At the beginning of 2023, a coordination meeting of the directors of the Belgian closed detention centers was held. At this meeting, they expressed their concern about the significant increase in the trafficking of drugs inside their centers. That’s why EMN Belgium was asked to launch an ad hoc query in order to gather information on how this issue is addressed in the other Member States.  

Trade unions have filed a joint strike notice at Belgium’s closed centres, citing staff shortages, inadequate infrastructure and increasing aggression towards staff. They are calling for better staffing levels, additional resources and improved working conditions. Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt has responded by highlighting measures already taken to address staffing and infrastructure needs.

On 23–24 September 2026, Belgium hosted the 8th Workshop of Representatives of Detention Centres in Brussels, bringing together 42 participants from 18 countries, alongside two representatives of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). Organised jointly by the Belgian Immigration Office, EMN Belgium, EMN Luxembourg and the Detention Centre of the Luxembourg Ministry of Home Affairs, the workshop provided an informal setting for representatives to exchange experience, discuss common challenges and explore opportunities for further cooperation.

On 17 September 2026, a delegation of the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) concluded an ad hoc visit to Belgium, carried out from 8 to 17 September. The visit focused on the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty under immigration legislation.

A spending review published on 31 August 2026 examines the organisation of Belgium’s closed centres and their role in the return chain. It finds that the centres operate relatively efficiently within current constraints, while identifying structural challenges affecting the use of available capacity. As of 20 May 2026, 541 of the 689 theoretical places were effectively usable, with 148 unavailable due to infrastructure problems or staff shortages. The review puts forward 74 recommendations and more than 170 concrete actions across nine areas.

On 26 April 2024, the Council of Ministers approved, upon proposal by the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor and the Secretary of State in charge of the Buildings Administration Mathieu Michel, the public procurement for new closed centers in Jabbeke and Jumet.

The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration announced today that a new software was in the process of being developed with the digital product studio "In the pocket" to better manage information relating to the stay of third-country nationals in closed centres.