The leader of the right-wing nationalist Party for Freedom (PVV), Geert Wilders, achieved a major political victory on Friday, July 4th, as the Dutch lower house approved two sweeping bills targeting asylum policy.
The legislation, central to the PVV’s agenda, reduces temporary asylum residency from five to three years, halts new asylum residency permits indefinitely, and curtails family reunification for recognised refugees.
A last-minute amendment backed by Wilders’ party adds a provision criminalising both undocumented residency and the act of providing assistance to illegal migrants.
This provoked the withdrawal of support from Christian Democrat MPs, though the bills narrowly passed late Thursday evening.
The reforms mark a major win for Wilders, whose anti-migration stance was the driving force behind the collapse of the four-party coalition last month.
