Sunday

28th May 2023

Flemish separatists win Belgian election

  • Coalition talks are expected to be difficult (Photo: EUobserver)

A Flemish separatist party in favour of splitting the country into French- and Dutch-speaking parts claimed victory in Belgian elections on Sunday (13 June), making it likely that coalition talks will be even more difficult than usual in the divided state.

The nationalist New Flemish Alliance party (N-VA) won 27 of the 150 seats in the lower chamber, beating the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS) in the south by one seat.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Belgium, home to the EU institutions, is divided into three regions. The richer Dutch-speaking north and the poorer French-speaking south. Brussels, the capital, is the third region. Situated in Flanders, it is officially bilingual.

There is no single national constituency. Instead, political parties stand in the regions and then form a coalition. This has become even more difficult with the advance in separatist sentiment in Flanders, which transfers billions of euros each year to sustain the poorer south.

Tensions between the two language communities have always existed but have been further compounded by a protracted dispute over a voting district in the suburbs of Brussels. The country's top court in 2003 ruled the set-up - which allows French-speakers to vote for Francophone parties even though they are living in Flanders - as unconstitutional.

Flemish parties want the electoral system to be changed but Walloons believe this is just a guise to devolve more powers to the regions, eventually breaking up the state.

Referring to the "tsunami" win by Bart de Wever's N-VA, Francophone daily Le Soir says the victory could undermine the foundations of the Belgian state.

Both Mr de Wever and Elio di Rupo, of the Socialists, made some conciliatory noises after the results became clear, with the Fleming speaking of building bridges and his French-speaking counterpart of talking of "listening to the votes made by Flemish voters." However, both also made it clear there are red lines which neither side will cross.

The two greatest problems facing any new government is reform of the state and dealing with the country's economic problems.

But a coalition has to be formed first. After the last elections in 2007, almost 300 days passed before a government was established.

EU presidency

This time round, the political machinations of the 10-million strong country are more under the international spotlight than usual.

Belgium is due to take over the six-month EU presidency on 1 July. And while the rotating presidency has been reduced under the new EU rulebook in place since 1 December, it remains responsible for driving forward the internal machinery of the EU.

Presenting the country's plan for the presidency on Friday (11 June), ambassador to the EU Jean De Ruyt said the main work would be focussed on "managing the EU reaction to the (economic) crisis." He indicated most of the effort will put towards relations with the European Parliament, which has a beefed up legislative role since December. The co-decision process is very "time-consuming" for the presidency, he noted.

But politicians and diplomats suggest that even if country itself it is in political chaos, the presidency is unlikely to be too affected.

Former Belgian prime minister and now MEP Guy Verhofstadt recently noted that the political situation "doesn't matter" because there is unanimity on EU affairs across the political spectrum.

Meanwhile, a diplomat from a large member state said Belgium has "extremely good and experienced officials. [The] quality of their officialdom will bring them through."

Flanders tells Moroccan migrants how to behave

A new immigration kit for Flanders tells would-be immigrants that it does not rain money and that Flemings are healthy-eating, spontaneity-adverse creatures tucked up in bed by 10pm each night.

MEPs to urge block on Hungary taking EU presidency in 2024

"This will be the first time a member state that is under the Article 7 procedure will take over the rotating presidency of the council," French Green MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, the key lawmaker on Hungary, warned.

European Parliament scales back luxury MEP pension fund

The European Parliament's Bureau, a political body composed of the president and its vice-presidents, decided to slash payouts from the fund by 50 percent, freeze automatic indexations, and increase the pension age from 65 to 67.

WhoisWho? Calls mount to bring back EU directory

NGOs and lobbyists slammed the EU commission for removing contact details of non-managerial staff from its public register, arguing that the institution is now less transparent.

Column

What a Spanish novelist can teach us about communality

In a world where cultural clashes and sectarianism seems to be on the increase, Spanish novelist Javier Cercas (b.1962) takes the opposite approach. He cherishes both life in the big city and in the countryside.

Opinion

Poland and Hungary's ugly divorce over Ukraine

What started in 2015 as a 'friends-with-benefits' relationship between Viktor Orbán and Jarosław Kaczyński, for Hungary and Poland, is ending in disgust and enmity — which will not be overcome until both leaders leave.

Latest News

  1. How the EU's money for waste went to waste in Lebanon
  2. EU criminal complicity in Libya needs recognition, says expert
  3. Europe's missing mails
  4. MEPs to urge block on Hungary taking EU presidency in 2024
  5. PFAS 'forever chemicals' cost society €16 trillion a year
  6. EU will 'react as appropriate' to Russian nukes in Belarus
  7. The EU needs to foster tech — not just regulate it
  8. EU: national energy price-spike measures should end this year

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us