Last night, the House debated the new persistent return policy until around 3:45 am. N-VA and Vlaams Belang threatened in advance with endless filibustering (think long speeches and reading from books) and taking the pulpit for hours, but in the end things did not go that smoothly.
The design by State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) should make it easier in the future to send people with illegal residence back to their country of origin. This will be done, among other things, by strengthening the Immigration Office, the introduction of an obligation to cooperate and increased capacity for the closed return centers. However, at the request of the green government parties, the text also introduces a ban on the detention of minors in those centers. Home entrances for those who have exhausted all legal remedies are not included.
The right-wing opposition mainly has problems with the last two elements. With the support of PVDA and the smaller opposition parties Les Engagés and DéFI, amendments to the draft have already been sent to the Council of State several times, as a result of which the persistent return policy has been abandoned. But because the advice of the Council of State was delivered faster than planned, the majority was able to place the text unannounced on the agenda of the plenary Chamber on Thursday afternoon.
Procedural battle
N-VA and Vlaams Belang then announced a real procedural battle. N-VA MP Theo Francken came to the Chamber armed with a stack of books and Vlaams Belang put almost the entire faction on the speakers list. Hotels were even booked for parliamentary staff and long speeches were written down. A rumor went around for a while that both parties wanted to extend the hearing until Friday afternoon if necessary.
In the end, things did not go that smoothly, and there was no real filibustering – which often deviates from the actual topic – nor was there any real filibustering. De Moor, who remained present all night, eventually even thanked the parliamentarians involved for the “substantive discussion”. The State Secretary emphasized how important it is to be able to vote on the ongoing return policy before the end of the legislature. “The basis is cooperation with the countries of origin, but we also have to do our homework ourselves,” she said.
The actual vote will now have to wait until next week. In addition to the persistent return policy, the compensation of terror victims, the inclusion of animal welfare in the Constitution and the amended law on open government were also on the agenda of the House on Thursday. Those texts will also not be voted on until next week.
WATCH ALSO. Fleming wants fewer social rights for recognized refugees
WATCH ALSO. The Duel: Nicole De Moor vs. Theo Francken
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Tags: Endless speeches hotels booked Vlaams Belang NVA debate night Moor return policy Domestic
