Trying to deter asylum seekers, Belgium puts region on safe list, which means claims will be processed quickly and generally denied.
TIRANA, April 6 – The Belgian government has approved a list of so-called “safe-countries” for asylum requests that includes Albania and every other country in the region.
The list has been compiled on the advice of the General-Commission for Refugees and the Stateless.
A country is considered safe if over a period of time there has been no repression as defined in the Geneva Convention and there is no question of genuine risk if an individual was sent back to the country in question.
That is naturally urged from the recent asylum seekers from the western Balkans, especially from Serbia and Macedonia, but also Albania.
The asylum process is speeded up for citizens of these seven countries who wish to claim asylum in Belgium. Decisions on asylum applications from safe countries are made within 15 working days, instead of the normal three months.
Since the list of safe countries was introduced two years ago in Belgium the number of asylum requests from the seven countries have fallen by 57 percent.
That is another sign and message sent from Brussels to Albanian citizens they should not look for asylum there.
There have been hundreds of Albanians who have asked for Asylum in Belgium and a few other western European countries since the visa liberalization in 2010.
