Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders on Monday presented a 10-point plan to drastically reduce immigration, escalating pressure on his four-party coalition to adopt tougher policies or risk a government collapse.
"The gloves are off," Wilders declared at a press conference, warning that his Party for Freedom (PVV) would leave the ruling coalition if migration policies are not tightened.
The proposals include a complete halt to asylum applications, the deportation of Syrians with temporary residency or pending asylum claims, and a temporary suspension of family reunifications for recognized refugees. Wilders also called for closing asylum centers rather than expanding them, deploying the military to guard borders, and revoking Dutch citizenship from dual nationals convicted of violent or sexual crimes.
Wilders, whose anti-Islam and anti-immigration rhetoric has long defined his political career, said his patience had run out after months of coalition negotiations yielded little action. His PVV won the 2023 election but failed to secure the prime minister’s office amid resistance from other parties. Instead, a four-party government was formed, including the right-wing VVD, the centrist NSC, and the populist Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB).
The new proposals could force a renegotiation of the coalition’s policy agreement. Some measures, Wilders noted, mirror policies in neighboring Germany, while others would require the Netherlands to exit European conventions.
Earlier this year, Wilders threatened to collapse the government unless stricter asylum laws were passed. A draft bill by PVV Migration Minister Marjolein Faber was criticized by the Dutch Council of State as legally unviable and "sloppily drafted."
Coalition partners reacted skeptically to Wilders’ demands. VVD migration spokeswoman Queeny Rajkowski accused Faber of failing to deliver on prior agreements, while NSC leader Nicolien van Vroonhoven dismissed renegotiating the coalition pact. BBB leader Caroline van der Plas urged swift consensus but downplayed fears of a government collapse.
Wilders, however, insisted that existing measures—such as restricted asylum appeals and shorter temporary visas—were insufficient. "We need to turn the tide now," he said.
The proposals are set to dominate talks among coalition leaders in The Hague this week, testing the stability of the Netherlands’ fragile government.