Finally! Some good news for us this Friday morning — the Dutch cabinet is working on plans to evacuate more Afghans to the Netherlands than they had previously calculated.
Initially, the outgoing parliament estimated that in addition to the interpreters, only about 70 Afghans would be eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands. According to various sources from The Hague, this number is now seen to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people, The NOS reports.
Who is entitled to come to the Netherlands?
At this point, the plan is to bring anyone who has worked in visible public positions for Dutch organisations after January 1, 2019, to the Netherlands. This is around 900 people, including their immediate family members.
In addition, any Afghans who have worked for at least one year for the Ministry of Defense or Europol over the past 20 years are also entitled to come to the Netherlands. Several hundred people are included in this category.
Human rights organisations can also nominate people for evacuation. These nominations will then be assessed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Remaining Dutchies
There are also still 300 Dutchies in Afghanistan who need to be evacuated. 🇳🇱
In the end, however, the Netherlands is reliant on the cooperation of the Taliban in order to actually be able to bring these people to the Netherlands. Several other European countries are slowly evacuating people via Qatar and Pakistan.
What are your thoughts on the cabinet’s plan to bring more Afghans to the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image: Skorzewiak/Depositphotos