Refugees prompt "humanitarian crisis"

“Asylum applications up by 30% per month,”headlines Le Soir, which reports that the Belgian Secretary of State for Social Integration, Philippe Courard, has voiced concern over an impending “humanitarian crisis.” An additional 3,000 places made available in the country’s asylum centres will not be sufficient to cope with the growing number of applicants, many of whom are from Eastern Europe, in particular Kosovo and Macedonia. “If we do not take action in the coming weeks, we will soon have 2,000 people in the streets,” warned Philippe Courard. The Brussels daily points out that the situation will become “absolutely critical,” if the Arab revolutions result in a further increase in the number of refugees arriving in the country.