The European Parliament and Council on 3 December 2025 approved a long-debated regulation that makes access to the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) conditional on a third country’s willingness to readmit its own nationals who are ordered to leave Europe. Under the new rules, Brussels can now suspend reduced tariffs—and ultimately increase visa-refusal rates—if partner countries obstruct forced returns.
For Belgium, which deported just under 3,000 people in 2024, the law is more than abstract EU politics. Belgian immigration officers will gain a powerful economic lever when negotiating bilateral readmission deals, while the Foreign Trade Agency must factor possible tariff hikes into its risk dashboards for exporters sourcing from South Asia and West Africa. The measure could also intensify pressure on Fedasil, Belgium’s reception agency: faster returns free up scarce accommodation places but may attract legal challenges from human-rights groups.
![EU Links Trade Preferences to Migration Cooperation, Raising Stakes for Belgium’s Return Policy]()
Corporate mobility teams should note that the regulation enters into force on 1 January 2027 after a mandatory 12-month “dialogue phase.” Until then, supply-chain managers and relocation providers should map exposure to at-risk countries and brief non-EU assignees on tighter visa scrutiny.
Critics call the plan a “bureaucratic nightmare” because any trade suspension requires multiple Commission reports and Council votes; supporters argue it finally aligns migration and trade policy. Either way, Belgian multinationals—especially in chemicals and logistics—need to watch the first test cases closely.
For Belgium, which deported just under 3,000 people in 2024, the law is more than abstract EU politics. Belgian immigration officers will gain a powerful economic lever when negotiating bilateral readmission deals, while the Foreign Trade Agency must factor possible tariff hikes into its risk dashboards for exporters sourcing from South Asia and West Africa. The measure could also intensify pressure on Fedasil, Belgium’s reception agency: faster returns free up scarce accommodation places but may attract legal challenges from human-rights groups.
Corporate mobility teams should note that the regulation enters into force on 1 January 2027 after a mandatory 12-month “dialogue phase.” Until then, supply-chain managers and relocation providers should map exposure to at-risk countries and brief non-EU assignees on tighter visa scrutiny.
Critics call the plan a “bureaucratic nightmare” because any trade suspension requires multiple Commission reports and Council votes; supporters argue it finally aligns migration and trade policy. Either way, Belgian multinationals—especially in chemicals and logistics—need to watch the first test cases closely.
