Dutch nationalist leader Geert Wilders and his far-right PVV party appears to have reached a deal to form a coalition government alongside three other right-wing partners — the VVD, the NSC, and the the BBB — with Wilders ruling himself out from occupying the top position of prime minister.

With a parliamentary majority of 88 out of 150 seats, this four-party coalition will explore a series of ways to significantly alter its migration policy, saying it is hoping to introduce the "strictest-ever asylum regime" intending to bring in stronger border controls and harsher rules for asylum seekers.

The new government titled its deal the "hope, courage and pride" agreement, and said it would want to opt out of the EU-wide migration pact, which will be taking shape over the next two years.

"An opt out clause for European asylum and migration policies will be submitted as soon as possible to the European Commission," the coalition said in its pact before even officially starting its work.

Opt-out clauses and other amendments to the pact are expected to be discussed in the upcoming negotiating phase of the migration pact, however, it is expected that Wilders and his coalition will face staunch opposition from the EU.

The European Commission has not yet responded to Wilders' plans to opt out of the migration pact.

Also read: EU approves new migration pact

Rise of European far-right

Wilders said that the overhaul in immigration issues envisaged by the incoming government will "definitely make the Netherlands less attractive for asylum seekers."

"People in Africa and the Middle East will start thinking they might be better off elsewhere."

His rhetoric comes hardly as a surprise after years of campaigning against migration into the EU, with many observers stressing his particular disdain towards Muslim migrants in particular. In the past, the 60-year-old politician has been known to hurl wholesale racial slurs in particular at migrant communities from Muslim nations.

Wilders has also been portraying himself as a political ally of far-right and populist leaders across the EU such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and French opposition leader Marine Le Pen.

Also read: Netherlands: Anti-migrant, anti-Islam party sweeps to victory

Redefining Dutch immigration policy

The Netherlands have already been on a stricter course on immigration than their liberal reputation would have many believe, with new legislation introduced earlier this year to ensure that asylum seekers are distributed more evenly across the country amid a major housing shortage for all.

But the firebrand politician and his coalition partners announced they wanted to take things further, saying that labor migration should also be limited, and that the number of foreign students admitted to Dutch universities curtailed.

Among other measures, the coalition says it also aims to scrap family reunifications for refugees and stricter rules for work visas.

The coalition parties believe that workers from outside the EU will have to work harder to obtain a work permit if they do not have knowledge or expertise in specialized areas, in which the country is struggling to attract talent.

The four parties even said that they would also want to reassess one of the key tenets of the European Union, i.e. the freedom of movement within the bloc; it said that people from countries joining the EU in the future should not enjoy the same benefits.

To this end, the coalition deal also says that "the Netherlands is very critical against further enlargement of the European Union" — despite the fact that other EU member states are working towards adding Ukraine as well as some other eastern nations to the bloc.

Also read: Ukrainian refugees in Germany: Why few work for a living

Concerns from rights groups

The Dutch Council for Refugees has already responded to the developments, expressing concerns about the asylum measures presented in the new coalition agreement. 

It said that the coalition package not only undermined the core values "of a large part of our country."

Chairman Frank Candel added that the government chose "to use refugees as scapegoats for broader social problems such as problems in the housing market."

Stichting Vluchteling, another refugee charity, meanwhile shared a social media post expressing its disappointment and disagreement with the coalition plan as follows:

"We are not proud but ashamed by the lack of compassion for the most vulnerable in this agreement: men, women and children fleeing [persecution]."

Influence on European elections

Wilders' election victory six months ago and the eventual forming of a coalition also cast a shadow over the upcoming European elections.

With more parties either leading or being part of a coalition in several EU countries, it is expected that the far-right will make gains in the elections, which are scheduled to take place from June 06 to 09.

Though they appear to be in agreement with each other on their coalition plans, the four parties still have to present their political program to parliament on Thursday. A debate on the coalition agreement is expected to take place in parliament next week.

However, there is little that could stop the coalition from forming the next Dutch government, with Wilders treating this as a foregone conclusion and already tweeting that the news of this new administration meant that the "sun will shine over the Netherlands once more."

Also read: How migration affects elections, and the media misreports it

with Reuters, AP