Asylum in the Netherlands: a hazy shade of purple

In the area of asylum policy it has brought about a number of restrictive changes. The latest proposals for major legal changes in 2000 were submitted to Parliament in September 1999.

These proposals give cause for concern, not least because of the implication that refugee status as such will become a thing of the past as far as Dutch law is concerned. Furthermore, while the coalition partners all point to Europe as the level at which asylum policy must be developed to meet their own needs, the Aliens Act 2000 in its current form may well hinder rather than promote an EU common approach. There is thus a tension between national level action to resolve domestic asylum difficulties and nationally expressed interest in both international norms and regional integration.