Amsterdam councillors back “expat” integration plan

Amsterdam city councillors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion which requires city officials to work with international employers and community groups to draw up a programme to help new arrivals feel at home in the city.

The proposal is the third version of a plan drawn up by the local Labour and PvdA party, now entitled Make Amsterdam your home. Previous versions failed to attract sufficient support.

The plan includes options for language and city history lessons, an overview of clubs, societies and volunteer organisations that make up the “social fabric” of the city, and organised meetings between newcomers and longer-term residents.

“Why should migrants who have fled war have to go through an integration course and migrants with a royal salary don’t,” said Lian Heinhuis, leader of the local PvdA party and the main driving force behind the plan. “Nothing is expected of expats, and more than that, they get a 30% tax cut for five years”.

The proposal also calls on officials to discuss with companies how they can contribute to solving the housing shortage in the city – as technology company ASML has done by funding social housing in the Eindhoven region.

The proposal singles out companies such as Booking.com and Adyen as comparable firms and says by they would be both contributing to solving the housing crisis and showing their social commitment if they made similar moves.

Companies, Heinhuis told Dutch News in a statement, pay very little tax in the Netherlands. “But in return, we can also expect them to give something back,” she said. “For example, by investing in the liveability of the city and the wellbeing of both their employees and their neighbours.”

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