Dutch Town Makes History with First-Ever Referendum on Asylum Centre Location
Haaksbergen, 17 March 2026
Haaksbergen becomes the first municipality in the Netherlands to hold a referendum specifically about where to locate an asylum seeker centre, not whether to have one. Residents voted on 19 March 2026 alongside municipal elections on crucial questions: one large facility versus multiple smaller locations, and proximity to town centre versus village edges. The unique democratic experiment emerged after entrepreneur Gert-Jan Evers collected 1,900 signatures, challenging how the obligatory 129 asylum seekers should be accommodated under national distribution laws.
The Financial Reality Behind Location Choices
The referendum’s central question carries significant financial implications for Haaksbergen’s municipal budget. Under the current system, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) provides security and surveillance funding only for large, centralised facilities [1]. Should residents opt for multiple smaller locations distributed throughout the village, as advocated by both the VVD and Team DAP parties [1][2], the municipality would bear the additional security costs independently. This financial burden represents a crucial consideration for the 24,000 residents who must accommodate 129 asylum seekers, as mandated by the national Spreidingswet (distribution law) [2][3].
Democratic Precedent in Action
The referendum mechanism itself stems from a 2006 initiative by Harry Belshof of D66, who established the possibility for local referendums in Haaksbergen [2][4]. After twenty years, this democratic tool found its first significant application when entrepreneur Gert-Jan Evers successfully collected 1,900 signatures to trigger the asylum centre referendum [2][3][4]. The process requires a minimum 40% turnout to achieve validity, though the municipal council remains under no legal obligation to adopt the outcome [1]. For context, municipal election turnout in Haaksbergen reached 55.3% in 2022, suggesting the referendum threshold represents an achievable benchmark [2][3][4].
Community Tensions and Political Positioning
The referendum emerged against a backdrop of considerable local opposition, exemplified by approximately 500 residents gathering at the town’s Markt in late 2025 during a council debate, displaying banners reading ‘AZC NEE’ (asylum centre no) [2][4]. Frank Kerckhaert, a member of the question-setting committee, characterised the process as ‘the beginning of a wonderful, better way of communicating with the population’ about asylum policy [1]. Political parties have largely aligned around small-scale integration models, with VVD leader Bart Mentink emphasising that ‘you don’t ask residents for their opinion with an expensive procedure only to do nothing with it’ [2][4]. Team DAP’s Erwin Lankheet framed the challenge pragmatically, noting it involves ‘129 people in a village of 24,000 inhabitants’ [2][4].
Next Steps and National Implications
Following the 19 March 2026 voting, the referendum results are scheduled for discussion on 25 March 2026, after which the municipal council will make its final decision regarding asylum centre implementation [2][4]. The unique nature of this democratic experiment has attracted national attention, with Harry Belshof expressing hope that Haaksbergen could ‘be a positive example for the rest of the country’ [4]. The municipality currently houses several dozen unaccompanied minor asylum seekers, providing existing infrastructure and experience for the expanded accommodation requirements [1]. As the first Dutch municipality to conduct such a referendum, Haaksbergen’s approach may influence how other communities navigate the tension between national distribution obligations and local democratic input in asylum policy implementation.