Today, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), together with the Dutch Central Agency of the Reception of Asylum Seekers, co-signed an Operating Plan that ensures the Netherlands can soon benefit from additional reception capacity.
The agreement was signed by the Executive Director of the EUAA, Nina GREGORI, and Milo SCHOENMAKER, Chair of the Governing Board of the Central Agency of the Reception of Asylum Seekers. At the request of the Dutch authorities, the EUAA will work closely with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers to quickly provide additional high-quality reception capacity, thereby ensuring compliance with the Common European Asylum System’s standards, as well as assist with medium-term reception planning.
The EUAA support operation will take place in several distinct phases:
- The Agency will provide up to 150 temporary housing units for their installation at dedicated reception centres;
- EUAA personnel will work closely with Dutch colleagues to design modular temporary reception centres that can be moved around as needs are identified, as well as provide additional expertise though reception-related training;
- Given the Netherlands’ proud history as a logistical hub and entry point into the Single Market, a feasibility study will also assess whether the country can serve as a logistical hub for the EUAA’s future material support.
Over the next weeks, the EUAA will deploy reception experts including social workers, child protection and information provision experts, to support the Dutch authorities.
The Agency has support operations ongoing in Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Spain and, most recently, Romania. With deployments in the Netherlands now beginning, the EUAA is operationally present in an unprecedented 10 Member States.
Background
In the course of 2021, the Netherlands experienced a sharp increase in the occupancy in reception centres, from 26,925 to 35,764 in the period between June and December, mostly as the result of newly-arrived Afghans linked to the evacuation of Kabul. The sharp increase in applications has exerted heightened pressure on the national reception system.
The Dutch authorities have managed to create an additional 6,000 places – totalling 36,000 by the end of 2021 – but the issue of over-crowding persists and has been most visible in Ter Apel where occupancy has gone up by 167%. The high number of unaccompanied minors applying for asylum in the Netherlands (2,400 children in 2021) also places additional stress on the reception system.
