Discontent within the ranks of the Dutch conservative-liberal VVD (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) has gone well beyond murmurings.
The Netherlands’ largest party is contending with members who openly challenge its leader, Prime Minister Mark Rutte, for diddling on the delivery of a more firm and robust immigration policy.
During a conference organized by the VVD for its members on Saturday, June 3rd in Apeldoorn, Rutte answered pointed questions about his promise, made at the party’s last conference in November, to do more to curtail the high influx of migrants.
In the seven months since then, critics argue, little if anything has been done.
Rutte had received ample warning beforehand that malcontent over the issue was brewing within his party. On Thursday, June 1st, a letter co-signed by ‘Klassiek Liberaal’, a rightist wing of the VVD, was sent out. Apocalyptic in tone, the letter spoke of a “catastrophe,” the scale of which was “unprecedented.”
In the co-signatories’ view, while various motions on asylum and migration had been adopted at last November’s VVD conference, no actual enforceable policy has materialized.
At Saturday’s conference, Rutte presented his apologia, saying the promise he had made last November “remains unchanged.” According to the PM, he would have taken “irresponsible risks” if he had forced his coalition partners to deliver a package of measures before the conference had taken place. “That would be bad for the cabinet’s stability,” Rutte said.
A breaking up of the coalition government over the matter, Rutte continued, was “not justified,” especially now that Europe is in a time of war.
During an earlier Q&A segment where questions could be posed to Sophie Hermans, VVD chairwoman in the Lower House, the theme of migration took up the lion’s share of the time allotted.
Irritation and anger were palpable, with one man citing the situation in the village of Ter Apel, which is flooded by large numbers of asylum seekers for whom it can not provide sufficient shelter and housing.
Residents there, he said, were forced to organize neighborhood watches to patrol their streets, as it was the only way to guarantee security. He then turned to Rutte, who was seated in the front row, demanding: “Stand up for your citizenry, man. Take action!”
Within the VVD, the so-called ‘spreidingswet’ (translated as ‘distribution law’), of which Ter Apel could be called a victim, remains highly sensitive.
Under that law—the result of a hard-won political compromise between all four coalition parties—asylum seekers would be fairly distributed among all Dutch municipalities. Municipalities that do not want to cooperate can be forced to accommodate asylum seekers.
Within the VVD, the law’s coercive aspect is subject to controversy. While the law, which has not yet been passed by both Houses, was expected to go into effect this year, experts predict it will do so in early 2024 at the earliest.
For months, all four coalition partners—VVD, D66, CDA, and ChristenUnie—have discussed additional measures to curb immigration. Rutte reiterated that he expects them to come to an agreement before the summer. While VVD and CDA are in favor of stricter measures, D66 and ChristenUnie prove resistant, as they argue for a more “humane” policy.
The VVD’s conference happened to coincide with one organized by ChristenUnie (its most important coalition partner), also held in Apeldoorn.
Party leader Mirjam Bikker said there that her party will only agree to measures combating migration if they are “legally feasible.” Proposals to cancel international treaties, such as the UN’s Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which states that refugees and asylum seekers may not be sent back to a country where they are in danger, would be out of the question.
This year alone, the Netherlands’ Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) expects up to 77,000 asylum applications. To ensure people do not end up on the street, the government has earmarked €8.7 billion to provide shelter for the period 2023-2026. According to the Ministry of Finance, that would amount to a total cost to the taxpayer of €13.9 billion.
