A year of compulsory civic integration in Brussels: a false start

On 1 June, compulsory Civic integration Flanders has a policy for civic integration. This is a guided and targeted form of social integration for people of foreign origin. The intention is that the newcomers are provided with a valuable place in society by including them instead of excluding them. Civic integration, which includes language lessons and civic integration courses, was brought about by the participation of the N-VA in the Flemish Government since 2004 and the appointment of a Minister for Civic Integration. civic integration in Brussels blows out its first candle. But according to Flemish MP Annabel Tavernier and Brussels MP Gilles Verstraeten, there is little to celebrate: “Even before the start, we had serious reservations about the way in which the entire system is put together, with a heavy reliance on the Brussels municipalities. Everything depends on their cooperation. Few newcomers who are subject to the obligation but do not register with a reception office were found to be in default by their municipality. At the same time, Flanders is taking various initiatives to encourage newcomers and inform municipalities. It is high time that the Common Community Commission (Gemeenschappelijke Gemeenschapscommissie, GGC) did the same. Otherwise, it is nothing more than a futile gesture.”

Compulsory civic integration in Brussels finally started on 1 June 2022. Since then, newcomers with a certain status have been subject to a compulsory civic integration programme. They then have six months to apply to a reception office of the Flemish or French-speaking community. If they fail to do so, they will receive a formal notice to comply within two months. Only after that is it considered a refusal and can a sanction follow.

Obligations insufficiently followed up

A year after its introduction, the most recent figures show that compulsory civic integration is having difficulty getting off the ground. There are currently 2,414 active files of newcomers who are required to follow the integration programme. Four out of ten of these have already registered with a reception agency, of whom about 20% opted for a programme in Dutch and about 80% for a programme in French.

According to Brussels MP Gilles Verstraeten, it appears that the municipalities are not complying with the obligation sufficiently: “The fact that only 80 newcomers who fall under the obligation but did not register for a programme were given notice of default by their municipality is significant. The whole system, also in terms of sanctions, depends on their participation. There are currently 18 sanctions procedures in progress at the GGC. These numbers remain limited, especially considering that in Flanders in 2022, more than 10,000 compulsory programmes were imposed, more than 1,000 infringement files were drawn up and 400 fines were issued. Fortunately, all 19 municipalities now impose obligations, which was not yet the case in November.”

Stark contrast with Flanders

According to Flemish MP Annabel Tavernier, these figures are in stark contrast to the efforts being made in Flanders: “The Flemish reception office in Brussels tries to do a good job in terms of recruitment and informing municipalities. They proactively make their offer known to the municipal authorities and local networks in the municipalities through municipal recruitment plans. They also focus on reaching specific target groups. I must note that although you can lead a horse to water, you cannot make it drink. It is clear that the problem mainly lies in keeping track of and sanctioning those subject to the integration obligation. And that is a joint responsibility of the GGC and the Brussels municipalities.”