Why is a citizens’ council on migration necessary? ‘This is precisely a subject that we must resolve together’

The Netherlands needs a new citizens’ council. This is stated by Edzo Doeve, former CEO of DELA funeral company. The subject: migration – from asylum to labor migration. The plan: 150 Dutch people brought together by lot will consider the results of the report of the State Commission on Demographic Developments, which, among other things, proposes admitting a maximum of fifty thousand migrants on balance every year.

This weekend, Doeve launched the initiative together with eight others, including journalist Frénk van der Linden and former D66 MP Jan Hoekema.

“The scenarios of the Van Zwol committee will be the starting point for people to give their substantiated opinions and explore their own paths,” says Doeve, who sees himself as a “pioneer”.

There will be a kick-off meeting in Haarlem on June 9. The citizens’ council itself should be held in the spring of 2027. More than a hundred writers, former politicians and other prominent figures support the initiative – from Geert Mak to Paul Cliteur, Job Cohen and Leefbaar founder Ronald Sørensen.

The Hague talks about migration all day long. Why is a citizens’ council necessary?

“We live too much in our own bubbles. Some people have difficulty with the current asylum policy and protest against the arrival of an asylum seekers’ center, others wonder what really bothers those demonstrators.

As a society, we are played off against each other by political parties that profile themselves on migration, while this is precisely an issue that we must resolve together. I’m going to use a very strong word: it is time for pacification, we need to talk to each other again. The school battle was also once settled by allowing people with diametrically opposed ideas to find a solution together.”

And how should that be done?

“We have been talking to people who have it for a year and a half never never agree with each other, but who all want more dialogue. You don’t have to convince each other, it’s about connecting. Look at the recent citizen consultation on climate. Participants hardly changed their opinion, but they could still live with most of the advice and the vast majority of participants felt seen and heard.”

One difference: the citizens’ council on climate was an initiative of The Hague.

“Yes, so it is exciting whether politicians will promise whether they will at least listen to our results. Through a parliamentary motion or a letter from the cabinet, they could let us know that they support the initiative and take the results to heart or else come up with serious counterarguments. If we do not have that commitment in advance: then it will stop, and the citizen consultation will not take place. The consultation is not intended as criticism of politics.”

Who can participate?

“A survey company selects 150 people based on a representative sample. They pay attention to education, regional distribution, age and gender.

We must prevent it from becoming an elitist club that agrees on everything in a hotel. Ultimately, this is a quest for the entire population. We must ensure a connection between the small debate of the 150 Dutch people in the citizens’ council and the discussion that the general public will have to have at the same time. In this way we also ensure that The Hague cannot ignore us.”

Have you previously been involved in a citizens’ council?

“When the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven was looking for a new work of art for outdoors in 2024, I was co-organizer of a citizens’ council about it. I would have put a different work of art at number one than the image that was ultimately chosen [The Acrobat van het Russisch-Amerikaanse kunstenaarsduo Ilja en Emilia Kabakov]. Nevertheless, I could live with the outcome, because I thought it was more important that we all had a discussion. This is how a common wisdom emerged. You should not participate in a citizens’ council if you really want a certain outcome. Trust the process.”