Refugee Council warns of growing homelessness under new asylum policy
.jpg)
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.
“We fear an increase in homelessness,” said policy officer Thomas Willekens in response to the decision. He said he understood the principle “somewhat” and that each Member State should handle one person’s asylum application, but stressed that this only works if all countries respect the rules. “People move on because they are denied shelter, face abuse or remain trapped in poverty,” he said. “Every Member State now claims it shouldn’t be solving another’s problems, but that only leads to inhumane conditions across the board.” Instead of lowering standards, Willekens argued, Europe should be raising them.
Willekens also presented practical concerns about how the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) would obtain and process information from other countries. “We don’t know how long that will take,” he said.
"People are denied the ability to live in dignity"
Willekens was critical of a related rule change taking effect on Monday, which will prevent asylum seekers from filing a new application via a minor child unless new information emerges. “In our view, that will only increase the workload, while the minister says she wants to save money. It concerns just 1,750 cases out of 35,000," he stated.
Another measure, which would withdraw access to social assistance for those without shelter, is equally troubling, according to Willekens. “This was already an exception," he stated. "Fedasil only withheld support when the accommodation didn’t meet someone’s specific vulnerability. The Council of State has said this is allowed, but only if access to shelter remains guaranteed. Otherwise, people are denied the ability to live in dignity.”
Vluchtelingenwerk (Refugee Action) said a worrying pattern was 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.”
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO NICOLAS LANDEMARD / LE PICTORIUM MAXPPP
Related news
