Municipalities with linguistic facilities
Encyclopedia
The municipalities with language facilities, occasionally called municipalities with linguistic facilities or shortly municipalities with facilities (Dutch
: faciliteitengemeenten fɐ.si.li.ˈtɛi̯t.ʝə.ˌmeːn.tə(n), French
: communes à facilités, German
: Fazilitäten-Gemeinden), are municipalities
in Belgium
with legal provisions to protect rights of their (historic) linguistic minorities
. They are so-called municipalities with a special status. The term commune with linguistic facilities can also be found. In all these titles the term language facilities is difficult to interpret and has a double meaning. Facilities has its most common meaning in English of something made to provide a service, as in educational facilities (schools). The extent to which the municipalities provide services in another Belgian language is explored below. To understand why providing these facilities would be of interest, the other meaning of facilities as easings must be made. The types of facilities depend on the various degrees to which easing up on the restrictions to the use of another of the official languages by residents of the designated municipalities are made. The various degrees of easing up on language restrictions have been the topic of intense political discourse in Belgium for several decades, at least.
In these municipalities, the minority language can be used to deal with local and federal government and for teaching in some primary schools. The majority language must, however, be used for dealing with provincial and regional authorities and secondary school teaching. French-speakers in Flanders
and in the German language area, as well as Dutch- and German-speakers in Wallonia, can get administrative documents from local authorities and some federal authorities in their mother tongue. Legislation in these municipalities provides for equal public funding for primary schools for the language minority as well as information in the minority language from the national railway company. For public services and documents from intermediate authorities (such as the provincial and regional authorities), such rights do not exist (although on a voluntary basis, certain summary information is provided in the facilities' language).
The Belgian law of June 28, 1932 on the use of languages for administrative matters based the language status of every Belgian municipality on the decennial census that included, since 1846, several language questions about the knowledge as well as the day-to-day practice. The criterion to belong to the Flemish or Walloon language area was the a threshold of 50%; whereas with a threshold of 30% the municipal authorities had to offer services in the minority language as well. A municipality could ask the government to change its linguistic status by a royal decree only after a census showed a passage over the 30% or 50% threshold.
The German- and Luxembourgish-speaking minorities in Eastern Wallonia were not mentioned in the 1921 or 1931 laws. The German-speaking minority was mostly settled in the 'Eastern Cantons', several Prussian municipalities ceded to Belgium by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles
and administered from 1920 to 1925 by a Belgian military High Commissioner. There was, and still is, a Luxembourgish-speaking minority in some municipalities bordering the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The 1932 law was implemented only once, as the invasion of Belgium by Nazi Germany
in 1940 prevented the organization of the decennial census, which was organized in 1947 and applied only on July 2, 1954, when an ad hoc law modifying the law of June 28, 1932 on the use of languages for administrative matters transferred three previously unilingual Flemish municipalities with language facilities to the French-speaking minority (Evere
, Ganshoren
and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe/Sint-Agatha-Berchem
) to the bilingual region of Brussels, thus and introduced language facilities for the French-speaking minority in four previously unilingual Flemish municipalities (Drogenbos
, Kraainem
, Wemmel
and Linkebeek
).
), the bilingual area of Brussels-Capital, (whose borders came to determine those of the present Brussels-Capital Region), the French language area and the German language (together coinciding with Wallonia).
The situation around Brussels (in the rim municipalities, see below) differs from the situation along the border between Flanders and Wallonia, and between the German and French-speaking areas in Wallonia, where certain municipalities have had linguistic minorities for several centuries. The language border appears quite stable and peaceful, except for the municipalities of Voeren (French: Fourons) and, to a much lesser extent, Mouscron
(Dutch: Moeskroen) and Comines-Warneton
(Dutch: Komen-Waasten).
In the early 1990s, a revision of the Belgian Constitution
made it more difficult to change the language status of the concerned municipalities by requiring that any such change had to gain a majority in each of the two language groups in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Previously, an overall majority would have been enough, which could have in theory allowed a near-unanimity of Flemish representatives to impose an abolition of the facilities against the unanimous wish of the French-speaking representatives. This revision of the Constitution was widely seen by French-speakers as a recognition that language facilities had a permanent status.
