Responsible State Secretary Jurgen Nobel (Participation and Integration) states: “We will carefully assess the ruling of the Council of State to see what room there is according to the judge. Integration is not optional. Anyone living in the Netherlands must learn Dutch, understand our society, and endorse Dutch values. There must always be a stick behind the door to integrate. That is why we are already working on developing alternatives.”

The case of the Eritrean status holder, in which the Council of State (RvS) ruled today, was in March 2023 the reason for the Council to ask the European Court of Justice questions about the Dutch integration policy under the Integration Act 2013 (Wi2013) in conjunction with European regulations. The asylum status holder involved had been fined and had to repay the loan for the costs of the integration courses because he did not complete the integration process on time. The Council wanted to know to what extent that policy for asylum status holders aligns with European regulations.

Ruling of the European Court

The European Court ruled in February 2025 that imposing the integration obligation under conditions is in line with European regulations. Regarding fines, the Court stated that these may be imposed in exceptional cases. The loan policy is not in line with European regulations according to the Court.

Study of the ruling

Based on the ruling of the RvS and several similar legal procedures, State Secretary Nobel is considering what adjustments are necessary for the fine policy. The implications for the Integration Act 2021, which has been in effect since 2022, are also being taken into account.

Pausing the imposition of fines

In anticipation of those policy choices, DUO, at the request of the ministry, has already paused the imposition of fines and the recovery of loans for asylum status holders in February 2025.

For more information, see the ruling of the Council of State and previous reporting on the ruling of the European Court of Justice.