Social rental housing should be given priority to Dutch nationals. This is the essence of the initiative law that PVV presents today. According to the main opposition party, Dutch are discriminated against in the housing market because status holders are often given preferential treatment when renting apartments.
This isn’t the first time PVV has tried to change the distribution of scarce rental properties. In 2021 the party presented a proposal that goes less than the current proposal: municipalities should no longer give priority to asylum seekers with residency status.
This proposal was rejected by the majority in the House of Representatives in June last year. But PVV is now making another plan: This time they want to give priority to the Dutch.
21 years on the waiting list
There is a structural shortage of approximately 300,000 flats in the Netherlands. PVV leader Wilders says he knows of an example of a person who has been on the waiting list for social housing for 21 years. According to him, there are people who are married and have children who have to live with their parents or mother-in-law for years.
“Pure discrimination,” Wilders says. “The Dutch always fish behind the net.” To put an end to this so-called discrimination, it now proposes to discriminate against asylum seekers. PVV believes that they are not entitled to a rental house unless they have Dutch citizenship.
The naturalization process takes at least five years, so asylum seekers promised to stay in the Netherlands must wait until they are granted housing if PVV opens up.
However, Wilders does not believe this will fill any more reception centers for asylum seekers and status holders. He expects this to be a deterrent and for people to prefer another country.
Wilders comes up with a proposal to start the campaign for the state election on March 15. These federal states, ie municipalities, are not responsible for the allocation of social housing.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
