The Federal 'Arizona' Government wants the centre for asylum seekers in Zaventem (just outside of Brussels) to again prioritise the return of single men who already have an asylum procedure pending in another EU Member State.
During the previous legislative period, the focus shifted to families, but their return "is slower and more difficult," said Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) on Tuesday.
According to Van Bossuyt, the proportion of single men in the so-called 'Dublin centre' fell from 60% to barely 10%. The centre was established for asylum seekers who have previously applied for asylum in another EU Member State and are therefore being returned.
The average length of stay increased from 30.6 days in 2022 to 53 days at the beginning of 2025. The decline is partly due to Van Bossuyt's predecessor, Nicole De Moor (CD&V), who decided to temporarily stop offering shelter to single men in the Fedasil network – despite it being a legal entitlement.
While De Moor stressed that this measure was supposed to keep children and families off the streets, it still led to dozens of families with children without shelter and sleeping rough in Brussels every month and remains illegal under Belgian and European law.
'Efficient return policy'
"Because the return of families is slower and more difficult in practice, the centre lost more and more of its effectiveness. We are now reversing that decision, because those who are not entitled to protection in Belgium must return as quickly and efficiently as possible," said Van Bossuyt.
The Dublin Centre in Zaventem, with a maximum capacity of 200 places, serves to accommodate asylum seekers who have previously applied for asylum in another EU Member State. Under the Dublin agreement, they must return to the country where they first applied (or to their country of origin).
Van Bossuyt sees the centre as "an essential link in an efficient return policy." While people in regular reception centres stay for an average of 15 months (450 days), the average length of stay in the Dublin Centre is only 41 days (2024).
"This efficiency," she said, "is directly attributable to the centralisation of all relevant services in one location. This consolidation enables a faster and more coordinated approach."
She will extend this approach to a second 'Dublin centre', which the government plans to open next year.
