On Thursday, a bailiff arrived at the offices of the Belgian Secretary of State for Migration, Nicole de Moor, to seize several objects with the aim of selling them at auction. His loot, a freezer and a coffee machine, the estimated price of which has not been communicated. This symbolic action is linked to the numerous convictions of the Belgian state for failure to accommodate asylum seekers.
“We still don’t have enough places [pour les demandeurs d’asile], but these legal proceedings or these seizures do not bring us closer to a solution, we emphasize in the minister’s office. “On the contrary, they cost more than they bring in,” he added.
Several thousand convictions
Indeed, the Belgian State has been the subject of several thousand convictions, accompanied by fines, for non-compliance with its legal obligation to accommodate asylum seekers. A year ago, a television and furniture belonging to the Fedasil agency, responsible for welcoming applicants for international protection, were also seized and put up for sale by court order in this context.
Some 3,000 asylum seekers are waiting for a place in the Fedasil network, according to this agency, which specifies that “a good part of these people are in the emergency reception network for the homeless in Brussels “.
“The Secretary of State continues to look with this government for places to accommodate asylum seekers,” says Nicole de Moor’s office, highlighting the “enormous efforts” made recently.
The current reception capacity is “37,500 places, including 2,000 temporary in accommodation centers for the homeless in Brussels”, specifies this source. Belgium, a country of 11.5 million inhabitants, recorded some 35,500 asylum requests in 2023, compared to more than 36,800 in 2022, a slight decrease of 3%.