VZCZCXRO5398
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTC #2611/01 3481434
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141434Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7697
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 1957

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 002611 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/UBI, S/CT, D/HS, INL 
JUSTICE FOR OIA - JFRIEDMAN 
DHS FOR OIA 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PINR PINS PGOV KISL NL
SUBJECT:  THREE-YEAR REVIEW OF DUTCH INTEGRATION 
 
REF: A. The Hague 2577 
     ¶B. The Hague 610 
 
THE HAGUE 00002611  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Three years after the Balkenende government 
instituted significant changes to Dutch immigration and 
integration policies, "there is still a long way to go" on 
the integration of ethnic minorities, according to the 
Justice Ministry's Annual Memorandum on Integration Policy. 
The Memorandum takes stock of the government's 
accomplishments between 2003 and 2006, and current 
challenges to promoting integration.  Characterizing current 
government policies as having had a "positive effect," the 
report also proposes future actions to promote "more 
compulsory integration."  Two themes dominate Dutch policy: 
Limiting "non-Western" immigration and aggressively 
promoting the assimilation of immigrants by having them 
adopt Dutch language and social norms.  End Summary. 
 
Reforms Implemented 
------------------- 
 
¶2. The Justice Ministry's Annual Memorandum on Integration 
Policy was initiated by outgoing Immigration and Integration 
Minister Rita Verdonk in 2003 to assess progress on 
integration and outline policy initiatives for the next 
year.  The 2006 report was submitted to Parliament in 
September; it was translated and released in English in 
November.  According to the report, the 2003 reforms seek to 
promote social cohesion and the adoption of a Dutch identity 
by immigrants.  The policies were introduced in response to 
a "rapid deterioration in prevailing public opinion on 
integration" in the early 2000s.  The centerpiece of the new 
policy was the promotion of Dutch language and culture 
training for immigrants to encourage them to integrate more 
effectively into Dutch society.  Simultaneously, the Cabinet 
implemented stricter immigration policies based on its 
assessment that the extremely rapid growth in the ethnic 
minority population had exceeded society's capacity for 
integration. 
 
¶3. Two additional measures passed in 2006 were designed to 
give teeth to these policies.  The first, the controversial 
Civic Integration Abroad Act, mandated that prospective non- 
Western immigrants pass exams on Dutch culture and language 
prior to receiving visas to move to the Netherlands.  The 
report notes that the new requirement, effective March 2006, 
was implemented "without any problems worthy of mention." 
Immigrants from the United States, Canada, EU member states, 
Australia, Japan and New Zealand are exempt from the 
requirement.  The study materials accompanying the tests 
sparked controversy in the Dutch and international press for 
their emphasis on liberal Dutch social mores, which some 
suggested was intended to discourage prospective immigrants 
from Muslim countries from emigrating (ref B).  The second 
measure, the Newcomers Integration Act, will take effect in 
January 2007 and will require immigrants who apply for Dutch 
nationality to pass similar language and culture exams. 
 
"Selective" Immigration, Segregated Neighborhoods 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4. The number of non-Western immigrants arriving in the 
Netherlands has been cut nearly in half in the past five 
years, from 69,000 in 2001 to 36,000 in 2005.  At the same 
time, the number of asylum seekers decreased almost 75 
percent, from 43,000 in 2000 to 12,000 in 2005.  The number 
of immigrant worker permits rose from 38,000 in 2003 to 
46,000 in 2005, but most now go to citizens of EU states, 
not "non-Western" countries.  The percentage of work permits 
granted to citizens of new EU member states doubled from 33 
percent in 2003 to 64 percent in 2005.  The report asserts 
that these trends indicate that new Dutch immigration laws, 
designed not to be "anti-immigration," but rather 
"selective" are working as intended. 
 
