The issue arose during a meeting of the government’s core Cabinet on Saturday, which had convened to discuss budgetary measures, Anadolu Agency reported.
According to Belga, the French-speaking liberal Reformist Movement (MR) was the only coalition partner to reject a compromise reached earlier between Prévot and Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt.
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Under the proposed arrangement, the students would not be permitted to use their arrival in Belgium as grounds to seek asylum or apply for family reunification. The deal also envisaged establishing a task force led by Van Bossuyt to identify ways to speed up and improve procedures for returning people residing illegally in the country.
Prévot said he had agreed to consider proposals within that framework and support those he deemed effective, proportionate and lawful.
Although the compromise still required approval from the core Cabinet, Prévot said MR had blocked the agreement, describing the move as “blackmail,” according to a statement reported by Belga.
“The obstruction is a human disgrace and politically regrettable. We are talking about 13 young people who have been awarded scholarships to continue their studies at our universities,” he said.
Prévot warned against using the students’ futures as leverage in negotiations over migration policy.
“Their future must not be used as a bargaining chip,” he said, adding that he was “sincerely saddened” for the 13 young adults.
The report did not indicate whether the Cabinet had reached a final decision on the students’ visas.
