The municipal authorities of Koksijde in West Flanders are calling for the closure of the reception centre for asylum seekers, Mayor Marc Vanden Bussche confirmed on Tuesday.
Fedasil, the federal agency for the reception of asylum seekers, installed 37 unauthorised living containers in the centre's garden, according to the municipality's mayor. Authorities are now demanding the containers to be removed by the end of June and the rest of the building to be emptied by 1 September.
The centre – which is located on a former military air base – houses up to 300 persons, including 30 unaccompanied minors, Fedasil says.
"We already reported this at the end of November, but so far there have been no consequences", he explained. Last week, Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) asked her inspection services to examine the centre.
Fedasil 'above the law'?
According to Vanden Bussche, there is another issue. "The centre does not have a valid operating permit anymore. The three-year period has expired." The Board of Mayor and Aldermen is thus calling for the asylum centre to be closed.
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole De Moor (CD&V), however, has already notified the Mayor that the centre will remain open until the end of 2025 and that there will be no repercussions for the infringements.
"I don't understand what’s going on," the Mayor said. "Does Fedasil consider itself above the law? We have already shown a great deal of patience. What is the Minister's next step? To start squatting instead of occupying premises?"
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When the government requested the Flemish municipality to temporarily receive asylum seekers in 2019, Mayor Vanden Bussche opposed the plan, declaring that authorities could not handle the administrative work and that the city's proximity with France would "tempt" migrants to cross.
Eventually, the centre was opened temporarily and then shut down in June 2020. It was once again reopened in September 2021, after floods in Wallonia damaged other places in the reception network. Fedasil stated that it was able to reopen the centre thanks to a concession from the Ministry of Defence.
