Deze ad hoc vraag onderzoekt de wettelijke kaders en praktijken van EMN-leden om te begrijpen hoe zij opvang koppelen aan het feit of een aanvrager van internationale bescherming wettelijk werkzaam is.

The Belgian Council of State has suspended a ministerial instruction that systematically limited material assistance to international protection applicants who had already obtained protection in another EU Member State. The court ruled that the instruction exposed these individuals to the risk of severe hardship and potential homelessness. It also noted that, due to its regulatory character, the instruction should have been submitted for review by the Council of State’s Legislation Section.

CIRÉ, together with partner organisations, has lodged an urgent appeal at the Council of State challenging a ministerial instruction that continues to exclude asylum seekers who have already been granted protection in another EU member state from reception facilities. The move follows a recent temporary suspension of the measure by the Constitutional Court. CIRÉ argues the instruction undermines judicial authority and the rule of law.

The Belgian Constitutional Court has temporarily suspended legislative measures introduced in 2025 that tightened rules on material reception conditions for asylum seekers and family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. The suspensions concern two separate laws, and the Court has referred several preliminary questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to clarify their compatibility with EU law.

In a judgment delivered in Case C-184/24 (Sidi Bouzid), the Court of Justice of the European Union has clarified the limits of sanctions that may be imposed on applicants for international protection who refuse to be transferred to another accommodation centre. The Court found that such a refusal cannot justify the withdrawal of all material reception conditions. While Member States may impose sanctions for serious breaches of reception rules, these must remain proportionate and respect the applicant’s dignity. 

Op 15 en 16 december 2025 organiseerde EMN België een conferentie in Brussel die betrokken actoren uit België, EMN leden en waarnemerslanden, evenals Europese en internationale organisaties samenbracht. Het evenement bood een forum om alternatieve vormen van opvang en begeleiding voor verzoekers om internationale bescherming te onderzoeken vanuit juridisch, beleidsmatig en operationeel perspectief, en om na te gaan hoe deze zijn ingebed in bredere opvangsystemen.

On 23 July, Belgium officially published two new laws aimed at reducing the burden on international protection procedures and limiting access to reception for certain applicants. In particular, these laws redefine which applications are considered subsequent by including those who have already received protection or a final decision in another EU country, and they limit access to reception facilities and material assistance for this group. The laws reflect the government’s intention to streamline asylum processing and manage reception capacity effectively.