Belgian watchdogs warn of sharp decline in asylum seekers’ rights
Two federal watchdogs have accused the Belgian government of deliberately undermining asylum seekers’ rights, warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis.
The Federal Institute for the Protection of Human Rights (FIRM) and the migration centre Myria said on Thursday that Belgium has failed to improve its reception system since their last critical report a year ago. Instead, they argue, new policies threaten to further erode fundamental rights.
The groups point to thousands of court orders that remain unexecuted, including more than 15,000 national and 2,300 European rulings since 2022 obliging the state to provide shelter. By September 2025, unpaid fines linked to these rulings had reached 10.7 million euros. According to the organisations, the authorities are “knowingly accepting an inhuman and degrading situation, unworthy of a state governed by the rule of law”.
”Belgian authorities are knowingly accepting an inhuman and degrading situation, unworthy of a state governed by the rule of law”
The crisis is reflected in the figures: as of 8 September, more than 1,900 asylum seekers were still waiting for a reception place. Legally entitled to accommodation from day one, they currently face average delays of three to four months. Many are forced to rely on friends, humanitarian shelters, squats or the streets.
Instead of expanding capacity, the federal government has announced cuts. Fedasil’s budget will be reduced by 83 per cent by 2029, reception capacity is set to shrink, financial allowances as an alternative to housing will be abolished, and disputes over reception are to be moved from labour courts to the Council for Alien Law Litigation (a reform critics say could undermine fair trial guarantees).
In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Belgium in the Camara judgment for failing to execute a domestic ruling to house an asylum seeker, describing a “systemic failure” to respect court decisions.
The warnings coincide with concerns expressed by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, which has noted some progress through quicker case handling and cooperation with the European Union Asylum Agency, but still considers the overall situation precarious. It highlighted the steady reduction of reception places since late 2024, the high number of asylum applications, and the government’s planned budget cuts as key risks.
An asylum seeker in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