One year of reception crisis in Belgium, an overview
Belgium is facing a reception crisis since October of 2021. As a result, thousands of applicants for international protection have been refused a reception place. So far, the Belgian government has not been able to solve this issue despite numerous court decisions condemning the Belgian state and Fedasil (Federal agency responsible for the reception of applicants for international protection). Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen has been monitoring the situation since it’s beginning. What are the main causes for this reception crisis? What has been the impact on applicants for international protection, NGO’s, lawyers and courts? Why are the current measures not enough? What solutions need to be implemented? These are the main questions that Thomas Willekens will try to answer during this session.
Thomas Willekens is a policy worker at Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen since 2021. Before he worker at the Dublin Unit of the Belgian Immigration Office. As policy worker, his focus is on (access to) the asylum procedure and the reception network. This entails monitoring the day-to-day situation on the terrain, analysing policy and case law, and providing trainings to social assistants and lawyers.
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