Hypothetical partition of Belgium: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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The area now constituting Belgium had been incorporated into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been created to consolidate all Dutch-majority territories and serve as a buffer against the expansionist ambitions of France. However, this placed the French-speaking Walloon region under Dutch-majority rule and the Dutch king, causing considerable socio-political friction and leading to the outbreak of revolution in 1830. The domination of the Dutch over the economic, political, and social institutions, while the people of Walloon had little influence over the economy and resented Dutch control. While the Dutch king was a [[Calvinism|Calvinist]], the |
The area now constituting Belgium had been incorporated into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been created to consolidate all Dutch-majority territories and serve as a buffer against the expansionist ambitions of France. However, this placed the French-speaking Walloon region under Dutch-majority rule and the Dutch king, causing considerable socio-political friction and leading to the outbreak of revolution in 1830. The domination of the Dutch over the economic, political, and social institutions, while the people of Walloon had little influence over the economy and resented Dutch control. While the Dutch king was a [[Calvinism|Calvinist]], the Belgians were [[Catholics]]. The Dutch provinces represented a majority in the elected Lower Assembly, where the Belgians felt significantly under-represented. |
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[[Image:Talleyrand partition plan.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Belgium, French partition plan, 1830]] |
[[Image:Talleyrand partition plan.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Belgium, French partition plan, 1830]] |
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Major European powers (which included France, [[Germany]] and the [[United Kingdom]]) were divided over their response to the revolution of the |
Major European powers (which included France, [[Germany]] and the [[United Kingdom]]) were divided over their response to the revolution of the Belgian people against the Dutch royal authorities.<ref name="TL">[http://www.talleyrand.be/neutrality_of_belgium.htm Talleyrand plan]</ref> France favored the secession of Belgium from the Netherlands, hoping to annex all or at least part of the area, which was also the aim of most of the insurgents. After this project had been rejected by the other European powers, which supported the continued union of the Netherlands, [[Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord]], the French ambassador to the United Kingdom, proposed a partition of the Southern Netherlands (most areas of modern Belgium).<ref name="TL">[http://www.talleyrand.be/neutrality_of_belgium.htm Talleyrand plan]</ref> To this end, the parts of the provinces of [[Liège (province)|Liège]], of Limburg and of [[Namur (province)|Namur]] east of the Meuse river as well as the cities of Maastricht and [[Liège (city)|Liège]] and the [[Grand Duchy of Luxembourg]] would go to [[Prussia]]. Part of the province of [[East Flanders]], nearly all of the province of [[Brabant (province)|Brabant]], the province of [[Hainaut (province)|Hainaut]] and the province of Namur west of the Meuse would be assigned to France. The province of [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]] - except the city of [[Antwerp]] itself - and the province of [[Limburg (United Kingdom of the Netherlands)|Limburg]], west of the [[Meuse]] river - except [[Maastricht]] - would remain with the Netherlands, as would a small part of the province of Brabant, the former Oranje Lordship of [[Diest]]. [[West Flanders]], most of East Flanders, including [[Zeeuws-Vlaanderen]], and the city of [[Antwerp]] were to form the '''Free State of Antwerp''', under British protection.<ref name="TL">[http://www.talleyrand.be/neutrality_of_belgium.htm Talleyrand plan]</ref> |
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However, the plan was not accepted and Belgium was established as an essential [[buffer state]] against France's expansionist ambitions.<ref name="NYT">[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/world/europe/21belgium.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin Calls for a Breakup Grow Ever Louder]</ref> The regions of Walloon and Flanders were unified as a state under the German prince, [[Leopold I]] of [[Saxe-Coburg]]. Talleyrand described the new country as "an artificial construction, consisting of different peoples."<ref name="EU">[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/542 Dark roots of the EU]</ref> Just before his death in 1865, King Leopold I told his son that "nothing holds the country together" and that "it cannot continue to exist." To his secretary, Jules Van Praet, he said "Belgium has no nationality and it can never have one. Basically, Belgium has no political reason to exist."<ref name="EU">[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/542 Dark roots of the EU]</ref> |
However, the plan was not accepted and Belgium was established as an essential [[buffer state]] against France's expansionist ambitions.<ref name="NYT">[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/world/europe/21belgium.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin Calls for a Breakup Grow Ever Louder]</ref> The regions of Walloon and Flanders were unified as a state under the German prince, [[Leopold I]] of [[Saxe-Coburg]]. Talleyrand described the new country as "an artificial construction, consisting of different peoples."<ref name="EU">[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/542 Dark roots of the EU]</ref> Just before his death in 1865, King Leopold I told his son that "nothing holds the country together" and that "it cannot continue to exist." To his secretary, Jules Van Praet, he said "Belgium has no nationality and it can never have one. Basically, Belgium has no political reason to exist."<ref name="EU">[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/542 Dark roots of the EU]</ref> |
