Olivier Brasseur, spokesman of the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), says the situation in Syria is currently too unclear to assess possible risks facing Syrians returning to their country. ‘We have decided temporarily no longer to process Syrian asylum applications, except those of people who already possess a status in another EU state, because in such cases they have nothing to fear in their country of origin’.
Applications will be put ‘on hold’ for a while until there is more clarity on the situation in Syria. ‘In the meantime, people are still entitled to reception’. Around 35,000 Syrians have received protection in Belgium over the past decade. This year too, Syrians are the top nationality in a ranking of asylum applications (4,725 applications between January and October).
State secretary for asylum and migration Nicole De Moor is not ruling out reviewing the refugee status of Syrians in the future, but only if the situation in Syria improves in a sustainable way: ‘Refugee status is not necessarily forever. If the situation in Syria improves sustainably, I will ask for the refugee status of Syrians who arrived here in the last five years to be revisited. But it is too early for that at the moment.’