When all reception locations are expanded and open, Eindhoven will have a total of 715 asylum seekers.
The situation surrounding the reception of asylum seekers in Eindhoven is taking a new turn now that the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) is considering renting the entire Novotel in Eindhoven. This intention is motivated by the continuous influx and need for shelters for refugees. The initial design, in which the hotel had been housing a small group of about fifty asylum seekers for almost a year, appears to be taking on a longer-term character.
Initially, the shelter in the Novotel was intended as a temporary measure for about a month. However, reality has overtaken this temporary nature, which is why COA is now considering renting the entire hotel. The recent confusion surrounding a lease agreement with the Novotel has caused unrest. The municipality of Eindhoven announced on Tuesday that there was already an agreement for two hundred shelter places from February 1. However, a COA spokesperson refuted this claim, stating that discussions on this matter are still ongoing and will not continue until next week.
This development comes amid broader efforts by the municipality of Eindhoven to expand refugee shelters. For example, work is underway on Noord Brabantlaan in Meerhoven to set up a tent and chalets, which should provide space for two hundred refugees from February 1. This crisis emergency shelter is primarily intended to relieve the pressure on the registration center in Ter Apel.
There is a major shortage of reception places for asylum seekers throughout the Netherlands. The municipality believes it is important to help provide good shelter for people seeking protection. At the end of May 2023, we therefore decided that Eindhoven would like to receive 900 asylum seekers. We are looking for several suitable locations for this. The COA has asked us to participate in the expansion of the temporary COA location in the Novotel on Anthony Fokkerweg to accommodate 200 people. 50 asylum seekers now live there. The municipality is sympathetic to this. This was communicated on January 16, 2024.
Only additional actions are required from the COA. We'll keep you through this page informed about developments.
Nobody likes to build or open asylum shelters, but it is our duty
The confusion and uncertainty are felt not only by the COA and the municipality, but also by the management of the Novotel. General manager Jacco Smit speaks of “complete nonsense” and emphasizes that the hotel is still accepting bookings for hotel rooms after February 1. He also denies that there have been discussions about expanding the number of reception places for asylum seekers in the hotel. Nevertheless, the municipality distributed a letter in the vicinity of the hotel on Tuesday stating that 150 asylum seekers would be added.
In addition to the Novotel and the developments in Meerhoven, the shelter at Kanaaldijk-Zuid is also being expanded. The number of residents at this location will grow from almost 100 to 250. This location, which is specifically intended for families, will remain in use for a maximum of five years.
Councilor Samir Toub acknowledges misunderstanding in Novotel asylum shelter.
confusion
The confusion about the possible expansion of asylum reception in the Novotel near Eindhoven Airport has led to a public statement by councilor Samir Toub of GroenLinks. Toub has admitted that he was misled by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and has promised to be more careful in communicating about such issues in the future.
The councilor indicated that the municipality of Eindhoven was not involved in the discussions between COA and the Novotel. He explained that based on signals from the COA, the municipality assumed that agreements had been made about the expansion of asylum reception in the hotel. “We have received the signal that there was an agreement. But that turned out to have been communicated too early. We had no contact with Novotel at that time,” Toub said. He also emphasized that the municipality, although not directly involved in the agreements, will proceed more cautiously in the future.
distribution law
The “dispersion law” is a recently approved law in the Netherlands, which is intended to regulate the distribution of asylum seekers among Dutch municipalities. This law was created in response to the ongoing asylum crisis and is the result of a hard-fought compromise between the four governing parties of the Rutte cabinet. The core of this law is that municipalities can be forced to take in asylum seekers, especially when registration centers are full.
The Council of State has issued advice on this bill, which is officially known as 'municipal tasks to enable asylum reception facilities'. The debate on this law in the Senate took place, in which the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Van der Burg, was involved. The House voted on the bill in January.
The dispersal law has led to some controversy and political discussion. The ultimate goal of the law is to guarantee a fair distribution of asylum seekers across the Netherlands, whereby municipalities that do not cooperate may be forced to create reception places.
