Belgian authorities have noted a significant increase in applications for international protection from Palestinians and Syrians who have already received protection in another EU Member State, usually Greece and, to a lesser extent, Bulgaria. In recent months, the number of requests has exceeded 450 per month, according to Nicole de Moor.

Current legislation already allows the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons to declare an application for international protection as inadmissible when the applicant already enjoys international protection (refugee status or subsidiary protection status) in another Member State of the European Union. In practice, however, the case law of the Council for Aliens Law Litigation (CALL) ensures that two-thirds of the applications are processed, and almost half of the applications lead to the granting of protection in Belgium because the CALL considers social security in Greece to be insufficient and inaccessible. 

To stop this phenomenon, Nicole de Moor declared that she wants to use all possible legal means to oppose the rulings of the Council for Alien Law Litigation. In addition, Ms. de Moor wants to implement parts of the Pact on Migration and Asylum earlier so that applicants who already enjoy international protection in another EU Member State can be refused a place in reception facilities.

For further details, please read (in Dutch) the press release from the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.