Dutch Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink Calls 24 Municipalities to Provide Refugee Housing

Asylum Minister Bart van den Brink has summoned the mayors and aldermen of 14 additional Dutch municipalities to the Ministry, bringing the total of so‑called “refusal municipalities” to 24. The newly listed towns include Bunschoten, Vlaardingen, Vught, Aalsmeer, Bronckhorst, Brunssum, De Ronde Venen, Dinkelland, Hardinxveld‑Giessendam, Hellendoorn, Lopik, Montfoort, Oldebroek and Oldenzaal. The ministry expects these local authorities to arrange asylum‑seeker accommodation; if they fail, the minister can grant permits for reception centres himself. Earlier, ten other municipalities such as Albrandswaard, Aalten and Westland had been called for the same reason. The pressure is part of a broader Dutch policy to meet national asylum obligations under a new EU migration pact that obliges member states to take in a minimum number of asylum seekers or face fines, prompting tighter enforcement at the municipal level.