The previous government was brought down by disputes over migration, with study-related migration being a particularly contentious issue for some parties. The current coalition, in which the PVV is the largest party, still seeks to limit foreign student numbers.
Yet, there are indications that things might be changing. The stance against internationalisation has been criticised by regions experiencing population decline and large corporations. A proposed cut has been eased in consultation with various opposition parties, resulting in a modified policy for specific regions.
Retention
A resolution proposed by Volt and adopted yesterday also suggests a shift in this direction. The House of Representatives is calling on the government to “prepare an action plan aimed at encouraging international students and talented individuals to stay in the Netherlands”.
The resolution passed with a significant majority, partly due to the backing of VVD, NSC and BBB. Eddy van Hijum (NSC), Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, endorsed the resolution during the debate in parliament. “This concerns the retention of international students”, he said, hinting that their coming to this country was not the point at issue.
His party leader Pieter Omtzigt said last December during the parliamentary debate on ‘demographic developments’ that twenty thousand basic grants are awarded to students from other EU countries. “In our opinion, letting all these students return abroad is not a wise use of public funds.”
Encouragement
The resolutions for this debate were introduced just last week and were put to a vote on Tuesday. The resolution put forward by Volt asserts that the Netherlands is not a leader in “attracting and retaining highly skilled migrants”. In the preamble, the party states that the government should therefore examine how to attract talented individuals, such as by ‘encouraging’ international students.
That aspect of the resolution did not appear to dissuade VVD, NSC and BBB, who felt they could support the call for a plan to ‘retain’ international talent.
The Socialist Party joined the PVV in voting against the resolution. Party leader Jimmy Dijk proposed his own resolution, asserting “that the revenue models of labour, knowledge workers and study migration lead to exploitation here and cause knowledge loss and social disruption in the countries of origin”. His resolution did not find support among any other parties, however.