Belgium, Netherlands push EU to punish rule-breakers under migration pact

Belgium and the Netherlands are demanding that the European Commission make adherence to the EU’s Dublin asylum rules a precondition for receiving help under the bloc’s new migration burden-sharing plan, according to a letter sent to Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner.

The Dublin rules state that the first EU country an asylum seeker enters is responsible for processing claims. The rules have long been criticised for placing too heavy a burden on the front-line countries that most migrants enter first.

But the new EU Migration Pact establishes a system to share asylum responsibilities across the bloc through relocations, financial contributions, or operational support. The new scheme lets the Commission factor in how countries apply the Dublin rules when deciding who should receive solidarity support.

Demand for ‘full compliance’

In the letter sent to the Commission last month, Belgium and the Netherlands reiterate that this link must be upheld and enforced, urging Brussels to make full Dublin compliance a genuine prerequisite for benefiting from EU solidarity.

In October, the European Commission was expected to publish its first assessment of which EU countries face the most migration pressure and who owes what under the new “solidarity pool.” However, publication of the report has been delayed so far.

“Full compliance with the Dublin system is a prerequisite,” wrote Belgian Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt and Dutch Migration Minister David van Weel, adding that “solidarity must go hand in hand with responsibility.” 

North-South tensions

The push from Brussels’ northern neighbours risks reigniting old north–south tensions that plagued migration talks for years. Countries such as Italy and Greece, on the front line of Mediterranean arrivals, have long struggled to carry out Dublin “returns” – sending migrants back to the country of first entry – which northern states argue leaves them with an unfair share of asylum requests. 

At a meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg last month, Belgium reiterated its stance. “Every country must apply the Dublin rules,” Van Bossuyt told reporters, a pointed remark widely interpreted as aimed at Rome and Athens. 

The letter urges the Commission to ensure “substantial progress” on Dublin implementation by June 2026, including the development of an action plan with measurable benchmarks for each member state. It also calls for transparency in the upcoming Commission report, which would allow the identification of “systemic shortcomings” in national asylum systems. 

Such findings, the ministers suggest, could allow other member states to withhold solidarity contributions from countries “failing or refusing to meet their legal obligations.” 

Asylum system strains

Both Belgium and the Netherlands say their asylum systems are under acute pressure from secondary movements – asylum seekers who first enter the EU in southern countries but later move north. According to their data, roughly 60% of asylum applications in both countries stem from such movements, straining reception capacities and public services. 

The letter warns against unrealistic expectations for the size of the EU’s solidarity pool, saying it should remain “manageable and realistic” given that several obligations under the new pact will not take effect until mid-2026. 

Last month, Belgium also led a push for an EU-wide coordination on deporting irregular and criminal Afghan nationals with the support of 19 other countries, urging the European Commission to enable both voluntary and forced returns of Afghans who have no legal right to stay in the bloc, especially those considered a threat to public order.

(cm, aw)