In terms of objective observations, one notes the following:
Since the 1988 reform which transferred educational matters from the federal government's level to the Communities’ level, the hosting Community is responsibility to finance schools that meet the above criteria. However, the finances come from a special federal fund, which is shared between Communities according to the number of schools/pupils they respectively have in charge under the above legal arrangements. Annual subvention: nearly 10 million Euros.
In conformity with the above legal arrangements:
In addition, the Decree of the Belgian French-speaking Community of 13 July 1998 and subsequent decrees and circulars on the organisation of education authorise schools which are funded by the French-speaking Community to offer language immersion
education. In 2011, the French-speaking Community finances 152 nursery & primary schools and 101 secondary schools providing such type of education in Wallonia and Brussels. Out of them, 118 nursery & primary schools and 76 secondary schools use Dutch as language of immersion and 16 are located in municipalities with language facilities for Dutch-speakers:
Apart from the above, there are also:
In 2011, Dutch-peaking schools in Wallonia and French-speaking schools in Flanders are respectively inspected by Dutch-speaking / French-speaking school-inspectors. In 2007, the Flemish government had decided that French-speaking schools in Flanders should be inspected by Flemish inspectors but the Constitutionnal Court cancelled this decision in 2010 for the municipalities with language facilities around Brussels and confirmed its judgement in 2011 while extending it to all Flemish municipalities with language facilities for French-speakers.
In the late 1990s, two Flemish ministers (Leo Peeters and Luc Vandenbrande) proposed a stricter interpretation of the above laws and instructed the Flemish municipalities with facilities for the French-speakers to send all documents only in Dutch and to provide a French translated version only to people who would place an individual formal request which should be renewed for every document. These instructions sharpened the practice until then condoned by the Permanent Commission for Language Control, a joint commission set up by the law to control the correct application of the language laws in Belgium.
French-speakers solicitated the Council of Europe to advice on the general situation of protection of national minorities in Belgium and sued, in Belgium, the Flemish Region to restore the previous practice. In 2002, after having sent various representatives to investigate the situation, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
adopted its Resolution 1301 (2002) on Protection of minorities in Belgium supporting French-speakers' claim to be recognised as a "national minority" in the Flemish region, like Dutch-speakers and German-speakers in Wallonia. However, this assembly, contrary to the Belgian and regional legislators and the Belgian and European judiciary, has no legal competency in these matters, only a moral one. With regard to the case opened in Belgium: in 2004, in a rare case of disavowing the recommendation of its Auditor, the 12th Flemish Chamber of the Council of State
judged that the Flemish interpretation of the linguistic laws did not contradict the aforementioned laws. French speakers have generally considered that this ruling was politically motivated and legally unsound; and have kept demanding that the Flemish interpretation of linguistic laws be softened and that Belgium ratifies the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
as per the Council of Europe's recommendations (a demand presently blocked by most Flemish political parties).
Until now, neither the French-speaking authorities nor the German-speaking authorities have taken any formal step to restrict language facilities in a similar way for the Dutch/French/German-speakers living in Walloon municipalities with language facilities. However, in 2005 the Flemish newspaper De Tijd pointed out that the documents sent to the residents of the Walloon municipality of Enghien/Edingen were generally written only in French while including just a small note in Dutch asking the receiver to inform whether he/she wished to get a Dutch copy. Since then, the municipality has corrected this practice.
demanding that the current language facilities should be phased out, especially for the recent 'migrants' around Brussels. For the facilities in the municipalities with historic minorities on the Walloon-Flemish border, there is still a willingness to consider maintaining them on condition of reciprocity (that these facilities are also properly implemented in Wallonia).
French-speakers want to maintain all current facilities in Flanders
, the more militant wing wanting to extend them in scope and/or area. French-speaking political parties, especially, protested against the Flemish ministerial circular letters from the socialist minister Leo Peeters
(see supra). These circular letters, various additional restrictions put on the use of French in those municipalities, and the claims made by more and more Flemish politicians for the abolition of the facilities has caused a radicalisation of part of the French-speakers, many of whom now think their linguistic rights would be better protected if the "rim" municipalities joined the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region. At the same time, French-speakers from the civil society like Professor Philippe Van Parijs
and French-speakers among the members of the Brussels Enterprises Commerce and Industry association (BECI) made proposals meant at addressing these issues (among others) while addressing at the same time Flemish concerns and demand for respect of the Flemish 'principle of territoriality':
. The other municipalities are called language border municipalities because they lie close to the border with Wallonia.
