Belgium backs EU asylum reform

The principle of a ‘safe third country’ is being expanded in the commission proposal. This means that a migrant can be sent back in more situations, for example, if someone has transited through that country or if there are agreements with that third country regarding protection and return. Thus, an asylum seeker would not always need to have a connection with that country to apply the concept, as is currently the case.

These reforms are intended to make the asylum process faster and more efficient and to promote return. “With this measure, we want to discourage large migration flows to Europe – and thus also to Belgium – by allowing arrival countries like Italy and Greece to more easily return people to a safe third country outside Europe where they have previously passed through,” says Van Bossuyt.

For the minister, the new rules are “once again a step forward towards closer international cooperation in the field of asylum and migration.” “With this, we send a clear signal: asylum must primarily be about protection, not about seeking the country with the most advantages,” she concludes.