BRUSSELS 

Belgium on Monday enforced stricter asylum regulations aimed at speeding up application processing and reducing pressure on its reception system, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, the migration minister, announced Monday.

According to RTL Info, under the new rules, any asylum application from a person who has already received a final decision whether positive or negative in another EU member state will be "systematically considered inadmissible."

Such repeat applications will be treated as "subsequent applications" and only reviewed if new elements are presented.

The legislation, passed by Belgium's federal parliament in early July with support from the Arizona coalition, also limits access to the reception network.

Reception will no longer be granted to applicants who try to obtain asylum through minors when their own applications were already rejected, except if new evidence arises.

According to Van Bossuyt's office, nearly 15,000 of the 40,000 asylum requests filed last year involved individuals who had already obtained protection or had pending applications in another EU country.

However, the Flanders Refugee Council sharply criticized the decision, warning it will "shift problems elsewhere rather than solve them." Policy officer Thomas Willekens told Belga news agency that the move risks increasing homelessness and inhumane conditions, as people are denied shelter or face poverty.

Willekens also questioned the practical implementation of the rules, especially how Belgium's Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons will process information from other countries.

He criticized related rules that prevent asylum seekers from submitting new applications through a minor child unless significant new information is presented, as well as the withdrawal of social assistance for those without shelter, calling these measures ill-considered and likely to undermine human dignity.