After Belgium: Will Flanders and the Netherlands Reunite?

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

After Belgium: Will Flanders and the Netherlands Reunite?

From the desk of Paul Belien on Thu, 2007-08-23




Belgium is rapidly unraveling. Following the June 10th Belgian general elections, won by Flemish-secessionist parties, the Belgian parties seem unable to form a government coalition.

Belgium is a multinational state, the model for the European Union’s efforts to turn Europe into a single multinational state. Belgium is made up of 60% Dutch-speaking, free-market oriented Flemings and 40% French-speaking, predominantly Socialist Walloons. The Belgian Constitution stipulates that the government should consist of 50% Flemings and 50% Walloons. Belgian governments always have to rely on a majority in both Flanders and Wallonia, since major decisions need the support of both parts of the country. In practice this means that 20% of the population (i.e. half of the Walloons) can veto every decision. This has made the Parti Socialiste (PS), the Walloon Socialist Party, the power broker in the country.
The refusal of the PS to reform the welfare state system has caused growing Flemish frustration, and turned what used to be a linguistic conflict into a dispute about economic and welfare policies. While Flanders pays most of Belgium’s taxes the bulk of the money flows to Wallonia. There a welfare-receiving electorate votes for parties which for over three decades have been blocking any attempts at reforming the collapsing welfare system.

Since the 1970s Flemish parties have radicalized, demanding larger autonomy over welfare issues. Apart from welfare reform the next Belgian government also has to reach an agreement over Brussels. The city, which is historically Dutch, is a bilingual enclave surrounded by the Halle-Vilvoorde district of the Flemish province of Brabant. At present Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (BHV) is one large, single electoral constituency. Flanders wants to assume full autonomy over Halle and Vilvoorde, and demands that these two Flemish towns and the surrounding Flemish villages are split off from bilingual Brussels. This is also being vetoed by the Walloon parties, although four years ago the Constitutional Court of Belgium, with 50% French-speaking judges, ruled that the present situation is unconstitutional and that BHV should be split by July 2007.

The Belgian politicians are unable to solve the BHV problem, and any new elections are unconstitutional as long as the BHV constituency has not been divided into one bilingual constituency Brussels and one Flemish constituency Halle-Vilvoorde. Politically Belgium is now in a catch-22 situation: The Belgian parties are unable to form a government because they cannot agree about splitting up BHV and new elections cannot be held as long as BHV has not been split up.

Last week, Prof. Em. Robert Senelle, one of Belgium’s most prominent constitutionalists, a Flemish Socialist and formerly a teacher of the Belgian Crown Prince, advised the Flemings to annul the Belgian Constitution and solemnly declare Flemish sovereignty. Following this advice Filip Dewinter, the leader of the secessionist Vlaams Belang party, the largest party in the Flemish Regional Parliament, called upon the Flemish Parliament to convene and declare Flanders an independent country.

Yesterday another Flemish constitutionalist, Prof. Paul Van Orshoven said that “intelligent people” should consider a Flemish secession from Belgium. “Because the situation cannot go on where a minority denies the majority its legitimate and democratic aspirations.” Prof. Van Orshoven said that if Flanders secedes this obviously violates the Belgian Constitution, which requires that the Walloons approve of such a decision. He referred, however, to the historical precedent of the Tennis Court Oath. The Tennis Court Oath refers to 20 June 1789, when the representatives of France’s third estate [the bourgeoisie] declared themselves to be the true representatives of the nation. “In the spirit of the Tennis Court Oath it is permitted that, even if it violates the Belgian constitutional rules, a simple majority of the Dutch-speakers in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the Senate declare to secede.”

Apart from the media in Belgium and the neighbouring Netherlands, the international papers and broadcasters have hardly reported about the disintegration of the EU’s host country. On Tuesday a survey of the Dutch [Netherlandish] television network RTL4 showed that 77% of the inhabitants of the Netherlands are in favour of the Netherlands and Flanders merging into one country.

In Belgium, an internet poll of Flanders’ largest newspaper, Het Laatste Nieuws, showed 50.9% in favour of reuniting Flanders and the Netherlands. The Flemish provinces were part of the Netherlands until 1831, when the international powers established the Kingdom of Belgium.

More on this topic:

Anyone interested in the background to what is happening in Belgium, and the repercussions this could have for the EU, would do well to read my book “A Throne in Brussels.”

EU: The Model is Collapsing. Brussels Calls upon King for Help, 18 August 2007

Flanders and France Vote for the Right. But Flanders Will Not Get What It Is Entitled To, 11 June 2007

McKinsey CEO Calls for End of Belgium, Resigns, 13 December 2005

The Dark Roots of the EU, 5 December 2005

[source]

[Savorgnan]

Very likely.And France will "absorb" Wallony.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by Savorgnan

Very likely.And France will "absorb" Wallony.

I don't think that Wallons want to.
And there is also the problem of the French-speaking inhabitants of Brussels.

