The Netherlands is fed up with the influx of Muslim refugees flooding its territory. Requests to withdraw from the Union's immigration agreement
The Dutch Minister of Immigration, Marcellein Faber, said that she informed the European Union of her country's desire to cancel its membership in the migration agreement valid in all EU countries.
She added, through her official "X" account, on Wednesday, September 18, that the Netherlands must regain control of its immigration policy.
The European Commission, for its part, confirmed the receipt of the Dutch request, but stated that the possibility of withdrawing from these rules "will not be easily available", according to what was reported by the German website "DW", since this requires an amendment of the European Union Treaty, a very complicated matter that requires the agreement of All member states.
The spokeswoman of the UN Commission added that the Netherlands, despite submitting this request, will remain subject to European laws on asylum and immigration for the time being.
According to her, "In this context, we do not expect immediate changes in the EU laws, which will apply to the Netherlands", according to "DW".
It is expected that the Netherlands will face opposition from some of the member states, as this move may open the door for other countries to consider taking similar measures, which may threaten the unity of the Union on this issue, according to the German website.
In November 2023, the Dutch far-right party "For Freedom", led by Geert Wilders, won the parliamentary elections in the Netherlands.
Since then, Wilders' election platform has called for a referendum on the Netherlands' exit from the European Union, an end to asylum and a ban on Islamic schools, madrassas and mosques, although he has pledged not to violate Dutch laws or the country's constitution, which enshrines freedom. of expression and religion, as reported in the Associated Press.
During 2023, 38,377 people of different nationalities applied for asylum in the Netherlands, which is the highest number of asylum applications since 2015, and the number of applications increased compared to the previous year by more than 2,000 asylum applications.
The number of people arriving in the Netherlands through reunification reached about 11,000 people in 2021, falling to 10,125 last year, according to the Dutch Council.
Photo: Reuters