Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV in the Netherlands, has announced his government’s formal request to the European Commission to withdraw from the EU’s migration policy.
Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV, which came first in the recent national elections, spoke about the Dutch request during a debate in the lower house of the Dutch parliament.
“It will probably take a very long time [to be finalised]. But nevertheless it is a sign that a new wind is blowing in the Netherlands,” Wilders said, referring to Brexit and describing the move as ‘a kind of mini-Nexit’.
Wilders’ PVV party dropped calls for a “Nexit” (the Netherlands leaving the EU) in its EU election manifesto, as it did in 2019. In its manifesto for the 2023 national elections, the PVV said it wanted a binding referendum for the Dutch to decide whether to leave the European Union.
On Wednesday, Dutch Minister of Asylum and Immigration Marjolein Faber of the PVV sent an official letter to EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson outlining her government’s intentions.
We must once again be responsible for our own asylum policy,’ the minister wrote on X after sending the letter.
The Dutch withdrawal request had been expected since the new four-party government, led by independent Dick Schoof and including Wilders’ PVV, adopted the toughest migration programme in the country’s history.
“The exit clause from the European asylum and migration policy will be submitted to the European Commission as soon as possible,” the political agreement signed in July states.
The political coalition agreement aims to reduce migration flows, which are seen as putting pressure on the country’s health, education and housing sectors, among others.
However, the announcement of the Dutch withdrawal request surprised Brussels, which was less convinced of its feasibility.
We have of course taken note of the letter,’ a Commission spokesman told the press on Wednesday.
He added that the letter itself ‘recognises that withdrawal is only possible in the context of treaty change’.
But the Commission spokesman added that existing laws ‘remain binding on the Netherlands’ as no immediate changes to EU asylum and migration rules are expected.
This means that the Netherlands will have to work to implement the recently adopted EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, a system of ‘obligatory solidarity’ that member states must comply with within two years.
“We welcome the minister’s statement that he will continue to prioritise the implementation of the (migration) pact, which is clearly a priority for the Commission,” the Commission spokesperson added.
By the end of the year, member states will have to submit implementation plans detailing how they intend to implement the law.
According to the migration pact, EU countries can choose one of three options for asylum seekers: pay 20,000 euros for each rejected asylum seeker, house them or fund operational support.
Earlier this year, the Netherlands announced that it would pay instead of taking in more asylum seekers.