Wezembeek-Oppem and Kraainem are sometimes referred to as the oostrand (eastern rim). A survey published in Le Soir
on February 14, 2005, indicated that in all six rim municipalities, the majority of the population was French-speaking (the study was unofficial, since the public authorities refuse to undertake a census). More precisely, the survey claimed that the French-speaking population amounts to 55% of the population in Drogenbos, 78% in Kraainem, 79% in Linkebeek, 54% in Wemmel, 72% in Wezembeek-Oppem, and 58% in Sint-Genesius-Rode.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: faciliteitengemeenten fɐ.si.li.ˈtɛi̯t.ʝə.ˌmeːn.tə(n), French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: communes à facilités, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Fazilitäten-Gemeinden), are municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
with legal provisions to protect rights of their (historic) linguistic minorities
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
. They are so-called municipalities with a special status. The term commune with linguistic facilities can also be found. In all these titles the term language facilities is difficult to interpret and has a double meaning. Facilities has its most common meaning in English of something made to provide a service, as in educational facilities (schools). The extent to which the municipalities provide services in another Belgian language is explored below. To understand why providing these facilities would be of interest, the other meaning of facilities as easings must be made. The types of facilities depend on the various degrees to which easing up on the restrictions to the use of another of the official languages by residents of the designated municipalities are made. The various degrees of easing up on language restrictions have been the topic of intense political discourse in Belgium for several decades, at least.
In these municipalities, the minority language can be used to deal with local and federal government and for teaching in some primary schools. The majority language must, however, be used for dealing with provincial and regional authorities and secondary school teaching. French-speakers in Flanders
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
and in the German language area, as well as Dutch- and German-speakers in Wallonia, can get administrative documents from local authorities and some federal authorities in their mother tongue. Legislation in these municipalities provides for equal public funding for primary schools for the language minority as well as information in the minority language from the national railway company. For public services and documents from intermediate authorities (such as the provincial and regional authorities), such rights do not exist (although on a voluntary basis, certain summary information is provided in the facilities' language).
1921-1962
There were three language areas as from the July 31, 1921, law: the Dutch-speaking Flemish area, the French-speaking Walloon area, and the bilingual area of Brussels (capital city). These language areas of 1921 actually had no institutional translation in the structure of the Belgian state, then still constitutionally divided into provinces and municipalities. Thence a French-speaking unilingual municipality could for instance be part of the West Flanders province.The Belgian law of June 28, 1932 on the use of languages for administrative matters based the language status of every Belgian municipality on the decennial census that included, since 1846, several language questions about the knowledge as well as the day-to-day practice. The criterion to belong to the Flemish or Walloon language area was the a threshold of 50%; whereas with a threshold of 30% the municipal authorities had to offer services in the minority language as well. A municipality could ask the government to change its linguistic status by a royal decree only after a census showed a passage over the 30% or 50% threshold.
The German- and Luxembourgish-speaking minorities in Eastern Wallonia were not mentioned in the 1921 or 1931 laws. The German-speaking minority was mostly settled in the 'Eastern Cantons', several Prussian municipalities ceded to Belgium by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and administered from 1920 to 1925 by a Belgian military High Commissioner. There was, and still is, a Luxembourgish-speaking minority in some municipalities bordering the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The 1932 law was implemented only once, as the invasion of Belgium by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in 1940 prevented the organization of the decennial census, which was organized in 1947 and applied only on July 2, 1954, when an ad hoc law modifying the law of June 28, 1932 on the use of languages for administrative matters transferred three previously unilingual Flemish municipalities with language facilities to the French-speaking minority (Evere
Evere
Evere is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. On January 1, 2006 the municipality had a total population of 33,462...
, Ganshoren
Ganshoren
Ganshoren is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. On January 1, 2006 the municipality had a total population of 20,970. The total area is 2.46 km² which gives a population density of 8,541 inhabitants per km².-Pronunciation:* French: * Dutch:...
and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe/Sint-Agatha-Berchem
Sint-Agatha-Berchem
Sint-Agatha-Berchem or Berchem-Sainte-Agathe is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The municipality had a total population of 20,078 on 1 January 2006...
) to the bilingual region of Brussels, thus and introduced language facilities for the French-speaking minority in four previously unilingual Flemish municipalities (Drogenbos
Drogenbos
Drogenbos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Drogenbos proper. On January 1, 2006 Drogenbos had a total population of 4,876. The total area is 2.49 km² which gives a population density of 1,957 inhabitants per...
