Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Since last February, the Belgian government has allowed the General Commission for Refugees (CGRS) to speed up the examination of asylum applications that have little chance of being recognized through this system. Nicole De Moor, the outgoing Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, presented the measure to relieve the burden on asylum services. According to what was reported by Belgian news sites from the newspaper "De Tijd"
The fast track can be compared to the accelerated European border procedures, which are included in the EU Migration Pact. It stipulates that asylum seekers who have little chance of being recognized, for example because they come from a safe country, should receive a decision within twelve weeks. But the Belgian track is to process "disadvantaged" applications within 50 working days.
So far, the CGRS has processed the applications of 859 people (grouped in 577 files) through the fast procedure, according to government figures. Most asylum files are not eligible. Only applications from people from the eight countries on the CGRS's list of safe countries of origin - including Moldova, Albania, Kosovo and India - and nationalities with a low chance of recognition are eligible for the fast-track procedure.
The CGRS processes the files of people from safe countries in 14 working days, and those of people with a low chance of protection in 40 working days. Applications from people from Moldova, the Congo and Georgia in particular end up in the fast-track procedure. All three nationalities have a low chance of being granted asylum in Belgium. Despite the low chance of success, many asylum seekers still apply for protection.
De Moor, as a member of the federal government's negotiating team, is also putting an extension of the fast-track procedure on the table. She wants to accommodate all asylum seekers in the fast-track procedure in one place. She said this would save time and ensure that rejected asylum seekers leave the reception area more quickly.