According to Winter, the Netherlands has been unable to properly organize shelter for years. “We are a rich country that values human rights. Then you would expect that we can solve this.”
According to the professor, the asylum file has changed in recent years from an administrative issue into a political and social conflict. “In the past, people looked at it quite matter-of-factly. Nowadays emotions play a much greater role. As a result, the numbers sometimes almost no longer matter.”
By these emotions he mainly refers to the fierce opponents of asylum seeker centers. He says that people often talk about a large influx of asylum seekers, while he does not see that picture reflected in the figures.
“If you look at the facts, the inflow at the moment is historically lower rather than higher,” he says. “Of course there have been peaks in the past, such as during the war in Syria, but there is no exceptional influx now.”
According to him, the problem arises because reception locations become full and permit holders cannot move on to homes. “Municipalities are increasingly less willing to make housing available. As a result, people remain in asylum seeker centers for longer and the system is getting stuck.”
Winter specifically points to municipalities that have not yet created shelters. “Municipalities know exactly how many places they have to provide.”
Winter states that all this has been discussed at the so-called provincial management tables. “Some municipalities do more than is asked of them, but there are also municipalities where there are no shelters at all.”
According to him, that is also where the solution lies. “If all municipalities contribute, you will solve the problem. If you divide the shelter among all municipalities in the Netherlands, there is a manageable number of places per municipality.”
Winter does not believe that the problems in Ter Apel would deter people from coming to the Netherlands. “That is a theory that some parties adhere to, but research does not show this.”
According to him, migration flows are mainly determined by war, violence and insecurity in countries of origin. “People leave their country because the situation there is untenable. That is the main reason. Not because reception in the Netherlands is better or worse organized.”
For the short term, Winter sees few options other than emergency shelter. As a result, municipalities sometimes have to open locations at short notice, which can in turn cause resistance among local residents.
Yet he believes that the Netherlands has made itself too dependent on Ter Apel. “Every time the shelter gets stuck, Ter Apel is in the news again. Then the attention fades and little happens for a long time, until things go wrong again.”
According to Winter, this is not fair to residents and administrators in Westerwolde. “Ultimately, we keep making Ter Apel pay for a problem that is actually the responsibility of the whole of the Netherlands.”
