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8. WHY DO THE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE VLAAMSE RAND AROUND BRUSSEL CONTINUE TO BE FLEMISH, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE INHABITED BY A MAJORITY OF FOREIGN SPEAKERS?


The municipalities in the Rand around Brussels belong to the Dutch language area.Due to the fact that a lot of French speakers have recently moved to these municipalities in the Rand, more and more inhabitants speak French there.In the municipalities with facilities the French-speaking inhabitants are even in the majority.However, officially, these municipalities in the Rand continue to be exclusively Dutch-speaking.The reason for this is that, like in some other federal countries, the principle of territoriality applies in Belgium.

 

INTERNATIONALISATION IN THE VLAAMSE RAND

A significant number of the just under 600,000 inhabitants in the 35 municipalities of Halle-Vilvoorde are foreign speakers. Their exact number is unknown. The situation is clearer in the six municipalities with facilities. In recent decades, these municipalities experienced a great deal of Frenchification and internationalisation. Yet these municipalities continue to belong to the Dutch language area, and, apart from their exception status, Dutch is still the official language there. To many foreigners this situation is hard to comprehend. However, it is the result of a balanced set of agreements between the language communities in Belgium.


PRINCIPLE OF TERRITORIALITY

With the subdivision of our country into language areas, the principle of territoriality was also introduced. This means that the language of the area is also the language of administration, education and courts. In practice, the Dutch language must be used in these fields everywhere in Flanders, even when in some municipalities the majority of the inhabitants speak another language. In fact, this same rule applies to the French and German language areas. Over the years, French and Dutch speakers have shaped the principle of territoriality together. Moreover, it is laid down in the Constitution and can therefore not easily be modified. Besides, there is no political majority for this.


THE RESULT OF AN HISTORICAL EVOLUTION

The language border cannot be adjusted just like that. This requires a special majority in the federal parliament. This means that the proposal for amendment must be backed up with a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate and that in each language group a majority of MPs must back the law. Consequently, the language border can only be changed if a majority can be found for this, both among the Dutch-speaking and the French-speaking MPs. Dutch speakers and French speakers can never modify the language border unilaterally. The fact that some Flemish municipalities are home to a lot of French and foreign speakers does not change anything. Since the Flemish politicians in particular are unwilling to discuss any modifications to the language border, there is little chance that this situation will change in the near future.


NOT JUST IN BELGIUM

Belgium is not the only country whose federal model is built around the principle of territoriality. It is also applied in other multilingual countries, such as Switzerland. The underlying rationale there is the same as in Belgium. A living language is inextricably linked to a territory and to the people living in that territory.

 

 

 

Anderstalig

10 qUESTIONS

 

  1. Which language is spoken in Belgium?
  2. In which language can I contact the authorities?
  3. Which language is taught at school?
  4. What language is spoken in companies and hospitals?
  5. How can I keep abreast of current events in Belgium?
  6. Why is Belgium not just bilingual?
  7. Why do the Flemish people hold so strongly to the monolingualism in the Vlaamse Rand?
  8. Why do the municipalities in the Vlaamse Rand around Brussels continue to be Flemish, even when they are inhabited by a majority of foreign speakers?
  9. Why is Brussels bilingual when only a minority of Dutch speakers live there?
  10. Why does Flanders refuse to ratify the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities?