Flanders Refugee Council Criticizes Minister’s Decision on Asylum Seekers
The Flanders Refugee Council has sharply criticised the decision by asylum and migration minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) to deny protection to asylum seekers who have already been recognised in another EU Member State. The organisation warns that the move will not solve the issue but merely shift it elsewhere.
In response to the denial of asylum seekers’ protection, policy officer Thomas Willekens expressed concern about a potential increase in homelessness. He acknowledged the principle that each Member State should manage an individual’s asylum application but emphasized that this approach is ineffective if countries do not adhere to established rules. “People move on because they are denied shelter, face abuse or remain trapped in poverty,” Willekens stated. He further asserted that rather than lowering standards, Europe should be aiming to enhance them.
Willekens raised practical concerns regarding how the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) would gather and process information from other nations. “We don’t know how long that will take,” he said, highlighting uncertainties surrounding the operational aspects of the new regulation.
“People are denied the ability to live in dignity.”
The policy officer also criticized a related rule change set to take effect on Monday, which would prevent asylum seekers from submitting a new application through a minor child unless new information is presented. Willekens pointed out that this would only add to the existing workload, countering the minister’s claims of cost-saving, considering it affects merely 1,750 cases out of 35,000.
Another concerning measure would revoke social assistance for individuals without shelter, according to Willekens. “This was already an exception,” he explained. “Fedasil only withheld support when the accommodation didn’t meet someone’s specific vulnerability. The Council of State has stated this is permissible, but only if access to shelter remains guaranteed. Otherwise, people are denied the ability to live in dignity.”
Vluchtelingenwerk (Refugee Action) indicated that a troubling trend is emerging, stating, “The Council of State was critical of all these proposals, yet the government ignored its advice. This is ill-considered policymaking. The likelihood of it standing up before the Constitutional Court is slim.”
Willekens concluded by emphasizing the need for humane treatment of asylum seekers and criticized policies that exacerbate living conditions for vulnerable populations, reiterating that the current approach will not lead to effective solutions.
, reports 24brussels.
