The stability of the Dutch governing coalition is in doubt after its parties failed to agree on measures to curb immigration, with crisis talks expected to run into the weekend.
A push by Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party to limit the flow of asylum seekers to the Netherlands split his four-party government coalition, as two junior parties refused to support proposals to make it harder for refugee families to reunite.
Talks between the coalition partners ran until 1.45 a.m. on Friday morning (2345 GMT Thursday).
“We are in a process, in the cabinet, to reach an agreement on migration. That is a step-by-step process. And tonight was a step”, Rutte told Dutch reporters.
Dutch media has reported Rutte is willing to let the government fall if an agreement is not reached.
Asylum applications in the Netherlands jumped by a third last year to over 46,000, and are expected to increase to more than 70,000 this year – topping the previous high of 2015.
via Reuters
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