asylum policyMEPs from PvdA, D66 and GroenLinks want Brussels to investigate whether the Netherlands can simply set a waiting period for family reunification. With this measure, which is also very controversial in the Netherlands, The Hague wants to relieve the pressure on the reception center in Ter Apel.
“It is scandalous and, moreover, contrary to European asylum law, European family reunification rules and human rights treaties,” said Tineke Strik (GroenLinks). “It is unacceptable that the Dutch government is now trying to repair a self-created reception crisis by curtailing the rights of refugees. Refugees are simply entitled to speedy reunification because of their vulnerable position. No waiting period or housing requirement may be imposed on them.”
By extending the decision period for asylum applications to 15 months and introducing a waiting period of 15 months for family reunification, families run the risk of having to live separately for 2.5 years. And that, the three MEPs argue, is bad for children in the family, aggravates traumas and is disastrous for integration.
Together with Sophie in ‘t Veld (D66) and Thijs Reuten (PvdA), Strik asks the European Commission to check whether the waiting time of a total of 30 months for family reunification is in accordance with European rules. In principle, the Commission has six weeks to answer the questions.
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