Perceptions of the Troubled Relationship between the Flemish and French-speaking Communities in Belgium

Abstract

Over a period of thirty years, Belgium evolved from a unitary to a federal state consisting of three regions and three communities. This long-term process of continuous state reform was characterised by a series of conflicts between the linguistic communities, and political negotiations which attempted to keep the balance between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking populations. After the 2007 elections, formation of the new government took 194 days, an all-time record, and resulted in the first politically asymmetrical federal government. Pessimistic reporting in the domestic and international news questioned the future of Belgium as a nation state. In this paper, various post-war crises between the linguistic communities are compared with the 2007–2008 deadlock and an illustration is presented of how Belgium has been continuously troubled with friction between the linguistic communities. It concludes that the most recent crisis may not be perceived as a unique phenomenon, although various political, social and international developments have introduced a number of essential innovations and changes.