The first on the rubble of the first world war

There the Belgium, which celebrated in 2005 its 175 years, yet at the time to celebrate its two centuries The question is haunting spirits in addition-Quiévrain, while the country faces a major political crisis. A crisis which concerns not only the Belgians on their "wish-living together", but all the Europeans on their values. Legislative elections were held soon three months ago and the "16 rue de la Loi" still not welcomed again Prime Minister. The ballot has yet clearly punished the Socialists, and highlighted the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, who are proposing to form a so-called coalition of the "blue orange", in reference to their colour, and Hergé, or even to Paul Eluard. But this is: Flemish majority, demanded the transfer of powers from the Federal to the regions, that the French refuse to block.

At stake, including the management of unemployment insurance and health insurance. Flanders, close to full employment, drawn by the dynamism of Antwerp, second port of Europe, to English, has the sense to draw a cautious Wallonia, as a ball which is never relieved of the sinking of the coal and steel industries. 20Th century who had qui avaient de la Belgique et de ses colonies, à le début du qui avaient du qui avaient à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait the Belgium and its colonies, at the beginning of du qui avaient du qui avaient à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait qui avaient du qui avaient à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait qui avaient qui avaient du qui avaient à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait du du qui avaient à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait qui avaient à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait qui avaient qui avaient à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait initially du à le début du qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait qui avaient qui avaient de ses à le début du XXe siècle qui avaient fait de ses à le début de ses de ses à le début initially du 20th century qui avaient made

Both sides also compete on the question of "Commons facilities", and especially those adjacent to the Brussels agglomeration. In these areas in the Flemish region, francophones have language exceptions which facilitate their contacts with the administration and justice. The Flemish want to put an end to these arrangements, arguing that they claim no facility of this kind for those of their installed in Walloon territory.

If the antagonism between the two communities is old, it has clearly degenerated, in recent months. Yves Leterme, former Minister-President of Flanders, and possible future Prime Minister, has accumulated provocations, gaffes and blunders. Harassment, or even the altercations, multiply in the municipalities with facilities. King Albert II, which should guarantee the unity of the country, has neither the charisma nor the moral authority of his brother Baudouin. The Flemish suspect in addition to tilt to the opposite party. At the time, the Flemish independence, which has long been claimed by a minority, "Flamingants", has become a desirable scenario for 46 of Dutch-speakers.

Economists rotate their models and empty into the figure of the contradictory findings on the impact of a divorce. Francophone point out the demographic weakness of Flanders, which would be difficult to finance only its pensions. Lawyers are of Meccano unlikely to resolve the fate of Brussels, located in Flemish territory, but 85 francophone, and incidentally capital de facto if not de jure, of the European Union. No doubt, a split would be amount of problems, starting with the Division of the public debt (84 of GDP). After all, the Czechs and Slovaks are well managed to secede, in 1993, any warmth. And they will welcome today!

The Czech-Slovak example is instructive. In their case, it is certainly the poorest part, the Slovakia, requesting autonomy. But there are two critical common points. First, both Czechoslovakia and the Belgium have been created artificially in the aftermath of violent ups and downs of history. The first on the rubble of the first world war. The second, after a placid revolution against the Protestant Netherlands, in the wake of the Congress of Vienna, which was redesigned in 1815 the map of Europe quite out of whack with the Napoleonic epic. This Act of strange birth, without real substrate, is a national feeling weak, powerless now to contain the centrifugal forces.

Second parallel: Although Slovaks sought to emancipate vaguely paternalistic domination of the Czechs, Dutch-speakers have visibly to take revenge. The Dutch (or rather all of the various Flemish dialects that it brings together under this rubric by facility), language of servants, labourers and farmers, has been recognized as an official language until the 19th century. Painful episodes of the first world war, in which the Flemish soldiers would be dead to not have understood nothing French orders, left bitter traces in the collective memory. The economic question therefore double a resentment against the condescension of the past masters of forge.

It is important to understand the supporters and outcome of this domestic crisis, as it could have repercussions well beyond the realm. The implosion of one of the founding countries of the European Union, among the most constantly europhiles, versed in the art of weaving trade-offs between larger than its Member-States, often mired in their thirst for greatness, that which could not remain indifferent to its partners. A partition would complicate the already convoluted operation of the community Meccano, with twenty-eight the number of its members. Not to mention a possible contagion: imagine without difficulty what benefit the Catalans, the Scots, Welsh, Northern Italians could draw a Flemish independence.

Therefore, one can imagine an extension of the logic of "everyone for himself." The Interior of the Member States: those who now benefit from globalization could decide to no longer fund the social security of their compatriots, less skilled trade or the high finance. Left to run the risk of a sudden reverse of fortune. At the level of the Union, cohesion policy, which aims to develop poor areas with better off money and that represents the first position of the Community budget, to the common agricultural policy, could be challenged. If the Flemish are unwilling to pay for the "Karolos", as they called the inhabitants of Charleroi, why they subsidize the catch-up of the Romanians or Bulgarians, freshly entered the Club For the record, the European cohesion fund amounts to some EUR 300 billion for the period 2007-2013. Either the equivalent of annual GDP of the entire Belgium. If there, then already a much more fundamental challenge: that of the values underlying the European construction.