At the close of the Council of Europe’s 135th Ministerial Session in Chișinău, Moldova, foreign ministers from the organisation’s 46 member states unanimously adopted the new “Chișinău Declaration on Migration and the European Convention on Human Rights.” The non-binding text is the direct outgrowth of an open letter spearheaded last year by Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever and eight like-minded EU leaders who argued that Strasbourg case-law too often blocks the expulsion of foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes. Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prévot, who represented Brussels in Chișinău, hailed the document as “a fresh political framework that will help us return offenders while staying faithful to the Convention’s spirit.” The declaration emphasises states’ “sovereign right to control entry and residence” and calls for more effective returns of irregular migrants, while reaffirming that all measures must respect the proportionality principle and the prohibition of refoulement. In practice, Belgian immigration lawyers say the text will give governments rhetorical cover to tighten deportation procedures, but any concrete changes will still need to survive judicial scrutiny in domestic courts and in Strasbourg. The Belgian Immigration Office is already drafting guidelines that would allow lifetime entry bans for people listed in the national TER (Terrorism, Extremism, Radicalisation) database, a measure foreshadowed in a February bill currently before parliament. For corporate mobility managers, the biggest short-term impact is likely to be an uptick in removal orders for employees with criminal records or unresolved asylum claims. Employers that sponsor third-country nationals under single-permit or Blue-Card schemes should expect closer vetting of police-clearance certificates and may wish to add “good-conduct” warranties to assignment contracts.
![Council of Europe Adopts Chișinău Declaration on Migration After Belgian-Led Push]()
VisaHQ can help companies navigate precisely these tightened Belgian entry and residence requirements by securing work permits, Blue Cards, and other documentation on their behalf, while also tracking shifting compliance standards; see https://www.visahq.com/belgium/ for streamlined support.
HR teams are also advised to keep duplicate copies of residence documents, as border officials could step up spot-checks when staff travel within the Schengen Area. The federal government insists that “bona-fide workers and their families have nothing to fear,” yet the political momentum clearly favours a tougher stance on public-order grounds. EU institutions quickly lined up behind the declaration. The European Commission said the text “strikes the right balance between security and fundamental rights” and dovetails with the forthcoming Migration & Asylum Pact, due to start phasing in on 12 June 2026. That endorsement signals that Brussels is unlikely to challenge member-state initiatives that mirror the declaration’s language, provided procedural safeguards remain in place. Looking ahead, Belgian companies should monitor two follow-up items: first, a scheduled autumn review of national detention capacity for returnees; and second, justice-ministry plans to extend nationality-revocation powers for dual nationals convicted of organised crime. Both could affect the long-term residence prospects of assignees and their dependants. Immigration counsel recommend building extra lead-time into renewal applications and maintaining robust document trails in case clients are asked to prove “continued good conduct” under the evolving rules.
VisaHQ can help companies navigate precisely these tightened Belgian entry and residence requirements by securing work permits, Blue Cards, and other documentation on their behalf, while also tracking shifting compliance standards; see https://www.visahq.com/belgium/ for streamlined support.
HR teams are also advised to keep duplicate copies of residence documents, as border officials could step up spot-checks when staff travel within the Schengen Area. The federal government insists that “bona-fide workers and their families have nothing to fear,” yet the political momentum clearly favours a tougher stance on public-order grounds. EU institutions quickly lined up behind the declaration. The European Commission said the text “strikes the right balance between security and fundamental rights” and dovetails with the forthcoming Migration & Asylum Pact, due to start phasing in on 12 June 2026. That endorsement signals that Brussels is unlikely to challenge member-state initiatives that mirror the declaration’s language, provided procedural safeguards remain in place. Looking ahead, Belgian companies should monitor two follow-up items: first, a scheduled autumn review of national detention capacity for returnees; and second, justice-ministry plans to extend nationality-revocation powers for dual nationals convicted of organised crime. Both could affect the long-term residence prospects of assignees and their dependants. Immigration counsel recommend building extra lead-time into renewal applications and maintaining robust document trails in case clients are asked to prove “continued good conduct” under the evolving rules.
