Refugees have come to the Netherlands almost non -stop since March 2022. This country is in fourth place in the European Union in terms of the number of Ukrainians adopted per capita, in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. There are 97 thousand work here reception points to which refugees report. They are besieged almost all the time. Within a week, about 300 Ukrainians appear in the Netherlands. – They are mainly women and children, but there are also men who know that there is work here – says NOS. Rachel Strefland, a councilor from Utrecht – a city who was the first to say “no” refugees. Mainly due to the lack of funds, overfilling centers and the lack of any plan for the future.
In the Netherlands “the situation got stuck”
Municipalities in the Netherlands alert, among others on flats for refugees from Ukraine. Some centers in Utrecht can be closed due to a lack of funds. “We have no idea what to do then,” says councilor Rachel Strefland. The buildings where the centers are located do not always belong to municipalities. Often rents are high, and the owners demand financial guarantees before they decide to place refugees in a given facility.
However, not only buildings are a problem. A councilor from Utrecht is also worried about the mental state of newcomers. To solve this problem, the commune also does not have the right tools or money.
Among the municipalities that had to tell the Ukrainians “no”, he found, among others Dordrecht, as well as Groningen, where refugees rejected filed a lawsuit to court. They won the case, but the municipality appealed. – Here, in the Netherlands, the situation stuck in a ran point – says in an interview with Nos. Nl councilor from Dortrecht Wim van der Kruijff.
The Association of Netherlands Municipalities appealed to the Dutch government to develop a solution to the problem, new regulations and additional money. This was met with a positive reception from the Ministry of Asylum and Migration, whose spokesman informed NOS.NL that the case is currently being analyzed. In his opinion, there should be no “shocking situations in which displaced people in a difficult situation do not receive shelter they need.” The ministry consider, among others When asking for the “contribution” of the Ukrainians themselves, who – if they have income – can pay the rent themselves, and maybe even find their own apartment.
