Coalition government parties VVD and CDA joined forces with the far right in parliament on Tuesday to vote in favour of potentially setting up refugee centres outside the EU.

MPs from both parties backed a motion by JA21 to open talks with Denmark on the issue because the idea offered ‘promising opportunities to solve the current refugee crisis’.

The Netherlands has been struggling to cope with the number of refugees coming to the country because of both a lack of accommodation and a shortage of staff to process claims.

Denmark is looking to sign a deal with Rwanda to establish refugee centres and said last month it wanted to work with other EU countries. Britain has also signed such an agreement but was called back the courts and has yet to deport anyone to the central African country.

The Danish parliament adopted the legislation in 2021 with the aim of discouraging people to claim asylum within its borders. ‘If you request asylum in Denmark, then you know that you will be sent to a country outside Europe,’ a government spokesman told NOS. ‘So we hope it will stop people requesting asylum in Denmark.’

Junior justice minister Eric van der Burg, who is in charge of asylum policy, said during the debate that the Netherlands would abide by human rights treaties in any eventual alliance with Denmark.

The government is not required by law to act on motions passed in parliament but usually does so.