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The Belgian State was dominated by the French rebels, who retaliated against the Dutch. French became the official language; Dutch, as well as [[Walloon language|Walloon]] were banned in schools. Though postage stamps read "Belgique-België," the Belgian Civil Code was not translated into Dutch until 1967. For much of the 19th century, [[Brussels]] had been a Dutch-majority city, but a deliberate policy of "Frenchification" promoted by the government converted the city into a multilingual city with a large French population.<ref name="EU2">[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/739 King Warns For Dissolution of Belgium]</ref> The government remained centralized and under |
The Belgian State was dominated by the French-speaking rebels, who retaliated against the Dutch. French became the official language; Dutch, as well as [[Walloon language|Walloon]] were banned in schools. Though postage stamps read "Belgique-België," the Belgian Civil Code was not translated into Dutch until 1967. For much of the 19th century, [[Brussels]] had been a Dutch-majority city, but a deliberate policy of "Frenchification" promoted by the government converted the city into a multilingual city with a large French population.<ref name="EU2">[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/739 King Warns For Dissolution of Belgium]</ref> The government remained centralized and under Francophone domination, with Dutch political and cultural autonomy minimized. Separatist currents remained active, with Flemish separatists collaborating with [[Nazi Germany]] during [[World War II]] in hope of securing the abolition of Belgium and Flemish independence.<ref name="EU">[http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/542 Dark roots of the EU]</ref> |
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==Modern conflicts== |
==Modern conflicts== |
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Revision as of 11:06, 27 November 2007
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 Belgium portal |
The partition of Belgium is a political concept promoting the dissolution of the Belgian State through the separation of the Dutch-speaking peoples of the Flanders region from the French-speaking peoples of the Walloon region, granting them either independence or respective accession to the Netherlands and France. The concept is rooted in the long-standing ethnic and socio-economic tensions between the two communities as well as the geographic, historic and cultural continuity of the Walloon region with France and that of the Flanders region with the Netherlands.
Antagonism between the two communities dates back to the creation of the Belgian State after the revolution of 1830, when the French-speaking peoples rebelled against the hegemony of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, seeking to align with France. Major European powers were divided over the fallout of the revolution, with the Talleyrand plan proposing the carving up of territories between the Netherlands, France, Great Britain and Prussia. Ultimately, the state of Belgium gained independence as a buffer state between France and the Netherlands and composed of provinces of both French-speaking and Dutch-speaking peoples. In the centuries that followed, socio-economic imbalances fueled resentment between the communities.
The communities remain segregated in linguistically-dominated provinces, while the minorities are disenfranchised in local government and services. Elections and national governments are dominated by coalitions of local and ethnic political parties. The on-going crisis over the formation of a coalition government in the aftermath of the 2007 elections, coupled with the rise of extremist political parties amongst both communities has given a fresh impetus to the issue, with recent opinion polls showing sizable support amongst Belgians. However, support for a unified state remains strong amongst the majority of people, with the monarchy, strong national institutions and the geopolitical importance of the multicultural Brussels serving as unifying elements.
Regional demographics
As no census exists, there are no official statistics on Belgium's three official languages or their dialects. Various criteria, including the language(s) of parents, of education, or the second-language status of foreign born, may affect suggested figures. An estimated 59%[1] of the Belgian population speaks Dutch (often referred to as Flemish), and French is spoken by 40%. Total Dutch speakers are 6.23 million, concentrated in the northern Flanders region, while French speakers comprise 3.32 million in Wallonia and an estimated 0.87 million or 85% of the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.[2][3] The German-speaking Community is made up of 73,000 people in the east of the Walloon Region; around 10,000 German and 60,000 Belgian nationals are speakers of German. Roughly 23,000 more of German speakers live in municipalities near the official Community.[4] The Capital Region having bilingual status obliges its authorities to attend to people and organisations in French or Dutch language as these prefer, and to show street names in both languages on the plates, but does not allow a bilingual school as education belongs to either the French Community or the Flemish one. Geographically, it is an enclave in the Flemish Region though near Wallonia. Constitutionally, it is a politically distinct Region, while within its boundaries both the Flemish and French Communities exercise their authority. Its local language until shortly before Belgium's independence used to be Dutch, now mainly spoken by approximately 0.15 million residents, or a 15% minority.
