THE HAGUE, 20/01/04 - Integration of many immigrants in the Netherlands has completely or partly succeeded. But this is no thanks to government policy, the Blok Commission concluded yesterday in its long-awaited study of 30 years of integration policy.

The commission of MPs from various parties and chaired by conservative (VVD) Blok, concludes in its 2,500-page report Building Bridges that integration policy has proved unsuccessful. The effects of policy were not measurable between 1970 and 2000, and many recommendations ignored, even those sought by governments themselves. Policy was also not streamlined between ministries and the need to learn the Dutch language was not recognised for years. Immigrants thereby lag behind in many areas, though many also have succeeded under their own steam.

The commission urges a more thorough and better-coordinated integration policy with a less voluntary character. Dutch history should be given more attention at school, and girls and boys should be treated the same. Rights and obligations of immigrants should be much more clearly laid down by law.

The commission observes that the Turkish and Moroccan governments exercise influence on their nationals via the mosque organisations Dyanet (Turkey) and UNMON (Morocco). These oppose the introduction of a Dutch Imam training course, and this can prevent the evolution of a Dutch Islam, according to Blok. Until the 1990s, the Moroccan influence was actually "damaging" and "intimidating."

The commission advises tackling the creation of 'white' and 'black' schools, with predominantly indigenous and immigrant children respectively. This should primarily be done by varying the housing supply. More housing for higher social groups should be created in cities, while the peripheral municipalities should attract immigrants via cheap housing. Nobody should however be forced to live or not to live somewhere.

Marriage immigration also hampers immigration, concludes the commission. Measures to prevent immigrants from bringing their partner in from their country of origin do not work. But the commission makes no recommendations on this point.

The commission does not recommend abolition of the notorious Article 23 of the constitution establishing freedom of education. But it should be ensured that this article increases the choice of schools for parents, and does not restrict it, as at present, in its view.

On labour market policy, the commission concludes that the "inactivity" of immigrants has led to a "negative picture" of them and "stigmatisation" by the indigenous population. Efforts must be made in covenants to help more immigrants get work. The government must set a good example here as public sector employer.

Female emancipation policy in the 1970s and 1980s was exclusively aimed at Dutch women. Nonetheless, immigrant girls have in recent years performed just as well as or better than immigrant boys, Blok observed. He added that the wearing of headscarves cannot be forbidden, either in education or elsewhere in society, unless this leads to "functional problems."

Blok stated that political sensitivities have led to ineffective policy being continued. Thus, a commission concluded in 1992 that education of foreign children in their mother tongue does not contribute demonstrably to learning Dutch, though this so-called OALT programme was created for this purpose. Last year, the government did decide to stop the OALT.

The commission recommends not giving schools extra subsidies for extra immigrant pupils any longer. Thus, they receive 1.9 times as much money for immigrant children as for 'normal' children, as well as an extra subsidy for the purchase of computers if more than 70 percent of the pupils are immigrants. It would be better to give schools more money for efforts to achieve a greater spread of pupils. Subsidised minority organisations should also "contribute as much as possible" to integration.