Reception of asylum seekers

City Council Members

The following political and administrative guidelines for the establishment of a reception center for asylum seekers were adopted by the city council on February 25, 2026:

1. The statutory target set by the Distribution Act regarding the number of childcare slots to be created serves as the starting point. The corresponding allocation decision in effect stipulates that the municipality of Aalten must create 200 childcare slots.
2. In accordance with Section 3.1 of the Distribution Act, the shelter will initially operate for a maximum period of 5 years. As a result, it is classified as a permanent shelter. At the same time, the organizers recognize that future developments may affect the situation at that time.
3. The principle of small-scale operations must be applied. In practical terms, this means that reception facilities may consist of either two sites with 100 places each or a single site with 200 places. If two sites are chosen, preference should be given to distributing them across the entire municipality of Aalten.
4. The care facilities should preferably be filled in phases. This allows the immediate community time to adjust, and experiences from previous phases can be taken into account in subsequent phases.
5. The type(s) of care and the proposed location(s) must be appropriate to the size, character, and capacity of the municipality and the community. The applicants recognize that this is a subjective framework. This framework is intended to mean the following: The location(s) may be adjacent to the built-up area, outside the built-up area, or possibly at an acceptable site within an industrial park. When searching for suitable location(s), the impact on the surrounding area and the immediate living environment is explicitly taken into account.
6. A reception center must not be established at the expense of existing housing development plans. According to the initiators, these existing housing development plans include Singel 1 and 2 in Aalten, ’t Broock in Bredevoort, and ’t Beggelder in Dinxperlo. Furthermore, all environmental plans currently under review as of the reference date of February 18, 2026, are considered to fall under this category.
7. The accommodation of asylum seekers should not come at the expense of the existing housing stock.
8. The hamlet of Barlo should be spared when it comes to accommodating asylum seekers. In this regard, the boundaries of this hamlet are defined in accordance with the zoning plan set forth in the Environmental Vision. Barlo has already made its contribution to accommodating asylum seekers in the past. We believe that other towns and neighborhoods should now take responsibility for this new task.
9. The plan must be organizationally and financially feasible, with a clear division of responsibilities between the COA and the municipality. In principle, the reception of asylum seekers will be budget-neutral, as promised by the COA. This does not apply to framework 13.
10. The municipality of Aalten should be relieved of as many responsibilities as possible by the COA in the areas of service provision and support.
11. Primary health care should be organized by the COA. This can take place both at and outside the reception center(s).
12. The COA must develop a robust security plan to ensure safety within the reception center(s).
13. A comprehensive safety plan must be developed with as many stakeholders as possible to ensure safety outside the reception facility or facilities. Although the organizers do not assume in advance that problems will arise, concerns have indeed been expressed within the community regarding safety and the speed with which the government will act if something does happen. To listen to our residents and address these concerns, we want to investigate how additional permanent surveillance can be organized for the immediate vicinity, at least for the initial period.
14. Locations that house clubs should be excluded from the creation of temporary shelters. This is to prevent clubs and/or their activities from having to cease.

You can watch a recording of the meeting in question. Agenda Aalten - City Council: Assessment and decision-making regarding asylum seeker center (AZC) guidelines Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 7:30 PM – 11:00 PM – iBabs Public Portal You can also use the same link to view the meeting documents, including the written public comments.
The municipal council’s guidelines form the basis for the next step: identifying and developing suitable reception locations.

As soon as there is more clarity regarding potential locations, local residents and other stakeholders will be informed and consulted.