The Impuls Fund, which was created to provide subsidies for Local Reception Initiatives, is a federal initiative introduced in 2022 aimed at encouraging local municipalities to organise the reception of migrants in Belgium. The 'Impuls Fund' was extended in 2023 and also covered the year 2024.

However, the Minister for Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, has decided to discontinue this system, directing that no new applications should be approved and that pending ones should be denied. This decision was taken to implement a new reception strategy that claims to shift the federal focus towards "collective reception centers and stricter management of asylum accommodation". While the federal government does not intend to abruptly dismantle the Local Reception Initiatives, their phase-out will occur gradually. Municipalities currently hosting such initiatives, which involve housing units or apartments, will remain operational for the time being and continue to receive support from Fedasil. 

During a meeting of the Chamber’s Interior Committee last week, Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, noted with concern the government’s intention to phase out individual reception structures, even though these are considered as both more humane and more cost-effective than collective centres.

For further information, please read the press release from the Minister for Asylum and Migration, as well as other press releases in French or in Dutch.