News

Anneleen Van Bossuyt on lifetime entry bans: “The door is permanently closed”

23 April 2026

The bill introducing lifetime entry bans for terrorists and radicalised individuals has been approved by the Chamber. With this legislation, Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt aims to firmly embed a powerful security tool in the Aliens Act: “Those who radicalise or support …

Maaike De Vreese: “More foreign prisoners should serve their sentences in their home countries”

23 April 2026

Belgium is now transferring more convicted criminals with foreign nationality abroad than it is bringing Belgian prisoners back from foreign jails. This is evident from figures requested by MP Maaike De Vreese from Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden (cd&v). Yet the system remains underused. “We …

Mathias Vanden Borre: “Over €850 per shot in Brussels consumption room”

17 April 2026

Since opening, the LinkUp drug consumption room in Molenbeek has received an average of 6.5 users per day. According to Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre, this stands in stark contrast to the project’s high social and financial cost: “For a project with such a price tag, these figures are completely …

Koen Metsu: “Turning the Benelux into a driving force for European defence cooperation”

15 April 2026

Today, the Chamber’s Defence Committee approved a resolution aimed at significantly strengthening defence cooperation between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. With this initiative, our country is sending a clear signal in favour of closer Benelux cooperation, positioning it as a frontrunner …

N-VA after audit of long-term sick leave: “Figures defy all imagination”

13 April 2026

The N-VA has reacted with shock to a leaked study by Belgium’s National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (RIZIV/INAMI) on long-term incapacity for work. A sample audit by inspectors found that health insurance funds had been too generous in granting benefits: more than half of the long …

Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt on deterrence mission in Congo: “Our asylum system is not meant for economic migrants”