The Belgian government on Tuesday criticized the way in which European Union countries share the burden with immigrants, citing Portugal and Sweden as examples. The criticisms were made by the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migrations, who announced measures to deal with the number of asylum applications.
Single men applying for asylum in Belgium will no longer be entitled to receive accommodation. The announcement of the temporary suspension came from the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, which wants to prevent children from ending up on the street this winter.
The Belgian government’s concerns are justified by the growing flow of families with children seeking asylum, a trend that has grown sharply in recent days and has weighed heavily on the Belgian reception network for two years.
Nicole de Moor did not specify how long the suspension will last. The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration also underlined the position of Belgium, in what it considers an “unequal distribution” of the burdens with immigrants in the European Union.
The minister stressed that Belgium has done its part and underlined that the situation as it is “cannot continue.”
In this sense, he compared Portugal with the Belgian reality, stating that Belgium registered 19,000 asylum seekers this year, while Portugal, with the same population, had 1,500.
Nicole de Moor also warned of the situation in Sweden, another country that registers few asylum applications, in a year in which migratory pressure towards Europe has increased globally.
At the beginning of June, the countries of the European Union reached an agreement that provides for a speedy procedure at the external borders and a fairer distribution of asylum seekers in Europe. The aim of the new agreement is to share the number of immigrants and refugees arriving in Europe among the member states.
Countries that refuse to receive immigrants will have to pay 20,000 euros for each person, but so far the adoption of the pact remains the subject of heated debates between member states. Furthermore, the green light from the European Parliament is still needed.
Source: TSF
