Anneleen Van Bossuyt continues reception stop for people already protected in the EU

Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt will continue her strict reception policy for people who have already been granted international protection in another EU member state. The minister confirmed this following the temporary suspension by the Constitutional Court.

“The pressure on our society and on the ground is immense. I will not stand by while people abuse our asylum and reception system. As minister, I take my responsibility and will keep pushing to further reduce asylum inflows and ease the pressure on our reception network,” Anneleen Van Bossuyt said.

The minister points out that the measures are having an effect, which is why it is important to continue the policy. Between September and December 2025, the number of people arriving in Belgium who had already received protection in another EU member state dropped by no less than 83% compared with the same period in 2024.

Additional legal grounds to refuse reception

At the same time, Anneleen Van Bossuyt stresses that existing Belgian legislation still provides a legal basis to continue this policy. “We respect the ruling of the Constitutional Court and await the judgment of the European Court of Justice. However, our legal analysis shows that Belgian legislation offers additional grounds to refuse reception to people who already have protection in another European member state. We will of course make use of those legal possibilities. This is essential to further reduce inflows and prevent our reception system from becoming overstretched,” the minister said.

According to Anneleen Van Bossuyt, her policy was already in line with the European legal framework before the Constitutional Court’s ruling. “It is therefore remarkable that the Constitutional Court does not follow existing case law from the European Court of Justice and asks the European judges to reaffirm that jurisprudence. We are confident that our approach will ultimately be confirmed.”

European migration pact enters into force on 12 June

From 12 June, European migration policy will enter a new phase with the entry into force of the Migration Pact. “At that point we will have even clearer tools to tackle asylum and reception shopping,” Anneleen Van Bossuyt added. “But I will not lose any time and will continue our policy unchanged, firmly grounded in law.”