Retrospective on Stephanie L. Berger, “The Belgian State: A Unique Past and a Questionable Future” from Benelux: Integration and Individuality Perspectives on Business and Economics, Volume 26, 2008 Stephanie L. Berger ‘08 is now Specification Manager, Hill Residential Systems & Owner, SOLDIERFIT in Trexlertown. Because of divisions in society and polity between the regions of Flanders, Wallonia and the Belgian state, the article noted the potential for a split of the regions. Have Flanders and Wallonia divided from Belgium? Since 2008, the regions of Flanders and Wallonia have not separated from the country of Belgium, despite their ongoing linguistic and cultural conflicts. However, their lack of division does not mean that the two regions are a united front within the state. The country still has a negative view of bilingualism, media sources remain separate by region, and the country cannot seem to keep a consistent government. In addition, the global crisis of COVID-19 has only pushed the two regions even further apart due to their differing governmental approaches. So why has the country managed not to split apart thus far? There are three main reasons. First, most Flemish citizens do not want the country to break apart, despite a minority wanting Flanders to be independent. This is most likely driven by an emotional loyalty to Belgium itself. The second reason is the potential loss of Brussels, Belgium’s capital. Both Wallonia and Flanders rely on Brussels as an economic and political hub and the location of main employment. If the regions were to split, Brussels would become its own region, less accessible to the other two. Third, Flanders and Wallonia would no longer belong to the European Union and, therefore, receive none of the benefits. Both Flanders and Wallonia would each need to apply individually for EU membership and wait years for approval. Overall, there are too many factors of uncertainty. Has the idea of a national Belgian identity and culture strengthened since 2008? How has this impacted the economic/political survival of the state? No, a national Belgian identity and culture has not gained popularity since 2008. Each of the country’s regions have a sense of nationalism for themselves, rather than for the whole. This is reflected in Belgium’s complex political structure. Not only is the country a constitutional monarchy, but it also has “five separate parliaments at three regional levels: the linguistic communities, the Walloon region, and Brussels” (Gupta, 2021). Each of these administrations desires different things and believes they are better than the others. The resulting political environment is not conducive for cooperation. Confronting the coronavirus, “politicians had set aside their differences by opting for a short-term government led by Prime minister Sophie Wilmès” (Moens, 2020). However, the pandemic crisis has led to nothing but healthcare divisions and differing lockdown plans. Another tension is the differing economic vitallity of Flanders and Wallonia. Flanders is thriving economically and wealthier than the impoverished francophone Wallonia. A majority of Flanders residents do not believe they should pay to help those in Wallonia. While the country has survived despite all of these factors, passionate discussion continues about a potential split that will be the end of Belgium. References Gupta, G. (2021, March 18). How can Belgium overcome its regional linguistic conflicts? Social Policy. Moens, B. (2020, May 12). The Flemish nationalist exit strategy. POLITICO. Retrospective by Sidney Jankanish ’23, Political Science and International Relations Martindale Retrospectives 2 December 2022
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