Every month, the Office of the Commissioner Gereral for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document providing the statistics on the asylum applications and the first instance decisions.

The law of January 19, 2012 introduced the concept of a “return track” for asylum seekers, a framework for individual counseling on return, offered by the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil). New instructions implement this return track in the reception centres.

The newsletter of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) for July/August 2012 has been launched.

The statistical data up till the month June on assisted voluntary return (REAB) are available. In June 410 people voluntarily returned to their country of origin, bringing the total for the first six months of 2012 to 1990.

A permanent system for relocating internationally protected persons within the EU would help to improve asylum policy solidarity among EU member states, says a resolution voted by the Civil Liberties Committee.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner Gereral for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document containing the statistics on the asylum applications and the first instance decisions.

Belgium has committed itself towards the European Commission to resettle 100 refugees in 2013

The event will bring together practitioners in refugee resettlement, from both governments and NGOs, engage new actors and build toward a future EU Resettlement Practitioners’ Network.

The annual report of the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) has been launced. Fedasil updates you on the voluntary return program that it runs as well as the reception situation and network in 2011.

According to Advocate General Bot, a serious infringement of the freedom of religion may constitute an ‘act of persecution’ where the asylum seeker runs a real risk of death, inhuman or degrading treatment, of being reduced to slavery or servitude, or of being prosecuted or imprisoned arbitrarily

March 2012: More decissons, less applications

On 23 March 2012 a newsrelease was issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the Europeon Union, on the number of asylum applicants and asylum decisions in the EU27 in 2011.

At the request of Maggie De Block, Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, and Didier Reynders, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Ministerial Council approved list of safe countries of origin.

The Council adopted a decision which establishes common EU resettlement
priorities for 2013.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document containing the statistics on the asylum applications and the first instance decisions.

The new Belgian Law of January 19, 2012 (published on 17 February 2012) transposes the EU Return Directive, modifying the current legal framework on removal and detention, and putting more emphasis on voluntary departure.