The long-running crisis at the Ter Apel registration center reached a new low this week. The inspection raised the alarm again due to the substandard reception condition. The time has come, and the municipalities of Groningen feel that they are on their own.
In het kort
- Aanmeldcentrum Ter Apel loopt opnieuw tegen grenzen aan.
- Inspecties en instanties signaleren onveilige situaties en slechte leefomstandigheden.
- Groningse gemeenten voelen zich in de steek gelaten.
- Voldoende opvangplekken vinden is lastiger geworden na de verkiezingsuitslag.
It’s been crowded in Ter Apel for weeks. This is not the first time. At the beginning of this year, the Ministry, the COA and the municipality of Westerwolde agreed that there would be room for a maximum of 2,000 people. This number will no longer be exceeded. “I keep my word,” said State Minister Eric van der Burgh.
He did not fulfill this promise. The waiting rooms at Ter Apel were used mostly as overnight accommodation for about three months. The Agriculture Committee has been trying to obtain additional places for months, but little progress has been made.
The situation now is unbearable. According to the inspection, the shelter is below the required standard. GGD saw dirty toilets, full garbage cans and waste on the floor.
The authorities often sounded the alarm. And a month ago too. But this did not lead to improvement in Ter Apel. In fact, the situation has gotten worse since then.
According to van der Burgh, there is only one solution: find places. The Dispersal Act was supposed to help with this, but it has not yet been taken up by the Senate. It remains to be seen whether this will eventually happen.
They extended to the municipalities
So COA has no choice but to keep calling every day. Van der Burgh once again made an urgent appeal to municipalities on Friday. It needs an additional 4,000 places by the end of this year. Defense zones are also considered.
But everything depends on the cooperation of municipalities. Getting municipalities to this point has not been an easy task, but it has not gotten any easier since the election. A ministry spokesman says mayors are now scratching their heads several times. They cannot be forced to offer places.
The surrounding municipalities have now run out of options. There is a feeling that the national crisis will be resolved by Groningen. For example, Stadskanaal and the city of Groningen helped provide a special overnight crisis shelter and additional accommodation.
The northern municipalities feel the rest of the Netherlands is thinking: Find out, says spokesman Rene Bass, the King’s Commissioner in Groningen. They believe that it is now the turn of other municipalities, but their backs are against the wall. “They find it appalling that other municipalities would look the other way.”
They also point to The Hague. For example, it was agreed to establish more registration centers such as Ter Apel. But this still didn’t work. “All it takes is for something to happen, and Terre Apel will be overwhelmed. We are now seeing this for the second time. That is why we say: mark, keep your agreements, and arrange one or more registration centres.”
Inflow remains high
But this also requires the cooperation of municipalities. Meanwhile, thousands of residency holders are still staying in reception centres. Municipalities have the task of housing these people, but they are unable to do so. This is partly due to a significant housing shortage. Here too, many urgent appeals have not yielded significant results so far.
Usually, the number of asylum seekers coming to the Netherlands decreases at the end of the year. But that’s not the case now, which means Ter Apel can no longer breathe. In recent weeks, between 1,200 and 1,300 asylum seekers have been served weekly. Last year, the average was 1,000 people per week.
This country needs brave leaders
Although there are no people sleeping on the grass at the moment, for the municipality of Westerwolde the current situation looks like a “virtual park in waiting rooms”. Mayor Jaap Villema says the situation is critical and the municipality cannot guarantee humanitarian shelter.
Vilma strongly appeals to municipalities and national politicians to stop the surveillance. “This country needs brave administrators. Brave political leaders say: Whatever happens at the formation table, it is important that the country be organized in a decent way.”
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