Minister for Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber, has announced that a controversial measure aimed at limiting the number of migrants in the Netherlands will officially be introduced.
Just how controversial? On December 9, the Netherlands will follow Germany’s example and introduce border controls, RTL reports.
A divisive measure
The council of ministers has decided that the Netherlands will introduce mobile border controls for a duration of six months starting December 9.
This measure is part of the plan of four Dutch coalition parties (PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB) to make Dutch asylum admission rules among ‘the strictest in Europe’.
Het wordt tijd dat we irreguliere migratie en migrantensmokkel concreet aanpakken. Daarom starten we vanaf begin december met het herinvoeren van grenscontroles in Nederland.https://t.co/o7xzxsjcfZ— Marjolein Faber (@MinisterAenM) November 11, 2024
Translation: It is time we tackled irregular migration and migrant smuggling concretely. That is why we will start reintroducing border controls in the Netherlands from the beginning of December.
The controls will be carried along the Dutch border and on specific flights that have “a risk of irregular migration or cross-border crime”, says minister Faber.
She also plans on making sure economic and commuter traffic will not be significantly disrupted — how exactly has yet to be seen.
Can an EU country do this?
With one of the cornerstones of the EU being the free movement of people, introducing controls at an internal border raises some eyebrows.
However, an EU country can adopt this measure in special circumstances, provided the relevant EU institutions are informed at least one month in advance.
READ MORE | The European Union: let’s try to make some sense out of it
An official notice to the European Parliament, Commission, Council and the member states has already been sent.
How is it working out for Germany?
The Netherlands is the second EU country to recently adopt this action. Germany introduced border controls just two months ago.
So far, the border controls into Germany have not caused too much of a nuisance.
Speaking with RTL, drivers encountering the current border controls say the stop cost them very little time and that they were well organised.
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