2023-09-19 18:24:00
Since the start of the reception crisis two years ago, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) and the Fedasil agency have been desperately looking for places for protection seekers. internationally throughout Belgium. With some success. The network’s capacity increased from 26,751 places on January 1, 2019 to 34,271 at the beginning of September this year. But this remains insufficient. And, the more time passes, the more complicated the search for new places becomes, due to a lack of available buildings and staff to provide reception. The crisis remains no less acute and the number of applicants for international protection on the streets continues to grow, despite thousands of court sentences against the Belgian state.
Difficult support
The creation of new places remains one of the means put forward by the Secretary of State for Asylum to stem the crisis. A note discussed in the Council of Ministers last Friday contains the list of centers which would see the light of day soon. In total, 1,932 additional places should be created by February. According to the count given in the note, 687 places would be created in the territory of the Brussels Region (including 407 in Ixelles and 220 in Forest), 1,022 in Flanders and 750 in Wallonia.
The planning and ventilation did not convince the French-speaking liberals and socialists, who did not fail to denounce an inequitable distribution between the regions. And the vice-premiers MR and PS to ask Nicole de Moor to review her copy.
The note also plans to accelerate exits from centers in order to free up beds.
Especially in Wallonia
”In periods when migratory pressure is less, we seek to have a certain distribution between regions. But now, we are looking for places everywhere!” explains the spokesperson for the Secretary of State, who specifies that the agreement of the Deputy Prime Ministers is not required to open new centers. Discussions take place between local authorities and asylum authorities. A position shared by the Fedasil agency. Faced with the scale of the crisis, there is no question of depriving yourself of places for community reasons.
The fact remains that the reception of asylum seekers is greater in the south of the country. La Libre was able to consult the distribution of the capacity of the 99 reception centers across the entire Belgian territory. It appears from this data that nearly 13,000 places are found in Wallonia. Around 7,500 are in Brussels and around 10,000 in Flanders. This is the capacity of the centers, and not the precise number of applicants for international protection accommodated. But with a network occupancy rate of 95%, the order of magnitude should remain similar.
Note that these places concern Fedasil and its various partners (Red Cross, Rood Kruis Vlaanderen, private operators, etc.), but these data do not include the 4,681 places in local reception initiatives which are themselves managed by CPAS at local level.
Only one limit
“It is true that there are more asylum seekers on the French-speaking side than on the Dutch-speaking side, recognizes the office of the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration. It is also true that Brussels hosts proportionally many asylum seekers. But this is linked to the fact that there are currently more buildings available in the Brussels region and that we do not have the luxury of being able to refuse proposals.”
However, reception authorities avoid creating several centers on the territory of the same municipality in order to preserve good relations with local authorities. A limit which has already led to the refusal of the creation of several reception places, we say from a good source.
However, the sole analysis of these figures does not take into account certain dynamics which can have an impact on local finances. Thus, many applicants for international protection settled in centers in the south of the country go to Flanders once they have obtained a status, attracted by the promises of employment. They then depend on the CPAS of their new municipality as long as they do not have work.
Long process
”We always have around thirty avenues under study. Sometimes, they are simple photos of a place that we have been sent. The process is slow, and months often pass between the start of the analysis and the validation of the opening of the center, explains Benoit Manzy, spokesperson for Fedasil. If we want everything to go well, we must take the time to consult with the population. There are legitimate concerns that need to be addressed.” This was particularly the case in Walcourt (province of Namur). In 2015, the opening of a reception center sparked a strong outcry among the population. Another center, certainly smaller, opened its doors in 2023. But this time, the establishment of the center was able to take place without incident because the mayor quickly began consultation with the population.
Although the current number of reception places is impressive, it is not exactly a record. A glance at Fedasil data shows that in January 2016, in the wake of what has often been called the asylum crisis that Europe experienced following the arrival of Syrian refugees in the territory, Fedasil had counted 35,308 places. There were then 10,000 so-called emergency places which were dismantled in the following months.
Other centers are still used today, like the Jambes and Belgrade barracks, near Namur. Defense is also the most important player, both in terms of the number of reception places made available and in terms of logistical support, we emphasize to the reception agency, as in response to calls to open new barracks to house asylum seekers on the streets.
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