De Moor: Half of Palestinian asylum applications for Belgium are "not sustainable"
Belgium is facing an unsustainable influx of asylum applications from Palestinians, according to outgoing state secretary for asylum and migration, Nicole de Moor (CD&V). Speaking at the House Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday, De Moor said that Belgium “consistently receives half or more of the asylum applications from Palestinians in the entire EU,” a situation she described as “not normal and not sustainable.” She called for a collective EU response, noting, “Our country certainly wants to show solidarity with war refugees, but the entire EU must do its part.”
During the session, Darya Safai (N-VA) noted that over 3,000 Palestinians have applied for asylum in Belgium in the first eight months of this year. She raised concerns that the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) grants refugee status in nine out of ten cases, suggesting potential "group recognition" without thoroughly assessing individual cases. Safai’s concerns were echoed by Sam Van Rooy (Vlaams Belang).
De Moor rejected the accusation of group recognition but acknowledged the rising number of Palestinian asylum seekers, including those already granted asylum in other EU countries, such as Greece. She noted that this trend is “really problematic.” In July, the CGVS itself confirmed that more Palestinians apply for asylum in Belgium than in any other EU country.
De Moor is consulting with her European counterparts to address the issue and expressed optimism about the European migration pact. “That pact is about a better distribution and can prevent a certain nationality from weighing too much on the asylum system of a member state in the future,” she added.
State secretary for asylum and migration policy Nicole de Moor ©BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT
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