, Kraainem
Kraainem
Kraainem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper. On January 1, 2006 Kraainem had a total population of 13,150...
, Wemmel
Wemmel
Wemmel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Wemmel proper. On January 1, 2006 Wemmel had a total population of 14,774. The total area is 8.74 km² which gives a population density of 1,690 inhabitants per km².The...
and Linkebeek
Linkebeek
Linkebeek is a Belgian municipality in Flanders, part of the province of Flemish Brabant, in the bilingual electoral and judicial district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, and in the administrative district of Halle-Vilvoorde. The municipality only comprises the town of Linkebeek proper. As of January...
).
1962 onwards
In 1962-1963 four language areas were formally determined: the Dutch language area (now also corresponding with the Flemish RegionFlemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
), the bilingual area of Brussels-Capital, (whose borders came to determine those of the present Brussels-Capital Region), the French language area and the German language (together coinciding with Wallonia).
The situation around Brussels (in the rim municipalities, see below) differs from the situation along the border between Flanders and Wallonia, and between the German and French-speaking areas in Wallonia, where certain municipalities have had linguistic minorities for several centuries. The language border appears quite stable and peaceful, except for the municipalities of Voeren (French: Fourons) and, to a much lesser extent, Mouscron
Mouscron
Mouscron is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. The Mouscron municipality includes the old communes of Dottignies , Luingne, and Herseaux .-Middle Ages:...
(Dutch: Moeskroen) and Comines-Warneton
Comines-Warneton
Comines-Warneton is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006, Comines-Warneton had a total population of 17,562. The total area is 61.09 km² which gives a population density of 287 inhabitants per km². The name "Comines" is believed to have a...
(Dutch: Komen-Waasten).
In the early 1990s, a revision of the Belgian Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
made it more difficult to change the language status of the concerned municipalities by requiring that any such change had to gain a majority in each of the two language groups in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Previously, an overall majority would have been enough, which could have in theory allowed a near-unanimity of Flemish representatives to impose an abolition of the facilities against the unanimous wish of the French-speaking representatives. This revision of the Constitution was widely seen by French-speakers as a recognition that language facilities had a permanent status.
Actual implementation of language facilities
Currently, both Dutch- and French-speakers complain about poor or absent respect by certain authorities for their linguistic rights. Belgian and European courts are frequently solicited to arbitrate. Related political debates often take place in the various Belgian assemblies i.e. the federal, regional and community Parliaments.In terms of objective observations, one notes the following:
Schools
In accordance with Article 6 of the Act on linguistic arrangements in educational matters promulgated on 30 July 1963 and Article 3 of the Royal Decree of 14 March 1960 (implementing Article 4 of the law of 29 May 1959 to which it refers): nursery & primary education may be organised in another national language than the official language of the linguistic area under the condition that:-
-
- at least 16 heads of households residing in the same municipality make an official request for such a school;
- the language most commonly used by their children to be provided with schooling is the considered language
- there is no school providing education in that language at less than 4 kilometres.
-
Since the 1988 reform which transferred educational matters from the federal government's level to the Communities’ level, the hosting Community is responsibility to finance schools that meet the above criteria. However, the finances come from a special federal fund, which is shared between Communities according to the number of schools/pupils they respectively have in charge under the above legal arrangements. Annual subvention: nearly 10 million Euros.
In conformity with the above legal arrangements:
-
-
- The Dutch-speaking Community finances 9 French-speaking nursery & primary schools in Flemish municipalities with language facilities for French-speakers: Drogenbos (1), Linkebeek (1), Sint-Genesius-Rode/Rhode-Saint-Genèse (2), Wemmel (1), Kraainem/Crainhem (1), Wezembeek-Oppem (2), Ronse/Renaix (1)
- The French-speaking Community finances 1 Dutch-speaking nursery & primary school in the Walloon municipality with language facilities for Dutch-speakers of Mouscron/Moeskroen
-
In addition, the Decree of the Belgian French-speaking Community of 13 July 1998 and subsequent decrees and circulars on the organisation of education authorise schools which are funded by the French-speaking Community to offer language immersion
Language immersion
Language immersion is a method of teaching a second language in which the target language is used as the means of instruction. Unlike more traditional language courses, where the target language is simply the subject material, language immersion uses the target language as a teaching tool,...
