Dutch Senate approves EU asylum and migration pact

The Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) voted 43 of 74 members in favour of the EU asylum and migration pact, clearing the final legislative hurdle after the lower house had already approved it. The pact will take effect across the European Union on 12 June.

Key provisions include faster screening of new arrivals at the EU’s external borders, quicker returns of people without a right to stay, and the ability for member states to process asylum claims in designated third‑country safe locations. It also imposes a six‑month deadline for the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) to decide on applications. To meet this target, the IND will prioritise new claims, meaning the roughly 50,000 pending asylum seekers are likely to face longer waiting times.

Implementation will increase pressure on the Ter Apel reception centre, which is already operating at about 10 % above its 2,000‑person capacity. Simultaneously, the Dutch government is preparing national measures to replace a rejected emergency asylum law, focusing on faster deportation of asylum seekers convicted of crimes and the abolition of fines levied on the IND for missed decision deadlines.