History
The area now constituting Belgium had been incorporated into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been created to consolidate all Dutch-majority territories and serve as a buffer against the expansionist ambitions of France. However, this placed the French-speaking Walloon region under Dutch-majority rule and the Dutch king, causing considerable socio-political friction and leading to the outbreak of revolution in 1830. The domination of the Dutch over the economic, political, and social institutions, while the people of Walloon had little influence over the economy and resented Dutch control. While the Dutch king was a Calvinist, the Belgians were Catholics. The Dutch provinces represented a majority in the elected Lower Assembly, where the Belgians felt significantly under-represented.
Major European powers (which included France, Germany and the United Kingdom) were divided over their response to the revolution of the Belgian people against the Dutch royal authorities.[5] France favored the secession of Belgium from the Netherlands, hoping to annex all or at least part of the area, which was also the aim of most of the insurgents. After this project had been rejected by the other European powers, which supported the continued union of the Netherlands, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, the French ambassador to the United Kingdom, proposed a partition of the Southern Netherlands (most areas of modern Belgium).[5] To this end, the parts of the provinces of Liège, of Limburg and of Namur east of the Meuse river as well as the cities of Maastricht and Liège and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg would go to Prussia. Part of the province of East Flanders, nearly all of the province of Brabant, the province of Hainaut and the province of Namur west of the Meuse would be assigned to France. The province of Antwerp - except the city of Antwerp itself - and the province of Limburg, west of the Meuse river - except Maastricht - would remain with the Netherlands, as would a small part of the province of Brabant, the former Oranje Lordship of Diest. West Flanders, most of East Flanders, including Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, and the city of Antwerp were to form the Free State of Antwerp, under British protection.[5]
However, the plan was not accepted and Belgium was established as an essential buffer state against France's expansionist ambitions.[6] The regions of Walloon and Flanders were unified as a state under the German prince, Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg. Talleyrand described the new country as "an artificial construction, consisting of different peoples."[7] Just before his death in 1865, King Leopold I told his son that "nothing holds the country together" and that "it cannot continue to exist." To his secretary, Jules Van Praet, he said "Belgium has no nationality and it can never have one. Basically, Belgium has no political reason to exist."[7]
The Belgian State was dominated by the French-speaking rebels, who retaliated against the Dutch. French became the official language; Dutch, as well as Walloon were banned in schools. Though postage stamps read "Belgique-België," the Belgian Civil Code was not translated into Dutch until 1967. For much of the 19th century, Brussels had been a Dutch-majority city, but a deliberate policy of "Frenchification" promoted by the government converted the city into a multilingual city with a large French population.[8] The government remained centralized and under Francophone domination, with Dutch political and cultural autonomy minimized. Separatist currents remained active, with Flemish separatists collaborating with Nazi Germany during World War II in hope of securing the abolition of Belgium and Flemish independence.[7]
Modern conflicts
In the late 19th century, Belgium's urban classes promoted a nationalist ideology called Belgicisme, which advocating the unification and integration of Belgium's Dutch and French peoples through centralized government, socio-economic development and welfare state.[7] Synchronized attempts to forge a national identity and culture have proven unable to forestall ethno-linguistic rivalries. The elites and intellectuals of Walloon protested plans to recognize Dutch as an official language, which had been the demand of the newly organized Flemish political parties. The demand would be ultimately granted in the 1930s, but the Flemish movement would continue to struggle for the recognition of Dutch as the sole language of Flanders. Walloons supported the "Frenchification" of Brussels, and ethnic rivalries over the status of the city finally led to it being declared a multilingual city in 1962.