education. In 2011, the French-speaking Community finances 152 nursery & primary schools and 101 secondary schools providing such type of education in Wallonia and Brussels. Out of them, 118 nursery & primary schools and 76 secondary schools use Dutch as language of immersion and 16 are located in municipalities with language facilities for Dutch-speakers:
-
-
- 8 nursery & primary schools with Dutch language immersionLanguage immersionLanguage immersion is a method of teaching a second language in which the target language is used as the means of instruction. Unlike more traditional language courses, where the target language is simply the subject material, language immersion uses the target language as a teaching tool,...
in Mouscron/Moeskroen (3), Comines-Warneton/Komen-Waasten (1) and Enghien/Edingen (2). - 8 secondary schools with Dutch language immersionLanguage immersionLanguage immersion is a method of teaching a second language in which the target language is used as the means of instruction. Unlike more traditional language courses, where the target language is simply the subject material, language immersion uses the target language as a teaching tool,...
in Mouscron/Moeskroen (4), Comines-Warneton/Komen-Waasten (1) and Enghien/Edingen (3).
- 8 nursery & primary schools with Dutch language immersion
-
Apart from the above, there are also:
-
-
- 1 small private Dutch-speaking nursery & primary school in the Walloon municipality of Comines-Warneton. Since the above legal criteria to establish such a school had not been met, it is financed by the Dutch-language Community.
- 1 special French-speaking school for sick children (falling under a different law) in the Flemish municipality (not with language facilities) of De Haan/Le Coq, linked with the paediatric medical centre of Zeepreventorium. It is financed by the Dutch-language Community.
-
In 2011, Dutch-peaking schools in Wallonia and French-speaking schools in Flanders are respectively inspected by Dutch-speaking / French-speaking school-inspectors. In 2007, the Flemish government had decided that French-speaking schools in Flanders should be inspected by Flemish inspectors but the Constitutionnal Court cancelled this decision in 2010 for the municipalities with language facilities around Brussels and confirmed its judgement in 2011 while extending it to all Flemish municipalities with language facilities for French-speakers.
Communication & Translated documents
The language facilities are regulated by the Belgian laws promulgated on 8 November 1962 and 2 August 1963. The administration of municipalities with facilities is internally monolingual (the administration works in one language) and externally bilingual (it communicate with the population in two languages). Until the 1990s, these laws were implemented in addressing the local residents in their own respective languages and in publishing public notices in both languages.In the late 1990s, two Flemish ministers (Leo Peeters and Luc Vandenbrande) proposed a stricter interpretation of the above laws and instructed the Flemish municipalities with facilities for the French-speakers to send all documents only in Dutch and to provide a French translated version only to people who would place an individual formal request which should be renewed for every document. These instructions sharpened the practice until then condoned by the Permanent Commission for Language Control, a joint commission set up by the law to control the correct application of the language laws in Belgium.
French-speakers solicitated the Council of Europe to advice on the general situation of protection of national minorities in Belgium and sued, in Belgium, the Flemish Region to restore the previous practice. In 2002, after having sent various representatives to investigate the situation, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
adopted its Resolution 1301 (2002) on Protection of minorities in Belgium supporting French-speakers' claim to be recognised as a "national minority" in the Flemish region, like Dutch-speakers and German-speakers in Wallonia. However, this assembly, contrary to the Belgian and regional legislators and the Belgian and European judiciary, has no legal competency in these matters, only a moral one. With regard to the case opened in Belgium: in 2004, in a rare case of disavowing the recommendation of its Auditor, the 12th Flemish Chamber of the Council of State
Council of State (Belgium)
Council of State , in Belgium, is an organ of the Belgian government: it is the Supreme Administrative Court of Belgium. Its functions include assisting the executive with legal advice and being the supreme court for administrative justice...
judged that the Flemish interpretation of the linguistic laws did not contradict the aforementioned laws. French speakers have generally considered that this ruling was politically motivated and legally unsound; and have kept demanding that the Flemish interpretation of linguistic laws be softened and that Belgium ratifies the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was signed on February 1995 by 22 member States of the Council of Europe ....
as per the Council of Europe's recommendations (a demand presently blocked by most Flemish political parties).
