Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The far-right party in Belgium, Vlaams Belang, wants asylum seekers to be prevented from obtaining refugee status if they have already obtained this status in another EU country. "Moreover, these economic refugees, as they are, should be excluded from the expensive asylum reception facilities," says MP Francesca Van Belleghem (Vlaams Belang), who requested the relevant figures. "The 1,643 Palestinians residing in our asylum centres, who have already been granted refugee status elsewhere, cost the taxpayer an estimated 3.5 million euros per month." According to a statement distributed by the Belgian right-wing party, a copy of which we received today, Wednesday,

It also stated: "The number of asylum applications is increasing month after month. This year we already have 11 percent more asylum applications than last year. In October, we registered the highest number of asylum applications since the great migration crisis in 2015. This increase can be partly explained by the large number of Palestinian asylum applications. A few weeks ago it was revealed that half of Palestinian asylum applications are in Belgium.

"The only motive for flight is economic"

Our asylum reception centers currently house 1,643 Palestinian refugees who have already been granted refugee status in another country. It is said that 1,603 of these refugees have already been granted status in Greece, and the remaining 40 in another country. "Since they have already been recognized, it is clear that these people have traveled to Belgium for economic reasons," said Van Belleghem. "This is certainly a matter of abuse of the asylum procedure. People who have already been granted status in another EU country are already "recognized" and, in addition to economic motives, there is no longer any "escape motive" to travel to Belgium. "All this means a high cost, knowing that it is "built-in" - so not only the reception costs, but also the costs of the Immigration Office and the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, among others - 2,300 euros per person." Monthly costs for accommodating an asylum seeker. "The cost of hosting all these Palestinian refugees in our reception centers for one month is estimated at around 3.5 million euros," he added. "Asylum seekers who have already been granted status in another EU member state may not be granted refugee status or subsidiary protection status in Belgium," concludes Van Belleghem, who spoke to the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole De Moor (CD&V) on the issue. He will be questioned today in the House of Representatives' Home Affairs Committee. "Furthermore, these people should be excluded from the expensive asylum reception."