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“We choose a financial contribution because our reception centers are full. The money can help other member states find structural solutions,” said the minister before the start of a meeting with her European counterparts in Luxembourg.
The asylum and migration pact, which will come into effect next year, includes a solidarity mechanism for countries under heavy migration pressure. In this context, the ministers must agree for the first time in the coming months on the distribution of 30,000 asylum seekers. Countries that do not want to take in asylum seekers themselves must pay a financial contribution of 20,000 euros per asylum seeker.
The debate is so politically sensitive that the calculation method alone is a source of intense discussions. The pact states that the European Commission must present a proposal for the following year by October 15, but competent Commissioner Magnus Brunner acknowledged that this deadline will not be met. “It is also not important whether it comes a few days earlier or later. The most important thing is that it works,” he stated.
For Van Bossuyt, it is already “very important that it is recognized that Belgium bears a disproportionate burden due to secondary migration.” She also emphasized the responsibility of the countries of arrival for taking back asylum seekers. “Solidarity and responsibility are two sides of the same coin. Much of the success of the pact will depend on it.”