Until now, neither the French-speaking authorities nor the German-speaking authorities have taken any formal step to restrict language facilities in a similar way for the Dutch/French/German-speakers living in Walloon municipalities with language facilities. However, in 2005 the Flemish newspaper De Tijd pointed out that the documents sent to the residents of the Walloon municipality of Enghien/Edingen were generally written only in French while including just a small note in Dutch asking the receiver to inform whether he/she wished to get a Dutch copy. Since then, the municipality has corrected this practice.
Court
Belgian courts are extremely reluctant to arbitrate in all matters related to the linguistic and ethnic rights of the various ethnic and language groups in Belgium.Recent trends
Over time, Flemings have become dissatisfied by the continued and growing presence of French-speakers in the "rim" municipalities around Brussels. As a result, there is now a strong and growing reaction in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
demanding that the current language facilities should be phased out, especially for the recent 'migrants' around Brussels. For the facilities in the municipalities with historic minorities on the Walloon-Flemish border, there is still a willingness to consider maintaining them on condition of reciprocity (that these facilities are also properly implemented in Wallonia).
French-speakers want to maintain all current facilities in Flanders
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
, the more militant wing wanting to extend them in scope and/or area. French-speaking political parties, especially, protested against the Flemish ministerial circular letters from the socialist minister Leo Peeters
Leo Peeters
Leo Albert Elisabeth Peeters is a Flemish politician and a member of the Socialist Party Different ....
(see supra). These circular letters, various additional restrictions put on the use of French in those municipalities, and the claims made by more and more Flemish politicians for the abolition of the facilities has caused a radicalisation of part of the French-speakers, many of whom now think their linguistic rights would be better protected if the "rim" municipalities joined the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region. At the same time, French-speakers from the civil society like Professor Philippe Van Parijs
Philippe Van Parijs
Philippe Van Parijs is a Belgian philosopher and political economist, mainly known as a proponent and main defender of the basic income concept.-Education:...
and French-speakers among the members of the Brussels Enterprises Commerce and Industry association (BECI) made proposals meant at addressing these issues (among others) while addressing at the same time Flemish concerns and demand for respect of the Flemish 'principle of territoriality':
-
-
- BECI, on the basis of a study conducted by the Swiss agency “Bak Basel Economics” comparing Brussels productivity with 15 metropolitan areas in Europe, advocates the establishment of Brussels Metropolitan across the existing regional borders throughout Brussels’ economic hinterland. It would enclose Brussels, a large part of the Flemish district of Brussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
and a large part of the Walloon district of NivellesNivellesNivelles is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the old communes of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstreux....
. While some see in this proposal the oppotunity to expand the borders of bilingual Brussels Region, others state that existing regional borders would remain unpaired but sound socio-economical and urban development policies strongly coordinated throughout the area.
- BECI, on the basis of a study conducted by the Swiss agency “Bak Basel Economics” comparing Brussels productivity with 15 metropolitan areas in Europe, advocates the establishment of Brussels Metropolitan across the existing regional borders throughout Brussels’ economic hinterland. It would enclose Brussels, a large part of the Flemish district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
-
-
-
- In a proposal dated 23 August 2007, Professor Philippe Van ParijsPhilippe Van ParijsPhilippe Van Parijs is a Belgian philosopher and political economist, mainly known as a proponent and main defender of the basic income concept.-Education:...
explains that, while it would be foolish to think that Brussels could be coherently managed separately from his immediate hinterland (Flemish and Walloon Brabant), French-speakers should be realistic and abandon such claims for the expansion of the Brussels Region to its entire economic hinterland since such expansion would put the Dutch language at risk. He suggests that the facilities would be maintained for the French-speakers who presently live in the 2 largest municipalities among the 6 municipalities with facilities around Brussels, whereas they would no longer apply to their children and new comers. The four smaller municipalities (covering less than 40% of the combined territory of the six communes) would be included into the bilingual region of Brussels; and the Brussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
district would be split along this new border. In 2010 in a publication titled "The linguistic territoriality principle: Right violation or parity of esteem" he reiterated his belief in “territorial linguistic federalism” as opposed to “non-territorial linguistic federalism”. Indeed, the latter implies that people living in the same place would access services that may be of greatly different quality depending on the linguistic community they depend upon whereas the first, while avoiding this drawback, also addresses irreducibly special nature of any coherent, comprehensive project for a political community.
