The new hard-right Dutch coalition pledges stricter limits on asylum

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The new hard-right Dutch government pledged Tuesday to launch stricter policies to hold back or kick out migrants who don’t qualify for asylum, as the king laid out the administration’s plans in a speech to open the parliamentary year. Among a long list of policy priorities, the king — in a speech written by the government — said that “problems are particularly urgent in the asylum chain” and that the government will urgently do all in its power “to reduce the number of asylum applications.” “Key words are faster, stricter and more frugal,” the king said as anti-immigration leader Geert Wilders and other lawmakers looked on. The speech also pledged to tackle issues like chronic housing shortages, a cost of living crisis and pollution caused by the country’s huge agriculture sector, while also keeping government spending in check. “Nobody will be forced to close their farm,” the king said as Caroline van der Plas, leader of the Farmer Citizen Movement that is part of the coalition government, nodded her approval.