"Belgians will be discriminated against"

Last week a select committee of the Belgian Parliament approved stricter regulations for people who are already in the country, but want to bring in partners or children.

Mr De Witte noted that the new stricter rules only apply to Belgians and not to other EU citizens. As a result he says Belgians face stricter regulations than other EU citizens and this is a form of discrimination. He also pointed to the situation in the Netherlands. There too stricter rules were introduced, but this merely caused problems elsewhere:

"Today there are Dutch people who move to Belgium for a while in order to marry their partner and be together, something they can no longer do in the Netherlands. They come to Belgium temporarily and then later return home. This will not be stopped under the new rules. We will merely create new flows of Belgians who travel to France, the Netherlands and Germany to pursue their rights that they will no longer be able to exercise in Belgium".
 

Family reunions are the most important form of migration to Belgium. Each year some 40,000 foreigners enter the country legally in this way. The new rules oblige people who are eager to bring a partner or children into the country from outside the European Union to prove that these immigrants will not be reliant on social services and that adequate accommodation is being provided.

Sponsors must show that their income totals 120% of minimum subsistence benefit, the living wage. Belgians wanting to marry non-EU citizens must be at least 21 years of age. Foreigners can wed a similar partner as soon as they are 18.