Fedasil, the Federal Agency for Asylum Seekers, has asked the Public Social Assistance Centers (CPAS) to reimburse three quarters of the reserves constituted with funds attributed to the reception of migrants, reported Wednesday Het Belang van Limburg and Het Nieuwsblad. The information has been confirmed by the Agency’s spokesperson. The CPAS do not oppose that measure, but demand that the trust and legal security principles be respected.
The CPAS offer 8,700 places for the reception of migrants out of 22,750 available throughout the country, indicates Fedasil. In order to ensure this service, the CPAS cash a package of 38 euros a day per adult asylum seeker, and 21 euros per child, not counting special cases.
Some CPAS do not spend the whole of that amount, and therefore build up a reserve. It is three quarters of these amounts that Fedasil intends to recover, explained the Agency by way of a letter sent to the various structures. The CPAS will be allowed to spend the remaining quarter as they wish, even to cover expenses that do not concern migrants, specifies Benoit Mansy, Fedasil’s spokesperson. As of June, it is no less than 90% of these amounts that should be returned.
The Flemish Cities and Townships Union evaluates the total sum to be returned at 26.5 million euros for the year 2016, of which 20.8 million euros for Flanders alone. The 2017 figures are not yet known, indicates the federation, adding that it will not oppose this measure.
An opinion shared by the Walloon Cities and Townships Union (UWVC), which is not yet able to confirm the figures communicated by its Northern country counterpart. “It is true that the Flemish townships will be much more impacted,” underlines Ariane Michel, UWVC Legal Advisor.
She insists on respecting the principles of trust and legal security. “We hope that the requests already submitted, concerning the use of these funds, will not be purely and simply rejected,” she explains.
The UWVC Executive Committee will examine the question Thursday.
The Brussels Times
