The Council of Ministers decided to establish a National Crisis Organization to improve the reception of asylum seekers. The organization will be coordinated by the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV).
There are several government members on the team, including the Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Security and Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration. They meet for the first time tonight.
“We’ll see what needs to be done now to make sure we no longer see those pictures from Ter Abel,” Minister Yesilgoz said after the cabinet meeting. “We want to be able to make quick and clear decisions under a lot of time pressure.”
There has been a structural shortage of shelters for months. Ter Apel’s App Center is overcrowded. Yesterday, the Red Cross described the situation there as inhumane. It is said that the people who were sheltered in the relief organization’s tents did not get enough food and drink.
High level of official and political administration
This morning, before the cabinet began, the mayors were consulted. Then Foreign Minister Van der Burgh said it was clearly no longer the case. “It is clear that the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) can no longer deal with it.”
The Cabinet is now writing in a letter to the Chamber of Deputies that from today it is necessary to make a decision “at the high political and administrative level” on how to arrange reception and transportation.
The crisis approach was also introduced earlier this year specifically for the reception of Ukrainian refugees. There was also a temporary crisis structure after the floods in Limburg.
