The core cabinet has decided to organize emergency humanitarian shelters for asylum seekers in Jabbeke (West Flanders) and Glons (Liège). All together it concerns 1,176 places and further places are still being sought. This is confirmed by the cabinet of State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V).
To address the acute shortage of shelters, the core cabinet agreed last week to organize 1,500 places of humanitarian emergency shelters. At the suggestion of the Crisis Centre, which is in charge of coordination, two sites have been identified for the time being to organize emergency shelters. It concerns a site of the Buildings Agency in Jabbeke and a site of Defense in Glons (near Liège).
Bed, bath and bread
As is known, the government was looking for 150 staff members within the federal administration to assist Fedasil in making available places operational. Of these, 92 have now been found, who are going to work in various existing centers.
The search is going well, says Civil Service Minister Petra De Sutter (Green). The core cabinet has even agreed today to adjust the target to 200 civil servants, it sounds. Tomorrow she will discuss this with the top of the federal administration, Fedasil and the cabinet of State Secretary de Moor.
“This is really basic shelter – bed, bath and bread – so as not to leave vulnerable people on the street,” said State Secretary de Moor. “There are commitments, but we are not there yet. People still don’t all have a place. I will continue to point out the urgency within the government.”
Structural measures
The State Secretary also wants to continue working on structural measures. On Friday, she will submit a legislative amendment to the Council of Ministers to decouple reception from obtaining an order to leave the territory. This means that applicants who receive a final asylum decision must leave the reception centre. In this way, reception is reserved for persons in asylum procedure and no longer for persons in other procedures, such as an application for regularization.
INTERVIEW. State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor: “In Belgium 1,000 asylum applications per week. Not even 30 in Portugal. That is not defensible” (+)
OUR OPINION. “Horrifying images of outdoor sleepers and yet Belgium remains ‘too attractive’ for asylum seekers” (+)
Also review. Petra De Sutter: “Officers may also go to Fedasil”
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