- In a proposal dated 23 August 2007, Professor Philippe Van Parijs
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Dutch-speaking municipalities with facilities for French-speakers
In Flanders there are two kinds of municipalities with facilities. Rim municipalities are situated in the Flemish rim around the Brussels-Capital Region and form part of Flemish BrabantFlemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
. The other municipalities are called language border municipalities because they lie close to the border with Wallonia.
Rim municipalities
- DrogenbosDrogenbosDrogenbos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Drogenbos proper. On January 1, 2006 Drogenbos had a total population of 4,876. The total area is 2.49 km² which gives a population density of 1,957 inhabitants per...
- KraainemKraainemKraainem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper. On January 1, 2006 Kraainem had a total population of 13,150...
(French, not common: Crainhem) - LinkebeekLinkebeekLinkebeek is a Belgian municipality in Flanders, part of the province of Flemish Brabant, in the bilingual electoral and judicial district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, and in the administrative district of Halle-Vilvoorde. The municipality only comprises the town of Linkebeek proper. As of January...
- Sint-Genesius-RodeSint-Genesius-RodeSint-Genesius-Rode is a municipality located in Flanders, one of three regions of Belgium, in the province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the town of Sint-Genesius-Rode only. On January 1, 2008, the town had a total population of 18,021...
(French: Rhode-Saint-Genèse) - WemmelWemmelWemmel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Wemmel proper. On January 1, 2006 Wemmel had a total population of 14,774. The total area is 8.74 km² which gives a population density of 1,690 inhabitants per km².The...
- Wezembeek-OppemWezembeek-OppemWezembeek-Oppem is a municipality in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, ten kilometres east of the centre of Brussels. The municipality only comprises the town of Wezembeek-Oppem proper. On January 1, 2006 Wezembeek-Oppem had a total population of 13,504...
Wezembeek-Oppem and Kraainem are sometimes referred to as the oostrand (eastern rim). A survey published in Le Soir
Le Soir
Le Soir is a Berliner Format Belgian newspaper. Le Soir was founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel. It is the most popular Francophone newspaper in Belgium, and considered a newspaper of record.-Editorial stance:...
on February 14, 2005, indicated that in all six rim municipalities, the majority of the population was French-speaking (the study was unofficial, since the public authorities refuse to undertake a census). More precisely, the survey claimed that the French-speaking population amounts to 55% of the population in Drogenbos, 78% in Kraainem, 79% in Linkebeek, 54% in Wemmel, 72% in Wezembeek-Oppem, and 58% in Sint-Genesius-Rode.
Language border municipalities
- BeverBever, BelgiumBever is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Bever proper. It is located at . On January 1, 2006 Bever had a total population of 2,023. The total area is 19.78 km² which gives a population density of 102 inhabitants per km²...
(French: Biévène) - HerstappeHerstappeHerstappe is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2008 Herstappe had a total population of 84. The total area is 1.35 km² which gives a population density of 61 inhabitants per km². It is the least populous municipality in Belgium. Only Saint-Josse-ten-Noode...
- MesenMesenMesen is a city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Mesen proper. On January 1, 2006, Mesen had a total population of 988. The total area is 3.58 km² which gives a population density of 276 inhabitants per km².Mesen is the smallest city in...
(French: Messines) - RonseRonseRonse is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the city of Ronse proper.- Early settlements to 14th century :...
(French: Renaix) - Spiere-HelkijnSpiere-HelkijnSpiere-Helkijn is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Helkijn and Spiere. On January 1, 2006 Spiere-Helkijn had a total population of 2,030. The total area is 10.78 km² which gives a population density of 188 inhabitants per...
(French: Espierres-Helchin) - Voeren (French: Fourons)
French-speaking municipalities with facilities for Dutch-speakers
- Comines-WarnetonComines-WarnetonComines-Warneton is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006, Comines-Warneton had a total population of 17,562. The total area is 61.09 km² which gives a population density of 287 inhabitants per km². The name "Comines" is believed to have a...
(Dutch: Komen-Waasten) - EnghienEnghienEnghien is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Enghien had a total population of 11,980. The total area is 40.59 km² which gives a population density of 295 inhabitants per km²....
(Dutch: Edingen) - FlobecqFlobecqFlobecq is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. It borders to the municipalities of Ellezelles and Lessines in the same province and to Brakel in the province of East Flanders, on the other side of the language border.On January 1, 2008, Flobecq had a total...
(Dutch: Vloesberg) - MouscronMouscronMouscron is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. The Mouscron municipality includes the old communes of Dottignies , Luingne, and Herseaux .-Middle Ages:...
