Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister for Immigration and Asylum;
Credit: MAEE
A former reception centre for asylum seekers ("Centre Héliar") in Weilerbach in eastern Luxembourg is set to reopen its doors at the end of this month.
On Wednesday 19 October 2022, Luxembourg's Minister for Immigration and Asylum, Jean Asselborn, inaugurated this temporary accommodation structure for asylum seekers in Weilerbach, which will reopen its doors at the end of October 2022. The official inauguration took place in the presence of the college of mayors and aldermen of the municipality of Berdorf, the Director of the Public Building Administration, Luc Dhamen, and the Director of the National Reception Office (Office national de l'accueil - ONA), Yves Piron.
Having undergone renovation works since 2019, in collaboration with the Public Building Administration, the reception centre has a maximum capacity of 190 beds. It is managed by the Luxembourg Red Cross and accommodates a mixed population, namely families, women and single men. Sanitary facilities, laundry, activity rooms and canteens will be shared between the occupants of the centre. Occupants will be able to cook food on site. This is a so-called "temporary" structure with 24/7 security, in which asylum seekers may stay until they receive a response to their application for international protection. Children subject to compulsory education will be educated in specialised state reception classes in a school located on the site.
The ONA currently has 55 accommodation facilities for asylum seekers with a maximum accommodation capacity of 4,696 beds. Whilst the influx of new arrivals had fallen slightly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, numbers have been increasing since this summer, meaning that reception capacities remain very limited with a 94.4% net rate of occupancy in temporary accommodation structures.
In this context, Minister Asselborn, reiterated his appeal to the municipalities to participate in this solidarity effort and to make sites available for the construction or development of accommodation structures for asylum seekers (email: projets.immobiliers@ona.etat.lu). Several financial and administrative aid schemes are available for municipalities hosting applicants or beneficiaries of international protection on their territory.
In addition to the accommodation network for applicants for international protection, the ONA also accommodates people who have fled the war in Ukraine in twelve dedicated accommodation structures. These facilities have a maximum capacity of 1,688 beds and the net occupancy rate is currently 75.9%.
