The Hague wants help with its ‘tsunami of eastern Europeans’

The Hague is to spend an extra €3m on easing the problems caused by the influx of so many people from eastern Europe, council executive Marnix Norder says in an interview with Trouw.


‘Let me put it in a populist way; this city has to process a tsunami of eastern Europeans… I have nothing against them individually but there are so very many,’ Norder told the paper, as reported by the Volkskrant.
Between 20,000 and 30,000 eastern Europeans are said to live in The Hague.
The arrival of Poles, Bulgarians and Romanians is ‘the biggest integration task’ facing the city, Norder said. ‘We have to impose language and integration demands on eastern Europeans.’
The prime minister’s efforts in Brussels to impose tougher migration rules in the EU should be directed within the EU itself it, Norder said.
Most eastern Europeans work in sectors which find it hard to attract Dutch workers such as construction, horticulture, transport and meat processing.
Limburg
Meanwhile, the Limburg town of Venray is actively hoping that Polish workers will settle within its boundaries to compensate for its shrinking population, Nos tv reports.
‘We really need the Poles,’said CDA council official Patrick van den Broek. ‘The population is shrinking and getting older. We want to keep our schools open and we can use these people.’

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