¶5. The limited number of marriages between non-Western 
immigrants, particularly Turks and Moroccans, and native 
Dutch was identified as a particular hindrance to 
integration.  According to the report, the vast majority of 
Dutch-born children of Western, Aruban and Antillean 
immigrants marry someone of native Dutch heritage, but no 
more than 10 percent of Dutch-born children of Turkish or 
Moroccan descent do so.  The government estimates that 50 to 
60 percent of Dutch-born children of Turkish or Moroccan 
parents marry a partner from their parents' country of 
origin.  Some of the 2003 reforms were aimed at decreasing 
 
THE HAGUE 00002611  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
the number of "marriage migrants" by imposing income 
requirements on individuals seeking to bring a spouse to the 
Netherlands and imposing conditions on the prospective 
spouse.  The number of Turkish and Moroccan marriage 
migrants dropped by half between 2003 and 2005. 
 
¶6. The report notes continuing government concern about the 
fact that existing populations of Muslim immigrants in the 
Netherlands have concentrated in increasingly segregated 
neighborhoods.  Partly due to low rates of inter-marriage, 
but also due to limited employment options, the expected 
dispersion of immigrant communities into "native" Dutch 
neighborhoods has not yet happened. 
 
Skewed Unemployment, Education Improving 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. While overall unemployment increased in the early 2000s, 
it grew disproportionately among the immigrant population. 
Youth (aged 15-24) unemployment of native Dutch peaked at 
11.7 percent in 2005, but the rate was more than double that 
for non-Western immigrant youth, 25 percent.  Rates for all 
ages are even more disparate, with 2005 unemployment of non- 
Western immigrants more than three times that of native 
Dutch (16.4 percent compared to 5.2 percent).  The report 
acknowledges that even taking age and education differences 
into account, people of foreign heritage are more likely to 
be unemployed than native Dutch.  This is particularly true 
of second generation ethnic Moroccans and first generation 
Antilleans.  Among the factors cited for this are Dutch 
language skills, labor market awareness, availability of 
relevant social networks, and the preference among employer 
organizations for native Dutch workers.  The report notes 
that entrepreneurship among non-Western immigrant groups is 
growing rapidly, increasing by 181 percent between 1994 and 
2004, especially among ethnic Turks and Surinamese. 
 
¶8. The report notes that children of non-Western immigrants 
are attaining increasingly higher levels of education.  They 
also are dropping out of school less frequently and their 
representation in higher education institutions is 
increasing.  The report estimates that by 2010, almost 10 
percent of those with foreign heritage will attend 
institutions of higher education.  The proportion of 15 to 
64 year-olds of non-Western heritage who have completed 
secondary or higher education (considered to be the basic 
qualification for participating in the labor force) rose 
from 39 percent in 2001 to 53 percent in 2005.  The 
proportion of native Dutch 15 to 64 year-olds with the basic 
qualification was 67 percent in 2005.  Disparities continue, 
however.  During the 2001-2004 period, 28 percent of the 
children of immigrants left school prematurely, compared to 
21 percent of the total population; non-Western minorities 
are at the highest risk of dropping out. 
 
¶9. The report proposes further action in education, 
employment, sports and culture to further expand the social 
inclusion of immigrants.  The government will also focus on 
immigrant women and support initiatives that promote 
interaction between immigrant and native Dutch populations 
and programs that combat discrimination.  The government may 
also seek to address the controversial issues of imam 
training and visas in the upcoming year. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶10. The efforts of the Balkenende government to limit "non- 
Western" immigration have clearly been successful, but it 
remains to be seen if its efforts to promote integration 
have had a significant impact.  The continued disparities 
between "native" Dutch and "non-Western" Dutch in 
employment, education, and housing highlight the need for 
further progress.  The report, written in a very positive 
tone, provides the government's take on its own success. 
The admission that there is still "a long way to go" 
demonstrates just how challenging integration is proving to 
be, even in a country historically known for tolerance and 
openness.  Immigration and Integration Minister Rita 
Verdonk, whose approach to integration is reflected 
throughout the report, is unlikely to return to the next 
Cabinet, as her Liberal Party (VVD), which did poorly in the 
November elections, is not expected to form part of the next 
governing coalition.  The VVD has also replaced her as party 
spokesperson on Immigration and Integration issues. 
 
 
THE HAGUE 00002611  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
Blakeman