A Brussels first-instance judge has issued an emergency injunction suspending the planned opening of a new reception centre for asylum seekers in the leafy Brussels municipality of Ukkel. The 220-bed facility, to be operated by Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) in partnership with Samusocial, was due to receive its first residents next week. Local residents’ associations and the Ukkel municipal council filed for an urgent suspension on the grounds that Fedasil’s environmental and safety permits were incomplete and that the project had not undergone the mandatory public-consultation procedure. In his 13 July ruling, the judge agreed that “serious indications of illegality” existed and that proceeding could cause “irreparable harm to public order and the applicants’ right to be heard.” Fedasil must now await the outcome of a fast-track summary-proceedings hearing later this month before it can resume preparations. The agency told the press it “regrets the decision” but will comply while exploring alternative capacity for the 38,000-strong national asylum network, which is currently running at 97 % occupancy. The blocked centre is part of the federal government’s 2026 winter-capacity plan, which aims to create 2,500 additional beds in anticipation of higher protection-claim numbers forecast for the second half of the year. Ukkel’s site, a disused office building on Beeckmanstraat, was chosen because of its proximity to the South Station transport hub and the ability to house single men, the demographic most affected by the current shortage. For employers relocating staff to Belgium, the ruling highlights the continuing pressure on the country’s migration-management system. Labour-market residence applications—such as EU Blue Cards or Single Permits—are processed more slowly when Fedasil’s network is saturated, because Immigration Office resources are diverted to crisis management. Corporate mobility managers should therefore anticipate longer lead times for new non-EU hires in the Brussels Region over the coming months. Practically, companies already hosting international assignees should remind them to carry valid proof of address, as local authorities have stepped up compliance checks on “ghost registrations” by applicants who are unable to obtain Fedasil accommodation. The government has not ruled out appealing the injunction if the summary court confirms today’s suspension, meaning the legal situation could still evolve quickly over the summer.
Source: BRUZZ
