The Hague, Ter Apel – ESI meetings with the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service and public debates on the EU-Turkey deal

Gerald Knaus and Alexandra Stiglmayer with the leadership of the Ter Apel asylum team and many experienced case workers. Photo: ESI

ESI's Gerald Knaus and Alexandra Stiglmayer visited the main registration centre for asylum seekers in the Netherlands of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) in Ter Apel to learn more about the Dutch asylum system and lessons for European solutions. The Netherlands have a very sophisticated system to help prepare case workers with detailed information on the country of origin before each interview already and a research structure to answer questions of case workers during interviews.

Gerald also spoke at two public screenings of "De Deal", a film by Els van Driel en Eefje Blankevoort that explores the genesis and implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement on migration as well as possible improvements for Europe's current asylum policy. In doing so, it also features Gerald who's arguing for an asylum policy that is both humane and effective. The documentary was aired on 14 March on NPO2 and is available on the NPO2 website.

The screenings were on 19 February at the Parliament of the Netherlands and on 20 February at Humanity House in The Hague.

Debate with Gerald after screening of "De Deal" at Humanity House. Photo: Humanity House

• VreemdelingenVisie, Heleen Grimmius, "Het Nederlandse systeem laat zien dat het kan" ("The Dutch system shows that it is possible") (1 March 2018)
• ESI paper: "Amsterdam in the Mediterranean" – How a Dutch-style asylum system can help resolve the Mediterranean refugee crisis (26 January 2018)