The central government focused its resources on the development of Walloon's industrial and mining base, while the largely agrarian Flemish peoples trailed in socio-economic development, leading to widespread demands for regional autonomy and the correction of imbalances in taxation, social services and representation. The deterioration of the Walloon industrial base in the late 20th century occurred parallel to the growth of service and technological industries in Flanders, aggravating socio-economic tensions. Modern Fleming demands center over the alleged over-taxation of Flanders and insufficient autonomy and complaints over the concentration of social services in Walloon. The Flemish movement has inspired the growth of Flemish nationalist political parties such as the Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) and the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (New-Flemish Alliance) that seek greater autonomy and are widely perceived to favor the independence of Flanders. The Rassemblement Wallonie-France was formed by Walloons to advocate the outright accession of Walloon to France.
Since the 1960s, Belgian political parties and civic organizations have witnessed bifurcation of membership and organizations between Walloon and Flanders. Ethnic tensions affect the working of local governments, which often pass laws prohibiting the use of the language of the respective minority populations. Significant pressures in living conditions have kept the two main communities separate and confined to their majority regions; stark ethnic segregation has emerged in Brussels, the capital and largest city of the country.[6] Despite the diversity of the national capital Brussels, ethnic tensions have affected the city's neighborhoods, with local government services, health-care and public amenities impaired and divided on linguistic lines.[9]
2007 government formation crisis
The Belgian general election, 2007 resulted in no political party or coalition gaining enough seats to form a working majority. The present crisis has continued now for over 160 days, leaving Belgium without a government with a popular mandate.[10] While the out-going prime minister Guy Verhofstadt's lame duck ministry remains in power as caretaker, several leading politicians have been nominated without success by the King[11] in order to build a stable governmental coalition. While considered to be the main choice for the post of prime minister, Flemish politician Yves Leterme's singing the Marseillaise when in French requested to sing the Belgian anthem on a national holiday proved to be a humiliating and controversial gaffe. Leterme's behavior drew condemnation from different communities, aggravating distrust and separatist sentiments.[6] Members of the Vlaams Belang party have called for a splitting of the country and claim of a national identity, culture and institutions, and claim Belgium is an "unnatural" and "artificial" state,[12] formed simply as a buffer between France and other European powers over 19th century conflicts.
Although most Flemish political parties describe their demands as limited to seeking greater regional autonomy and decentralization of government, public opinion polls have shown that approximately 46% of Flemish people support secession from Belgium. Many French-speakers maintain that there is sufficient regional autonomy and that Flemish demands are exaggerated and separatist in nature.[13] However, the diversity of Brussels and its significant economic and geopolitical importance in the Western hemisphere as the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, make it a unifying force, making partition unlikely at least for the near future.[6] In response to heightening domestic and international speculation regarding the country's future, the Belgian government has launched a public relations campaign through its embassies worldwide to assuage concerns and fight all speculation that Belgium's division is impending, as indicated by numerous recent public opinion polls.[9] The King of the Belgians rejected notions and speculation over a change in the nature of the Belgian state as part of proposals for the formation of a working government.
On November 18, 2007 an estimated 25,000 people marched in Brussels to support the unity of Belgium. The march was organized by Marie-Claire Houart whose petition calling for unity has been signed by 140,000 Belgians.[14]
The Belgian Chamber of Representatives on 22 November 2007 rejected the consideration of a proposed resolution to dissolve Belgium.[15] The resolution had been introduced on October 29 by Bart Laeremans, Gerolf Annemans, Filip De Man and Linda Vissers (Vlaams Belang) and called upon the Federal Government to "take without delay the measures necessary for the purpose of preparing the break-up of the Belgian State, so that the three communities - Flemings, Walloons and Germans - can go their own separate ways."[16] Most Flemish parties voted against the consideration of the proposal.[17] The three members of the New-Flemish Alliance abstained, together with three members of CD&V.[18]
Recent polls in 'Editie NL', a Dutch news program on the commercial station RTL 4 and newspaper De Dag (The Day) in the Netherlands have shown that between 45% and 77% of Dutch nationals (both polls showed different results) would support a merge of their country with Flanders.[19] A similar poll held in France showed that a majority of French citizens would support a merger of the Walloon region with France, if Belgium ceased to exist.[20]
Political parties promoting the partition
Flemish
- Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest)[21] (In the 10 June 2007 general elections, the party won 17 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives )
- Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (New-Flemish Alliance) (5 seats)
Walloon
- Rassemblement Wallonie-France (Wallonia-France Rally) [22] (no seats)
Political parties explicitly opposed to the partition
- Belgian Union[23] (no seats)
- Workers Party of Belgium (no seats)
- Front National[24] (one seat)
References
- ^ Footnote: Native speakers of Dutch living in Wallonia and of French in Flanders are relatively small minorities which furthermore largely balance one another, hence counting all inhabitants of each unilingual area to the area's language can cause only insignificant inaccuracies (99% can speak the language). Dutch: Flanders' 6.079 million inhabitants and about 15% of Brussels' 1.019 million are 6.23 million or 59.3% of the 10.511 million inhabitants of Belgium (2006); German: 70,400 in the German-speaking Community (which has language facilities for its less than 5% French-speakers), and an estimated 20,000–25,000 speakers of German in the Walloon Region outside the geographical boundaries of their official Community, or 0.9%; French: in the latter area as well as mainly in the rest of Wallonia (3.414 - 0.093 = 3.321 million) and 85% of the Brussels inhabitants (0.866 million) thus 4.187 million or 39.8%; together indeed 100%;
- ^ Flemish Academic Eric Corijn (initiator of Charta 91), at a colloquium regarding Brussels, on 2001-12-05, states that in Brussels there is 91% of the population speaking French at home, either alone or with another language, and there is about 20% speaking Dutch at home, either alone (9%) or with French (11%) – After ponderation, the repartition can be estimated at between 85 and 90% French-speaking, and the remaining are Dutch-speaking, corresponding to the estimations based on languages chosen in Brussels by citizens for their official documents (ID, driving licenses, weddings, birth, death, and so on); all these statistics on language are also available at Belgian Department of Justice (for weddings, birth, death), Department of Transport (for Driving licenses), Department of Interior (for IDs), because there are no means to know precisely the proportions since Belgium has abolished 'official' linguistic censuses, thus official documents on language choices can only be estimations. For a web source on this topic, see e.g. General online sources: Janssens, Rudi
- ^
"Belgium Market background". British Council. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
The capital Brussels, 80–85 percent French-speaking, ...
– Strictly, the capital is the municipality (City of) Brussels, though the Brussels-Capital Region might be intended because of its name and also its other municipalities housing institutions typical for a capital. - ^
"Citizens from other countries in the German-speaking Community". The German-speaking Community. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
* "German (Belgium) — Overview of the language". Mercator, Minority Language Media in the European Union, supported by the European Commission and the University of Wales. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
*Leclerc, Jacques , membre associé du TLFQ (2006-04-19). "Belgique • België • Belgien — La Communauté germanophone de Belgique". L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde (in French). Host: Trésor de la langue française au Québec (TLFQ), Université Laval, Quebec. Retrieved 2007-05-07.{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ a b c Talleyrand plan
- ^ a b c d Calls for a Breakup Grow Ever Louder
- ^ a b c d Dark roots of the EU
- ^ King Warns For Dissolution of Belgium
- ^ a b Belgium's embassies instructed to deny partition sentiments
- ^ Belgium's political crisis lasts 100 days
- ^ Footnote: During the government formation periods, the King of the Belgians nominates the governmental formateurs and informateurs and therefore acts as a mediator between the different political parties. However it is not clear whether the head of the Belgian state acts on his own initiative or only on the advice of senior politicians issued of the parliaments, of the caretaker government or of the Council of the Crown.
- ^ Belgium? Something that does not exist
- ^ Political crisis pushes Belgium closer to partition
- ^ AP (2007-11-18). "Belgians angered by political deadlock march to promote national unity". Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
An estimated 25,000 people marched in Belgium's capital Sunday to vent their anger about a political deadlock that has prevented a government from taking office and stoked fears the nation of Dutch- and French-speakers may break apart.[...] Marie-Claire Houart's petition calling for unity has been signed by 140,000 Belgians in recent weeks. It urges politicians 'to stop wasting money at our expense on quarrels that interest only a small minority.'
- ^ "Kamer stemt splitsingsvoorstel België weg" (in Dutch). De Standaard Online. 2007-11-22. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Proposal of Resolution to break-up the Belgian State with a view to granting independence to the sovereign Flemish and Walloon peoples" (PDF) (in Dutch and French). The Belgian Chamber of Representatives. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "Separatist motion rejected". Vrtnieuws.net. 2007-11-22. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Kamer stemt Vlaams Belang-voorstel weg" (in Dutch). Vrtnieuws.net. 2007-11-22. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Flanders-Netherlands: a new Lowlands?". Expatica.
