Following the increase in the number of asylum applications over the past months, the Belgian government has decided to create 5000 additional reception places among the existing reception partners and through an emergency public contract. 1600 emergency places will be operationalized through Médecins sans Frontières, Croix Rouge and Rode Kruis. Furthermore, the specifications of the framework contract for 10 000 reception places have been approved and the 900 buffer places in the mobile units will be extended.

The Council of Ministers has also approved measures to guarantee a rapid transfer of asylum files and to reinforce return. This includes additional funds for the recruitment of agents for the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) and the Immigration Office.

The full press released can be found here (in French and in Dutch).