This conference will explore European and Dutch experiences in supporting the early integration of applicants for international protection, with a particular focus on employment, language learning and cultural orientation. Drawing on the findings of a new EMN Inform, the event will bring together policymakers, experts and practitioners to discuss different national approaches, implementation challenges and good practices across Europe.

The Belgian Council of State has suspended the decision of the Minister of Asylum and Migration to limit material reception conditions for applicants for international protection who have already obtained protection in another EU Member State. In its judgment No. 267.364 of 8 July 2026, the Council of State suspended the measure following an urgent appeal introduced by several organisations active in the field of asylum and migration. The decision concerns a measure adopted following the entry into application of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum on 12 June 2026.

On 25 June 2026, the Belgian Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) participated in the third thematic meeting on children in migration, organised jointly by the Luxembourgish Contact Point to the EMN and the OKaJu (Ombudsman for Children in Luxembourg – Ombudsman fir Kanner a Jugenlecher). The aim of the conference was to discuss the best interests of the child in the context of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The event brought together various stakeholders from 24 countries, as well as several international organisations and networks, both online and in person.

EMN Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Ombudsman for Children and Youngsters (OKaJu) are bringing together EU ombudsmen for children and youth, as well as child welfare agencies, to discuss the best interests of the child in the context of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The meeting offers a timely opportunity to take stock of early experiences and emerging practices. It places a particular focus on ensuring that fundamental rights obligations, especially those relating to children, are upheld in national systems.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled on the compatibility of a national residence requirement with EU equal treatment rules. The Court examined whether a 10-year residence condition could be applied to beneficiaries of international protection in order to access a social benefit. It found that the measure constitutes indirect discrimination prohibited under EU law.

DUO for a JOB has launched a national awareness campaign highlighting the persistence of discrimination in recruitment processes in Belgium. The initiative uses the format of the well-known game “Guess Who?” to illustrate how candidates may still be excluded on the basis of appearance, name, origin or accent rather than skills. The campaign is being rolled out in May across public spaces, including stations and metro networks in several Belgian cities.

The Belgian Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) announces a series of changes that will apply from 12 June 2026. These changes are part of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, adopted in 2024. They will affect asylum procedures, operational practices and new institutional responsibilities.

In 2025, minors accounted for 23.7% of all first-time asylum applicants in the European Union, according to recent Eurostat data. A total of 158.400 children applied for asylum for the first time, including a significant proportion of unaccompanied minors. While the overall number of minor applicants declined compared to previous years, children continue to represent a substantial share of asylum seekers in the EU.

The Council for Alien Law Litigation (CALL) has made the use of its child-friendly courtroom (“Salle M”) a structural arrangement as of March 2026. The measure applies to asylum appeal cases involving unaccompanied minors and is accompanied by adapted summonses, age-appropriate information materials, and strengthened judicial training on children’s rights. The initiative builds on a pilot phase and forms part of broader European efforts to enhance child-friendly justice.

On 9 April 2026, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgment in M.V. and Others v. Belgium and held that Belgium had violated several provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights in relation to the reception conditions of four applicants for international protection.

The Fedasil Pondrôme reception centre will host a photo exhibition featuring the work of unaccompanied and accompanied minors. The images were created over an eighteen-month project led by CIDJ Rochefort–Beauraing. The exhibition provides insight into the daily lives, experiences, and identities of the young participants. The event is free, open to all, and offers an opportunity to meet the creators.

The Belgian Council of Ministers has approved a draft law aimed at bringing Belgian legislation on the guardianship of unaccompanied minors into line with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and introducing additional safeguards for minors. The text has been submitted to the Council of State for its opinion.

The Belgian Council of State has suspended a ministerial instruction that systematically limited material assistance to international protection applicants who had already obtained protection in another EU Member State. The court ruled that the instruction exposed these individuals to the risk of severe hardship and potential homelessness. It also noted that, due to its regulatory character, the instruction should have been submitted for review by the Council of State’s Legislation Section.

On 20 March 2026, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved a draft law that would link the level of social assistance granted to beneficiaries of subsidiary and temporary protection to their participation in integration efforts through the Individual Social Integration Project (ISIP). Under the proposal, the amount of social assistance could be adjusted depending on the efforts made by the beneficiary to integrate.

Belgium plans to progressively return several defence sites used for the reception of applicants for international protection to military use as part of a broader plan to expand defence infrastructure towards 2040. The measure concerns around 4.000 reception places located on military premises across the country. Authorities state that the reduction in capacity can be absorbed within the existing reception network. The transition will take place gradually, with closures scheduled at different times depending on the site.

The Netherlands has decided to resume Dublin transfers of single, non-vulnerable male asylum seekers to Belgium, following a period in which such transfers were suspended after a Dutch court ruling. In April 2025, the District Court of The Hague, sitting in Groningen, found that single male asylum seekers risked being deprived of adequate reception conditions in Belgium, which could expose them to inhumane or degrading treatment. The ruling led to a halt in transfers under the EU Dublin system.

Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, has advised against a draft law proposing to remove the legal possibility of activating a mandatory distribution plan for reception places in times of crisis. The plan allows the federal government to require municipalities to provide local reception initiatives according to objective allocation criteria. Myria stresses that this mechanism is important to safeguard human dignity and the right to reception, particularly during periods of structural shortages. 

CIRÉ, together with partner organisations, has lodged an urgent appeal at the Council of State challenging a ministerial instruction that continues to exclude asylum seekers who have already been granted protection in another EU member state from reception facilities. The move follows a recent temporary suspension of the measure by the Constitutional Court. CIRÉ argues the instruction undermines judicial authority and the rule of law.