The fee for acquiring Belgian citizenship will be increased from 150 euros to 1,000 euros, local media reported, citing a government decision. It is noted that this marks a seven-fold increase, BTA reported.
A comparison with neighboring countries shows that the same fees in the Netherlands reach 1,091 euros, and in the UK - 1,885 euros (1,630 pounds). The Belgian government specifies that the decision is related to the country's desire to implement "the strictest asylum policy ever". It is added that the initial proposals were for the citizenship fee to be 5,000 euros.
From now on, foreigners who want to become Belgians will have to have lived in the country for at least five years, will have to undergo a mandatory assessment of their proficiency in at least one of the three local languages (French, Flemish and German) and will have to prove their contribution to the Belgian budget.
The Belgian authorities recently reported that while the influx of migrants is decreasing in other EU countries, it is increasing in Belgium. This became one of the reasons for introducing additional border checks and for approving a decision to involve the EU border agency "Frontex" in these activities.