Key Findings
Best practice (100% score)
Security of employment and rights associated with labour market access
Dual nationality
Favourable
Conditions for acquisition and rights association with long term residence
Fields of application and enforcement mechanisms for anti-discrimination law
Implementation policies for political participation
Unfavorable
Electoral rights
Change since 2004
More favourable, and less favourable conditions for the acquisition of family reunion
Less favourable security of family reunion
Less favourable eligibility for nationality and more favourable dual nationality for second- and third-generation
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Overview
The majority of non-Belgians come from other EU member states. Non-EU migrants are disadvantaged in the labour market: they have four times higher unemployment rates than Belgians and employment rates 28.4 percentage points lower. Naturalisations remained steady in 2005, half as many as in the peak years after the 2000 amendments to the Code of Nationality.
The federal government determines migration, legal status and citizenship policies. Integration falls under the three regions and language communities. In Flanders, migrants must take an ‘inburgeringstraject' course or else face administrative sanctions. On the francophone side, integration is seen as a voluntary and organic process not needing state intervention. Debates have revolved around marriages of convenience, the enforcement of anti-discrimination law, ethnic statistics and positive action measures, and local voting rights.
Belgium's policies for legally-resident third-country nationals (hereafter 'migrants') to access nationality are tied for best of the 28 MIPEX countries with SE. Yet policies for non-EU nationals to participate politically fall halfway to best practice. The other five MIPEX strands are slightly favourable. In particular, long-term residence scores second best in the EU-25 after SE.
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Integration Policy Timeline
09/01/2006
The Federal Minister for Employment warned that no action to increase immigrant employment rates would lead to fixed recruitment quotas
03/02/2006
The Flemish government approved labour market integration measures, compulsory integration course, and integration budget of €70m by 2009
08/2006
Decline in acceptances for naturalisation partly attributed to tougher rules for foreign spouses
08/10/2006
Third-country nationals can vote in local elections for first time; 22% of politicians elected in Brussels of immigrant origin and far-right successes diminished
11/12/2006
The Federal Minister for Equal Opportunities called for lump-sum compensations for victims of discrimination as current laws have no dissuasive effect
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Migrant Profile
