Border controls for the Netherlands? These major Dutch parties are in favour

The leaders of PVV and VVD, two of the four political parties in the Dutch government coalition, have expressed that they wish to introduce border controls in the Netherlands.

The remarks follow Germany’s recent decision to introduce passport checks along its borders as of September 16.  

A long-harboured desire 

According to the NOS, PVV leader Geert Wilders and VVD faction leader Dilan Yesilgöz both claim that the intention to introduce border checks actually predates Germany’s recent move.

They maintain that, in fact, the idea was already part of the current Dutch government’s coalition agreement, which the NSC and BBB have also signed.

However, according to Wilders, the plan seemed too complicated to execute. 

That was until he witnessed Germany’s move, which made him think, “‘Gosh, we could have done it too’”.

Now, he wants to follow in Germany’s footsteps — “the sooner the better,” in his words.

What exactly these border checks would look like if implemented has not been elaborated on.

Not everyone is as enthusiastic 

Regardless of what was or wasn’t written in the agreement, the third biggest party in the coalition, the NSC, might be pulling the brakes.

NSC MP Diederik Boomsma agrees that the Netherlands could have implemented border checks long before they were brought in by Germany. After all, France has also been doing the same thing. 

However, crucially, he also thinks that implementing border checks “is not the ultimate solution,” and the Netherlands should actually focus on strengthening “the EU’s external borders.”

Unsurprisingly, the opposition is also voicing concerns over the PVV and VVD’s intentions, with GL-PvdA arguing that Germany’s move, far from being an example, might be illegitimate. 

For now, the debate rages on. 

What do you think of the Netherlands potentially also introducing border checks? Let us know in the comments below.