netherlands. We need to be in charge of our own asylum policy again!” Faber said.

Faber was seeking to fulfill a campaign promise to quickly and drastically reduce the number of immigrants in the nation.

During Wednesday's debate in parliament, Wilders called the move a “a sort of mini-Nexit,” a play on “Netherlands” and “exit,” and much like Brexit. He has repeatedly called for the country to depart the European Union during his three-decade long career but the move is not currently part of any government plans.

In a letter to Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Faber insisted that the government needed to “drastically reduce the volume of migration to the Netherlands, in order to continue to fulfil our constitutional duties — providing for public housing, healthcare and education.”

On Tuesday, the government, which came to power in July, announced its policy blueprint for the coming year, including stricter policies to hold back or kick out migrants who don’t qualify for asylum.

It echoes campaign themes from across much of the EU where populist and far-right parties have surged, profiting from a wave of popular discontent with promises of tackling the migration issue first and foremost.

Even though Faber's party rode to an election victory last November on the promise of swift, forceful action on immigration, the letter itself was much more cautious.

It said the Netherlands would call for an opt-out from the rules “in case of (EU) treaty amendment,” a prospect which is many years off, at best.

“An opt-out is only possible in view of the treaty changes. Important: this is a legal requirement. Also in this context, we do not expect any immediate changes," said EU spokeswoman Anitta Hipper, adding that until then, migration rules remain "binding on the Netherlands.”

The last treaty change dates from 2008 and there are no current plans to negotiate a new one. Should there be an appetite for a new treaty, all 27 member states would have to agree to give the Netherlands special dispensation.

New figures released this week by the EU’s asylum agency show 17,376 people applied for international protection in the Netherlands, a nation of 17,7 million, in the first six months of this year, a fairly consistent number. That amounts to around 3% of all applications lodged in Europe. Most of them were Syrians, Iraqis or from Turkey.

In its most recent complete figures, the EU’s statistical agency, Eurostat notes that 4,880 people from non-EU countries were ordered to leave the Netherlands in the first three months of this year. A total of 1,420 people were actually deported during that time, just under one in three.

Unauthorized migration to European Union countries dropped significantly overall in the first eight months of this year, even as political rhetoric and violence against migrants increased and far-right parties espousing anti-immigration policies made gains at the polls.

Earlier this week, the Dutch refugee settlement agency COA announced it was expecting a shortage of beds at the overcrowded asylum center in the tiny village of Ter Apel in the northeastern Netherlands.

The government is planning to declare an “asylum crisis” to pave the way for tougher measures, including reining in visas for family members of people granted asylum and making it easier and quicker to deport migrants who are not eligible for asylum. That plan must first be reviewed by a key political advisory panel, and at least one party in the governing quartet has said it will reject the emergency measures if they do not receive the panel's approval.

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Casert reported from Brussels. Lorne Cook contributed from Brussels