[Menydh]

This, I believe, is a small party: Rassemblement Wallonie-France - Section Brabant Wallon

And I wonder about this other: Front National-Front National de Daniel Féret

[Theobald]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

I don't think that Wallons want to.

Most Walloons want to - or at least would not oppose it - as I have proved it in many other posts.

The problem is rather about the French government's will to accept such a move - just like Helmut Kohl refused Kaliningrad. Wallonia is too poor and too socialist for Sarkozy.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by Theobald

Wallonia is too poor and too socialist for Sarkozy.

Maybe, but I wonder if an independant Wallonia would be viable. If Wallons are for a 'reunification', I don't think that France could refuse them.

[Theobald]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Maybe, but I wonder if an independant Wallonia would be viable.

Clearly it wouldn't. Even with Flemish financial transfers it is not economically viable. Only a big state like France could solve the Wallonian problem.

By the way, it is interesting to notice that even in 1945 many Wallonians asked France to annex their region, but de Gaulle refused it for legal and political reasons :

"A number of Walloons had already asked me to annex the region at the end of the war. I did not wish to pursue their approach further. In 1945, it was important to respect the frontiers bequeathed to us by history, except for the frontiers of the defeated nations. This is what was done. Belgium must not be touched. But we see no reason why the Walloons should not organise to defend their language and their culture, to prevent the Flemish from trampling over them. Or else the Flemish would have to make life impossible for the Walloons, and the Walloons would then have to throw themselves into our arms. Above all, we must not make a move. It would be far too easy to accuse us of wishing to round out our borders at the expense of Belgium."


"I know very well that after the Liberation I had only to snap my fingers for Wallonia to demand its attachment to France. It was my belief, however, that it was not for me to snap my fingers. The Walloons or their legitimate representatives would have needed to take the initiative. France did not have a debt to pay as it did to Canada. At one point, I had thought of making a trip that would have started in Ghent, stopping off at Dinant where I was wounded in 1914, then on to Namur, capital of Wallonia, after which I would have travelled down the Meuse to Liège, said by Michelet to be more French than France itself. It would have been like the Chemin du Roy in Canada. But I resisted the temptation.
Take note that as soon as I returned to office one of my first initiatives was to invite the King and Queen of Belgium. The invitation was never returned. No doubt the fears of popular disturbances in Wallonia were too great."


"I had received a delegation from the Walloons, determined to prepare for attachment to France. The delegation explained that the Flemish were becoming increasingly arrogant and would probably end by themselves seceding. That may be how it will all end.
Wallonia exists, but there is no Walloon nation, the Walloons have never sought to become a state. Their request is to be included in the French Republic, to which they already once belonged. It is quite different from seeking emancipation, as do the people of Quebec, from Anglo-Saxon domination.

Many Walloons believe they would receive better treatment from France than from Flanders. That is probably the case. As part of France, they would rediscover the pride of belonging to a great nation, pride in their language and culture, a taste for taking part in the great affairs of the world and for fighting in the name of the great human causes.

All these things they have lost through their unnatural association, imposed by the English, with the Flemish who dislike them and whom they dislike. In the interests of the unity of Belgium, the differences between them have been smoothed over. They are frustrated by this."

Interview between General de Gaulle and Alain Peyrefitte, 10 November 1965,
Alain Peyrefitte, C'était de Gaulle

[Savorgnan]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

I don't think that Wallons want to.

You just have to see a Belgium-France football game in Liège.France would get a 125% support from the Walloons.Vox populi...

[Savorgnan]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Maybe, but I wonder if an independant Wallonia would be viable. If Wallons are for a 'reunification', I don't think that France could refuse them.

It's France's moral duty to welcome Walloons.They are totally French.I feel very much at home in Namur (Walloony's capital).

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by Savorgnan

It's France's moral duty to welcome Walloons.They are totally French.I feel very much at home in Namur (Walloony's capital).

Surely more at home than in the suburb of Paris.

[Waarnemer]

Originally Posted by Savorgnan

You just have to see a Belgium-France football game in Liège.France would get a 125% support from the Walloons.Vox populi...

nonsense, on every level there is much, much more support for the idea of belgium in wallonia then in flanders, i even personally remember very good the joy of the walloons when france was eliminated in the group stage of the worldcup in '02.. the emotions came close to hatred..

[Savorgnan]

Originally Posted by Waarnemer

nonsense, on every level there is much, much more support for the idea of belgium in wallonia then in flanders, i even personally remember very good the joy of the walloons when france was eliminated in the group stage of the worldcup in '02.. the emotions came close to hatred..

As for every true European!France is an African team nowadays,a taste of what Europe is about to become if we do nothing about it...

[Savorgnan]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Surely more at home than in the suburb of Paris.

As I was leaving my girlfriend and going home this morning I noticed that I was the only white in Paris tube.

[Theobald]

Originally Posted by Savorgnan

As I was leaving my girlfriend

Err... Weren't you supposed to be a "one-night stander" ?