Belgium rushed to provide solutions and exceptions related to the Ukrainian refugee wave, after the start of the Russian military intervention, while the neglect and procrastination for many years continued towards refugees from other countries.

After the start of the Russian military war on Ukraine, nearly 2.7 million Ukrainians sought refuge in neighboring European Union countries such as Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.

The European Union was quick to grant "temporary protection" status to Ukrainian refugees, shortly after the outbreak of the crisis, in the first implementation of the temporary protection decision issued in 2001.

And the European Commission submitted a proposal to "grant temporary protection to Ukrainians", to the member states of the Union, just one week after the start of the war.

Belgium was among the countries that received Ukrainians according to the "temporary protection" law, as the number of refugees it received until last Monday reached 6 thousand and 48 Ukrainians.

This number is expected to rise to 200,000 refugees.

old refugee crisis

At the same time, Belgium has been experiencing a refugee crisis for a long time, and this is clearly evident in the long queues that extend day and night in front of the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers in Belgium (Vidasil).

The Belgian government justifies its neglect of asylum seekers from other countries by not having enough places to accommodate them.

The new refugees coming from other countries are part of the asylum seekers in Belgium, while the largest part are those who have been residing in the country for many years and have expired their residency or work permits, as the Belgian authorities refuse to renew them.

The term “undocumented” is used locally to indicate that such persons do not have the right to legal residence in the country.

It is estimated that there are about 150,000 undocumented asylum seekers living in Belgium, most of them in Brussels.

Statistics show that only 40% of asylum applications submitted to European countries annually are accepted.

Following the escalation of the asylum-seekers crisis on its territory, Belgium had asked the European Union for its support, concluding in December 2021 an agreement with the "European Asylum Support Office" (EASO) to obtain this support.

The conclusion of the aforementioned agreement between the European Office and Belgium did not find a solution to the asylum seekers’ crisis, as the European country has continued since January 24, leaving 15 to 40 people a day on the streets.

The suffering of refugees

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sutita Ngo, coordinator of the "Coordination for Refugees and Foreigners" (CIRE) initiatives in Belgium, said asylum seekers were sleeping in the streets overnight, coinciding with the freezing cold.

She added that Belgian law includes alternative solutions to this crisis, which are represented in the municipalities activating the aid system, and said, "But there is no political desire (to solve the crisis)."

"Belgium does not want to turn into an attractive country for refugees," she added.

After the start of the wave of Ukrainian refugees, Belgium activated the aforementioned aid system, as after granting the status of "temporary protection" to Ukrainians, they started to go to centers other than those to which other migrants go, to apply for asylum.

Priority is also given to children, women and elderly Ukrainians applying for asylum in Belgium.

After applying for asylum in the center designated for them, the municipal authorities transfer the Ukrainians to the shelters designated for them, while temporary accommodation is provided for those who are unable to complete the asylum procedure during the day.

The Belgian authorities grant Ukrainians who have completed asylum procedures a residence permit and work permit, as well as allowing them to benefit from educational and health services.

Ukrainians also receive Belgian aid intended for "social welfare, accommodation and subsistence".

Besides these special services, Belgium also offers Ukrainians special solutions to the problems they face.

This comes in conjunction with the continuation of long queues in front of the agency "Vidasil" to receive asylum seekers and neglecting immigrants from other countries, leaving them to sleep in the open at night.

While Belgium encourages the media and the press to highlight the services it provides to Ukrainian refugees, it is disturbed by the portrayal of the suffering of other migrants crowded in front of Vidasil.

And Belgium, which was justifying its non-acceptance of migrants by not having enough places to accommodate them, two days ago opened a new center to accommodate 1,500 Ukrainian refugees in the Woluwe-Saint-Lambert region.

The services provided by Belgium are not only limited to Ukrainian refugees, but also their pets that they have taken with them.