Report: Conference on flexible housing capacity in the Netherlands and Europe

Netherlands and other EU Member States have experienced heightened pressures on the asylum reception system in recent years. During the conference on 9 February, experts from Norway, Luxembourg and the Netherlands discussed different approaches and solutions of European countries to deal with these pressures. How to create flexible housing capacity in the context of international and temporary protection?

Over 110 relations registered for the event. The audience consisted of migration practitioners, NGO representatives, government officials and researchers from both The Netherlands and other European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Sweden).

Program

• Opening by Ms. Rhodia Maas, Director-General of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), and Mr. Joeri Kapteijns, vice chair Board of Directors, Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) 
• Presentation of EMN Netherlands of the EMN Study on flexible housing capacity, including a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences between Member States.
• Case studies from national policy experts in the field of asylum reception capacity. Experts from Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands discussed their experiences with creating and ensuring flexible housing capacity.
• Expert panel discussion. Experts from various backgrounds (national government, local government/municipality, academia, ngo's) will address flexible housing capacity in the context of temporary protection of refugees from Ukraine in the Netherlands.
• Closing remarks by Mr. Hans Lemmens, Coordinator EMN Netherlands

Report, presentations, study

• Full report conference 'Flexible housing capacity in the Netherlands and Europe'
• Presentions of the speakers from Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands