A hard-hitting investigation published on 19 February 2026 by Small Stream Media alleges that Belgian authorities are systematically ignoring court orders to provide reception to asylum-seekers, thereby undermining the EU’s Dublin Regulation. Since 2021 thousands of single men have slept rough in Brussels despite winning injunctions that guarantee them a bed, the report says.
Journalist Noortje Smeltink documents how the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) leaves applicants without accommodation for months, prompting neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands to refuse transfers back to Belgium. In July 2025 the Dutch Council of State ruled that systematic reception failures justified suspending Dublin returns—an unprecedented rebuke to an EU capital hosting the bloc’s asylum agency.
Amid these uncertainties, individuals and companies that still need to move people into or through Belgium can rely on VisaHQ for clear, up-to-date visa and residence information; the firm’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) streamlines Schengen, work-permit and humanitarian applications, helping travellers avoid bureaucratic pitfalls while the broader reception crisis unfolds.
![Investigation Claims Belgium ‘Deliberately Undermines’ Dublin Regulation Amid Shelter Crisis]()
The exposé details unpaid penalty fines that have accrued to more than €10 million and quotes lawyers who claim the government’s strategy is to make Belgium an unattractive destination for secondary movement. The practice not only violates EU law but could shift more responsibility onto border states such as Italy and Poland if other members follow suit.
For corporate mobility programmes the implications are indirect but notable: reputational risks increase when relocating staff witness asylum seekers sleeping near EU institutions, and mounting legal pressure may push the next government (due mid-2027) toward radical fixes ranging from accelerated deportations to outsourcing reception to private contractors.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, himself a former Belgian deputy PM, told reporters he is “seriously studying” infringement proceedings. Such action could lead to daily fines and force Belgium to expand shelter capacity—relieving some strain but also requiring additional public funds at a time of tight budgets.
Journalist Noortje Smeltink documents how the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) leaves applicants without accommodation for months, prompting neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands to refuse transfers back to Belgium. In July 2025 the Dutch Council of State ruled that systematic reception failures justified suspending Dublin returns—an unprecedented rebuke to an EU capital hosting the bloc’s asylum agency.
Amid these uncertainties, individuals and companies that still need to move people into or through Belgium can rely on VisaHQ for clear, up-to-date visa and residence information; the firm’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) streamlines Schengen, work-permit and humanitarian applications, helping travellers avoid bureaucratic pitfalls while the broader reception crisis unfolds.
The exposé details unpaid penalty fines that have accrued to more than €10 million and quotes lawyers who claim the government’s strategy is to make Belgium an unattractive destination for secondary movement. The practice not only violates EU law but could shift more responsibility onto border states such as Italy and Poland if other members follow suit.
For corporate mobility programmes the implications are indirect but notable: reputational risks increase when relocating staff witness asylum seekers sleeping near EU institutions, and mounting legal pressure may push the next government (due mid-2027) toward radical fixes ranging from accelerated deportations to outsourcing reception to private contractors.
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, himself a former Belgian deputy PM, told reporters he is “seriously studying” infringement proceedings. Such action could lead to daily fines and force Belgium to expand shelter capacity—relieving some strain but also requiring additional public funds at a time of tight budgets.
