- Hubert Walas
Belgium's division.
In the minds of many Belgian citizens there is only one true Belgian, namely the king, all other citizens being Flemish, Walloon or German. The problem of low national identity is well illustrated by a survey conducted in 2019 by the Flemish newspaper 'Het Belang van Limburg' where almost 30% of respondents supported the breakup of Belgium. Division of the country is a constant subject of Belgian discussions, the background of which is the ethnic and linguistic division into two regions. This situation is illustrated by the commonly quoted words of the mayor of the Flemish town of Lennik - Willy De Waele, who said: "I am Flemish, not Belgian." Can Belgium break up into two separate countries? Or maybe Wallonia should join France?Small, but important
Belgium is a country with 11 million inhabitants located in western Europe. It borders the most important European Union member states - Germany and France, as well as smaller ones - the Netherlands and Luxembourg, with which it forms Benelux. In addition, the country is only 80 km from the coast of Great Britain in a straight line. Belgium is mostly a flat country with a coastal plain in the northwest, fertile lands in the center, and dense forests and mountains in Wallonia in the south. The core of Belgium is the so-called Flemish Diamond. Its peaks are marked by the capital - Brussels, having one of the largest European ports - Antwerp, the most important university center of Ghent and Leuven which is an important industrial area. Almost half of the country's 11 million population lives in this area. The main division of the country runs almost latitudinally and is a division into Dutch-speaking lowland Flanders in the north and French-speaking highland Wallonia in the south. The state is small, but present in the history of modern Europe through its involvement in the creation of European Communities - including today's European Union.
Brabant Revolution
The Sovereign Kingdom of Belgium was founded in 1830. Earlier it was part of the neighboring powers - Austria and France. Yet as a result of the Congress of Vienna, Catholic Belgium and Protestant Netherlands merged into one state - the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The formation of the Belgian nation, however, is associated with the events of the Brabant Revolution, which broke out in 1789 as a consequence of severe imperial reforms. Although the upheaval was suppressed, its importance for the later struggle for independence is widely emphasized. The symbol of the significance of this uprising can be the fact that the colors used to designate revolutionaries (red, yellow and black) are the color theme of the official state flag of the Kingdom of Belgium.
The artificial state mirage following the Congress of Vienna did not stand the test of time. The social mood of the inhabitants of the southern part of the Netherlands was disturbed for many reasons. The Dutch dominated political institutions, and the industrial revolution took place mainly in the north, with the port of Amsterdam at the forefront. In addition, from the religious point of view, the southern part was inhabited mainly by Catholics, and the northern by Protestants. These events were compounded by the language reform, which was intended to make the Dutch official in the Flemish provinces, which caused opposition from the French-speaking population. The result of this was the outbreak of the Belgian revolution on August 25, 1830 at the Royal Theater in Brussels, initiated by Catholic insurgents. As a result of the uprising, the nation separated from the Netherlands and the Constitution was promulgated. On July 21, 1831, King Leopold I took the royal oath. This date is symbolically considered the end of the Belgian revolution, the beginning of the existence of the Kingdom of Belgium and is now the date of the National Day of Belgium.
The divide
Belgium is a federal state, which means that it gives its regions broad autonomy and competence. It is divided into three communities: Flemish, French, and German-speaking, as well as three regions: the Flemish Region, where Dutch is spoken, the Walloon Region in which French is dominant, and the bilingual Capital Region of Brussels. As you can see, the constitutional provisions themselves confirm the clear regional and linguistic division of Belgium.
The division of Belgium began to progress in the 20th century, initially developing on a linguistic and cultural background. About 58% of the population lives in the Flemish area, while only 32% live in French-speaking Wallonia. Interestingly, French is the primary language of communication in Brussels, even though the Capital Region is located in Flanders. After the end of the Walloon economic crisis of the 1960s, the division between North Flanders and South Wallonia widened. The result was the introduction of three autonomous regions, mentioned earlier. The initiator of changes was the Flemish, who seek to strengthen the economic independence of the wealthier North.
Wallonia is characterized by a predominance of agricultural and raw material areas, while Flanders has extensive industrial areas, with one of the largest world ports in Antwerp. This is also confirmed by GDP of individual regions. Enough to say that out of ten Belgian provinces - in terms of nominal GDP value, the top five has only one Walloon province - Hainaut. Nominally, the Flemish regions contribute to Belgium's GDP more than 2.5 times more than the Walloon. The average GDP per capita in Wallonia is almost 1/3 lower than in Flanders. In addition, the lack of ethnic and cultural identity intensifies the threat of the division of Belgium into two countries: the first constituting today's Flanders and the second covering the territories of today's Walloon and Capital Brussels region. However, even such a division encounters practical difficulties connected with the fact that the Capital Region is geographically located in the Flemish areas, hence it would generate further ethnic and cultural conflicts. Sometimes other solutions are also discussed, such as the creation of three separate regions: Flemish, Walloon and capital in the shape of Washington D.C. The merger of Wallonia with France was also discussed, but none of the concepts gained popular support.
Political crisis
In 2007, some polls indicated that more than 40% of Flemish people were in favor of Flanders independence. On this wave, the Flemish coalition won the elections of 2007, but it did not allow for independent rule. It took 541 days until it was possible to form the government composed of Flemish and Walloon parties. Despite the breakthrough in the political crisis of 2007-2011 and the creation of subsequent governments composed mainly of Flemish parties, the issue of the division of Belgium is still appearing in public debate, in particular through nationalist (N-VA) and extremist (PVDA-PTB and VB) parties.
Separatism
There are noticeable separatist movements specific to each Belgian region, with Flemish being the most active in seeking the creation of an autonomous state. A manifestation of the Flemish movement is the activity of the N-VA party, the New-Flemish Alliance. In recent years, the N-VA has won a record scale of support in Flanders and plays an important role in the Belgian Parliament, where it joined the government coalition in 2014-2018. Currently, there is also another Flemish separatist party in the parliament - the Flemish Bloc.
The separatist movements are particularly active in the context of terrorist attacks, which reinforces nationalist and anti-immigration views. An example of this could be the wave of protests that broke out in 2016 after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam in Brussels - one of the terrorists responsible for the November attacks in Paris 2015. And also after the terrorist attacks in Brussels itself.
One, true Belgian
The issue of the division of Belgium is still relevant, and although the coalition government has now been created and the separatist tensions have diminished, one can be sure that the subject of Flanders' separation from Belgium will return. On the one hand, the difficulty in separating Flanders results from deep geopolitical and institutional connections. Belgium is a member of NATO and the European Union. Moreover, Brussels is the "heart" of the EU institutions and is the arena for the most important decisions taken within the EU. On the other hand, the economic situation during the crisis facing the world and the deepening crisis of the European Union will favor the separatist movements in Belgium. The lack of ethnic, cultural and linguistic unity and the low level of national identity, combined with the collapse of political stability in Europe, will increase the separatist tone in Belgium. If the fact is that the only true Belgian is the king, then Belgium should ensure that he is not the last as well.
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