Some 45 per cent of Dutch nationals would welcome a merger between the Netherlands and the Flemish community in Belgium, according to polling agency Maurice de Hond.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Les Français majoritairement pour le rattachement de la Wallonie [Transl.: A majority of the French support union of Wallonia with France]". Le journal du dimanche au quotidien.
Vous personnellement, en cas d'éclatement de la Belgique, seriez-vous favorable ou pas favorable au rattachement de la Wallonie, c'est-à-dire des provinces francophones, à la France? 44%, Plutôt favorable; 18%, Plutôt pas favorable; 23%, Pas du tout favorable; 5%, Ne se prononce pas; 10%, Tout à fait favorable. Etude réalisée du 8 au 9 novembre [2007] auprès d'un échantillon de 958 personnes, représentatif de la population française âgée de 18 ans et plus. [Transl. To you personally, in case of splitting of Belgium, would you be favourable or not favourable to the unification of Wallonia, that is to say of the [Belgian] French-speaking provinces, to France? 44%, rather favourable; 18%, Rather not favourable; 23%, In no way favourable; 5 %, Is not pronounced; 10 %, Wholly favourable. Study accomplished from 8 till 9 November to a sample of 958 persons, representative of the French population of 18 and more years old.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Manifesto of the Vlaams Belang".
The Vlaams Belang strives for the secession of Flanders from the artificial Belgian state. Our aim is to dissolve Belgium and establish an independent Flemish state. This state will be sovereign over the Dutch-speaking territory of Belgium and will include Brussels, which is the capital of Flanders but will have a separate linguistic status. accessmonthday= October 17
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help); line feed character in|quote=at position 344 (help) - ^ "Manifesto of the Rassemblement Walonie-France (2002)".
The necessary alliance of our two regions, Wallonia and Brussels, with France would [...] have to be organised in line with that concept of our national identity. That would entail negotiations sanctioned by a referendum. Some form of special status may be envisaged for Brussels. As for the population of Fourons, the six Brussels outlying communes and the German-speaking communes, they would of course be consulted on their status by means of a referendum under international control.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^
- Template:Nl"Volledige programma van B.U.B. in PDF".
De Belgische Unie – Union belge (B.U.B.) is een centrumpartij, opgericht in 2002, die als einddoel heeft de creatie van een nieuw unitair België, d.w.z. met één regering en één parlement, zonder gewesten en gemeenschappen, met provinciale decentralisatie op basis van 9 provincies (wat de hereniging van Brabant inhoudt), behoud van de taalwetten en een actieve politiek van tweetaligheid.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - Template:Fr"Le programme complet du B.U.B. en pdf".
L'Union belge (Belgische Unie – B.U.B.) est un parti centriste, créé en 2002, qui a pour but final la création d'une nouvelle Belgique unitaire, c'est-à-dire avec un seul gouvernement, un seul parlement sans communautés ni régions, avec une décentralisation sur la base de 9 provinces (ce qui implique la réunification du Brabant) avec le maintien des lois linguistiques et une politique active de bilinguisme. [Transl.: The Belgian Union is a centrist party, founded in 2002, which has as final aim the building of a new unitary Belgium, i.e. with a single government, a single parliament without communities nor regions, with a decentralization on the basis of the 9 provinces (which implies the reunification of the province of Brabant) maintaining the linguistic laws and with an active politic promoting bilingualism]
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- Template:Nl"Volledige programma van B.U.B. in PDF".
- ^ Template:Fr"Programme du Front National".
7. Maintenir l'unité de la Belgique dans le cadre fédéral actuel. Le Front National propose à tous les Belges une paix communautaire. Il souligne les liens culturels et historiques qui, depuis des siècles, unissent nos populations de langues germanique et romane. L'unité de la Belgique lui assure, au niveau international, un poids politique et économique que nous entendons préserver. [Transl.: 7. Maintaining the Unity of Belgium within the current federal system. The National Front offers all Belgians a communitary peace. It underlines the cultural and historical links which, for centuries, unify our folks of Germanic and Roman languages. The unity of Belgium provide, at international level, a political and economical weight that we intend to preserve.]
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