News

People receiving social assistance must be willing to work: “We have been too lenient for too long”

30 October 2026

“Anyone receiving social assistance who is able to work must accept a job when one is offered.” This is what Minister for Social Integration Anneleen Van Bossuyt emphasises in a new circular to Belgium’s Public Centres for Social Welfare (OCMWs/CPAS) on willingness to work. She sets out specific …

i-Police cost €139.4 million: “An absolute scandal”

29 October 2026

The failed i-Police digitalisation project has cost taxpayers a staggering €139.4 million, according to a new audit by the Belgian Court of Audit. The report also exposes serious shortcomings in the project's management. “Wasting so much taxpayers’ money with nothing to show for it is an absolute …

Kanko welcomes stronger Frontex: “More rejected asylum seekers must actually be returned”

28 October 2026

In many cases, people who are required to leave Europe after their asylum applications have been rejected do not do so. Only 32% of rejected asylum seekers actually leave the EU. The European Commission wants to change this by significantly strengthening the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, …

Gilles Verstraeten: “Brussels is letting people with disabilities down”

21 October 2026

As long as public transport in Brussels remains insufficiently accessible to people with disabilities, the Taxibus service needs to be significantly strengthened. Yet Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) has no plans to relax the current restrictive rules. “People with …

Theo Francken calls for a ‘Gendarmerie 2.0’: “We need to take back control of our streets”

19 October 2026

Following the violent riots in Brussels, Defence Minister Theo Francken is calling for a new, reinforced police unit with military training. Its role would be to respond rapidly to serious riots, vandalism and extreme violence against police officers. Speaking on Radio 1’s De Ochtend programme, …

N-VA calls for swift, decisive action after Brussels riots: “The right to protest is not a licence to destroy”

18 October 2026

Following a series of riots in Brussels over recent days and weeks, Mathias Vanden Borre is calling for a tougher, clearer approach to security in the capital. N-VA is therefore tabling a resolution urging the Brussels Government to take responsibility. “Our police officers are not punching bags …

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