State Secretary for Asylum Policy Eric van der Burg says he is doing everything he can to relieve Ter Apel this week. “We have come a long way in making agreements, but we are not there yet.”
The government’s aim is to provide extra reception places for asylum seekers as soon as possible, so that the site in front of the asylum seekers’ center in Ter Apel can still be cleared on Friday. Minister Yesilgöz of Justice and De Jonge of Housing will also confirm this on Thursday.
‘It doesn’t matter what, as long as it’s a roof’
Van der Burg cannot yet promise that it will be solved. “If I had a button, I would have pressed it a long time ago.” He is looking for places in collaboration with municipalities. Hotels, sports halls, barracks, whatever. “I don’t care if people have a roof over their heads. Our first concern is that there are no longer people lying in the grass in Ter Apel. Rather today than tomorrow. For those people who don’t belong there, for the COA staff and certainly also for the residents of Ter Apel and the municipality of Westerwolde.”
Municipalities offer themselves
Van der Burg expects to make an announcement ‘soon’ about a new large reception location and is also discussing a new registration center with a municipality other than the hesitant Noordoostpolder.
But that does not help Ter Apel in the short term. To do this, he immediately needs the voluntary commitment of municipalities. The State Secretary says that ‘fortunately’ there are municipalities that offer themselves. “We are working on it, but unfortunately I cannot say that it is the case yet.”