Rutte and his cabinet's resignation now triggers a general election set to take place later this year; however, until a new ruling coalition is brought in, the current cabinet will maintain control in a caretaker capacity.
"It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy. And today we unfortunately have to conclude that those differences are irreconcilable," Rutte said during a televised address. "That is why I have offered the resignation of the entire cabinet to the King."
The Dutch cabinet held a final meeting Friday evening on the migration crisis, preceded by a number of consultations, during which the ruling parties discussed measures to curtail the stream of asylum-seekers, Dutch media reported.
The parties reportedly agreed on labor migration and the migration of skilled professionals, failing, however, to obtain consensus on the refugee issue.
Failure to reach an agreement would mean the disintegration of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's fourth cabinet, local outlets noted.
The situation with refugees deteriorated dramatically in the Netherlands in August 2022. About 700 asylum-seekers reportedly had to sleep rough due to lack of beds in the reception center in the city of Ter Apel. Amsterdam city council also had to temporarily accommodate at least 1,000 refugees in a passenger cruise liner due to a lack of reception centers in the country.
In November 2022, Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe Dunja Mijatovic called on Dutch authorities to take immediate action to improve the situation with refugees reception in the Netherlands. After that, the District Court of The Hague ordered the authorities to urgently take steps to improve the situation and bring it in line with the EU standards.