(Dutch: Moeskroen)
French-speaking municipalities with limited educational provisions for German- and Dutch-speakers
- BaelenBaelenBaelen is a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Baelen had a total population of 4,060. The total area is 85.73 km² which gives a population density of 47.36 inhabitants per km².-People living in Baelen:...
- PlombièresPlombièresPlombières is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006, Plombières had a total population of 9,672. The total area is 53.17 km² which gives a population density of 182 inhabitants per km². The municipality Plombières consists of the villages...
(Dutch: Blieberg, German: Bleiberg) - WelkenraedtWelkenraedtWelkenraedt is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Welkenraedt had a total population of 9,163. The total area is 24.47 km² which gives a population density of 374 inhabitants per km²....
(Dutch: Welkenraat, German: Welkenrath)
French-speaking municipalities with facilities for German-speakers
- MalmedyMalmedyMalmedy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region, Province of Liège. It belongs to the French Community of Belgium, within which it is French-speaking with facilities for German-speakers. On January 1, 2006 Malmedy had a total population of 11,829...
(German: Malmünd) - WaimesWaimesWaimes is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Liège, in Belgium. On January 1, 2006 Waimes had a total population of 6,728. The total area is 96.93 km² which gives a population density of 69 inhabitants per km²....
(German: Weismes)
German-speaking municipalities with facilities for French-speakers
All municipalities in the German language region have French-language facilities:- AmelAmelAmel is a Belgian municipality in the Walloon province of Liège, and is part of the German-speaking Community of Belgium .On January 1, 2006 Amel had a total population of 5,282...
(French: Amblève) - BüllingenBüllingenBüllingen is a largely German language-speaking municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Büllingen had a total population of 5,385. The total area is 150.49 km² which gives a population density of 36 inhabitants per km²....
(French: Bullange) - Burg-ReulandBurg-ReulandBurg-Reuland is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège.The name of the municipality refers to the castle "Burg-Reuland", which is located in the center of the community.On January 1, 2006 Burg-Reuland had a total population of 3,903...
- BütgenbachBütgenbachBütgenbach is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Bütgenbach had a total population of 5,574. The total area is 97.31 km² which gives a population density of 57 inhabitants per km². The official language in this municipality is German....
(French: Butgenbach) - EupenEupenEupen is a municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, from the German border , from the Dutch border and from the "High Fens" nature reserve...
(old French: Néau) - KelmisKelmisKelmis is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006, Kelmis had a total population of 10,396...
(French: La Calamine) - LontzenLontzenLontzen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Lontzen had a total population of 5,071. The total area is 28.73 km² which gives a population density of 177 inhabitants per km²....
- RaerenRaerenRaeren is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. It was part of Germany until the First World War, after which it became part of Belgium. It is one of several towns in Eastern Belgium which still predominantly speak German....
- Sankt VithSankt VithSt. Vith is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, and in the German speaking community in Belgium. It was named after Saint Vitus....
(French: Saint-Vith)
See also
- Municipalities in Belgium
- Frenchification of BrusselsFrenchification of BrusselsThe Frenchification of Brussels is the transformation of Brussels, Belgium, from a Dutch-speaking city to one that is bilingual or even multilingual, with French as both the majority language and lingua franca...
- List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital RegionMunicipalities of the Brussels-Capital RegionThe 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region are the political subdivisions of Belgium's central region...
- List of municipalities of the Flemish Region
- List of municipalities in Wallonia
- De GordelDe GordelDe Gordel is a partly political, partly family cycling and walking event around Brussels, Belgium. The event is organised by Bloso, each year since 1971 on the first Sunday of September. It is meant as a symbolic affirmation that the municipalities involved are part of Flanders...
- Brussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
- Language legislation in BelgiumLanguage legislation in Belgium-1830: freedom of languages and linguistic coercion:One of the causes of the Belgian Revolution of the 1830s was the growing ascendancy of the Dutch language in the administration of the Southern provinces of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
- Framework Convention for the Protection of National MinoritiesFramework Convention for the Protection of National MinoritiesThe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was signed on February 1995 by 22 member States of the Council of Europe ....
http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/157.htm http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Reports/Html/157.htm - European Charter for Regional or Minority LanguagesEuropean Charter for Regional or Minority LanguagesThe European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is a European treaty adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe...