News

Shift in asylum and migration policy bears its first fruit

22 July 2015

State Secretary Theo Francken presented his asylum and migration policy statistics in the first half of 2015. The number of applications for economic and student migration remained more or less stable, and had more positive than negative assessments. The number of applications for family …

Flanders to have a full-fledged Ministry of Foreign Affairs

17 July 2015

The Flemish Government gave the green light for establishing its own full-fledged Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “This will allow Flanders to better fulfil its European and international role,” explains Minister President Geert Bourgeois (N-VA), who is also responsible for foreign policy. Currently, …

Council of Ministers approves new asylum and migration measures

10 July 2015

The Council of Ministers approved important adaptations to the design for the Mosaic Law on asylum and migration. This solves a number of practical problems out in the field. “We will be lenient towards the vulnerable, but hard on those who try to abuse the system,” says Theo Francken, Secretary of …

Europe must move closer to Flemish recycling standards

9 July 2015

Together with shadow rapporteur Mark Demesmaeker, the N-VA drew up the blueprints for the transition to a recycling economy, produced by the European Parliament. “Of course such a transition is beneficial to the environment, but it is mainly an economic necessity,” emphasises Demesmaeker. “Many …

Secretary of State Francken rescues Syrian Christians from the hell of Aleppo

8 July 2015

With the support of the cabinet of Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken (N-VA), 244 Syrian Christians were secretly rescued from Syria and brought to safety in Belgium. “These people were living in the Syrian city of Aleppo on the front-line between the radical Islamic rebels …

Flanders and Catalonia strengthen their partnership

1 July 2015

Flanders and Catalonia are going to work closer together. This was agreed upon during a meeting between Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) and the President of the Catalonian Government, Artur Mas, who was visiting Brussels. After all: “the more we collaborate, the more clout we have …

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