News item | 13-02-2023 | 15:51
State Secretary Van der Burg and the ten Groningen municipalities have reached agreement on the reception of asylum seekers in the province of Groningen for the next two years. Last Friday they agreed that the province of Groningen will make more than 9,000 reception places available for its provincial task in the coming period for reception in regular asylum seekers centres, (crisis) emergency reception, reception for Ukrainian displaced persons and reception for unaccompanied minor foreign nationals.
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State Secretary Van der Burg: “With this administrative arrangement, the province of Groningen is taking another step forward for asylum reception in the Netherlands. The certainty that Groningen gives to the government in this way creates exactly the peace and stability that is so badly needed in asylum reception. The province of Groningen is once again setting a good example. I am very grateful to them for that.”
The arrangement stipulates that in the coming period 5,744 asylum reception places, 160 reception places for unaccompanied minor aliens, 3,033 places for Ukrainian displaced persons and 260 places for the national aliens facility will be provided by the province of Groningen. It has also been agreed that before June 2023 preconditions in the field of public order and safety, education, care and the use of flexible housing for beneficiaries will be further elaborated. For example, with the arrangement, the parties immediately make an effort to create the right conditions appropriate to the local situation.
“If there is one region that has experienced the impact of the reception crisis from close by last year, it is Groningen and, of course, specifically the municipality of Westerwolde. As ten Groningen municipalities, we have always stood side by side to take our responsibility in realizing shelters for refugees. With this agreement, the government knows what it can expect from us in the next two years, which creates clarity and peace of mind. Hopefully we can put the crisis behind us with this,” said Mayor Schuiling of Groningen.
With this agreement, the Province of Groningen meets the number of reception places it must provide according to the previously determined distribution key. Other provinces have also been requested to make reception places available in accordance with this allocation key.