World
Netherlands to ask opt-out from EU asylum rules 'as soon as possible'
The four-party cabinet in the Netherlands has vowed to establish “the strictest asylum regime ever” to curb irregular migration.
The Dutch government of Prime Minister Dick Schoof has confirmed its intention to ask “as soon as possible” for an opt-out clause from the European Union’s migration and asylum rules, an unprecedented move from a founding member state.
The plan, previewed in July after Schoof took office, is considered far-fetched and symbolic, with little to no chance of succeeding as it would require re-tweaking highly sensitive legislation and could open the floodgates for similar demands.
It is unlikely that other capitals would be willing to accommodate The Hague’s wish: excluding the Netherlands from the bloc’s migration system would inevitably cause a wave of asylum seekers towards neighbouring countries, creating a crisis scenario.
However, the request represents a new brazen attempt by an EU country to challenge established laws in a desperate quest to curb irregular migration. It comes on the heels of Germany’s decision to re-establish border controls on all of its nine land borders, casting doubt over the functioning of the passport-free Schengen Area.
“The government will announce in Brussels as soon as possible that the Netherlands wants an opt-out of European asylum and migration regulations,” reads the government programme unveiled on Friday afternoon.
“As long as” this opt-out clause is not granted, the programme adds, the country will focus on implementing the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the all-encompassing reform the EU completed in May after almost four years of hard-fought negotiations.
The Pact’s main novelty is a system of “mandatory solidarity” that will give countries three options to manage asylum seekers: relocate a certain number of them, pay €20,000 for each one they reject, or finance operational support. The Netherlands will choose financial support rather than reception, the programme confirms.
In anticipation of the Dutch announcement, the European Commission made it clear that all member states are bound by existing rules and that any exemption to their compliance should be negotiated before – not after – they are approved.
“We have adopted legislation. It’s adopted. You don’t opt out of adopted legislation in the EU,” a spokesperson said earlier in the day on Friday. “That’s a general principle.”
In May, the Netherlands voted in favour of all the laws that make up the New Pact.
The overhaul will take two years to enter into force. Member states have to submit implementation plans before the end of the year, detailing the administrative, operational and legal steps they intend to take to make the laws a reality.
‘Strictest regime ever’
The programme presented on Friday was agreed upon by the four parties that make up the ruling coalition in the Netherlands: the far-right, nationalist PVV; the conservative-liberal VVD; the populist, pro-farmers BBB; and the upstart, centre-right NSC.
Schoof, a technocrat, does not belong to any of them and was surprisingly picked as a consensus figure to captain the new political era.
The opt-out proposal is included in a wider chapter devoted to migration that features an extensive raft of measures meant to build up the “strictest asylum regime ever,” one of the key promises underpinning the cabinet.
The government argues the Netherlands can no longer cope with the “large influx” of asylum seekers asking for international protection, many of whom enter the EU through another member state and then travel across borders until arriving in Dutch territory.
ADVERTISEMENTAbout 48,500 asylum seekers and family members entered the country in 2023. Syrian, Turkish, Yemeni, Somali and Eritrean were among the most common nationalities.
According to the programme, the government will introduce emergency legislation with broad powers to freeze asylum applications and deport people without residence permits, “including by force.” Asylum seekers will be asked to return to their country of origin as soon as it is considered “safe,” a concept contested by NGOs.
The Netherlands also plans to work with “like-minded and surrounding countries” to manage a sudden influx of irregular migrants and build a “mini Schengen” area to intensify security surveillance.
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Video captured a large emergency response after a small plane crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper on Friday, prompting an immediate information blackout from Chinese authorities, The Associated Press reported.
Video and photos shared on social media appear to show the aircraft plummeting to the ground after smashing a large hole in the 108-story CITIC Tower, located in the Chinese capital’s business district.
Police, fire and EMS workers were spotted at the scene preventing witnesses from taking photos and attempting to clear the area.
People gather near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after an eyewitness reported plane debris at the base of Beijing’s tallest building. Video footage taken from a nearby building by the witness showed fire trucks blasting water at smoke billowing from the 528-metre (1,732-foot) CITIC Tower, while the wreck of a plane lay on the ground beside the building. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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A person working inside the high-rise said the plane crash triggered the building’s fire alarms.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft was a Sunward SA 60L Aurora, which took off about 30 miles east of the city and crashed shortly before 6 p.m. local time.
ADS-B data for the flight only includes a partial flight path and stops prior to the crash, according to air traffic data.
A hole is seen (R) on the side of the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after a reported plane crash. (Peter Catterall/AFP via Getty Images)
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The AP reported that photos and videos of the incident escaped the country’s “great firewall” and were circulated on social media platform X, though Chinese censors have removed content about the crash from the country’s restricted internet.
No information has been released by government officials or state-run media, as of Friday afternoon.
Police personnel block the road near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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The cause of the crash, identity of the pilot, and the number of casualties remain unclear.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The military government, in power since a coup in 2022, accused France of having ‘neo-colonial ambitions’.
Published On 26 Jun 2026
Burkina Faso has broken off diplomatic relations with France, further widening the rift with its former colonial ruler.
“The government of Burkina Faso hereby informs the national and international community that it has decided to sever diplomatic relations with France with effect from today, June 26, 2026,” said Friday’s statement read out on national television.
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The military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy against critical voices and Western countries, especially France.
In the TV announcement, the government accused France of persistently acting against its interests.
“The essential conditions for promoting relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are not in place,” said Communications Minister, Gilbert Ouedraogo.
He said the decision followed a review of relations with Paris. He accused France of having “neo-colonial ambitions, made evident by its active support for subversive networks and the terrorists who are plunging our country and the Sahel into mourning”.
In January, political parties in Burkina Faso were formally dissolved by the military government, which has also seized all their assets in a move analysts say is a major blow for democracy in the West African nation.
Landlocked Burkina Faso is grappling with several armed groups which have seized control of land in the country’s north, south and west. These include the al-Qaeda-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), which also operate in neighbouring Mali and Niger.
Burkina Faso’s military has been accused of committing atrocities, including the ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch found last April.
According to the government statement released on Friday, the decision to cut ties with France “exclusively concerns diplomatic relations between the two states” and “does not call into question the historical, human, cultural and social ties between the people of Burkina Faso and France”.
It added that French nationals in Burkina Faso will continue to be protected in accordance with the law.
Once a significant power in northern, central and western Africa, France has seen its influence shrink in recent years, especially as many of its former African colonies, particularly in the Sahel, have distanced themselves and become more closely aligned with Russia and China.
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