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Pro-independence minister: the goal for 2014 is to get "full autonomy" for Flanders

Bourgeois asks for the transfer of fiscal policy, employment policy and social security · NV-A president De Wever says his party does not want full independence next year, but a "big step" ahead · Flemish PM prefers to focus on current state reform

Flemish Minister for Internal Affairs Geert Bourgeois argues that the goal of his party (New Flemish Alliance, N-VA) for next year is to get "full autonomy" for Flanders within a Belgian confederation. This would include "fiscal policy, employment policy" and "social security" being transferred to the Flemish institutions, Bourgeois said in an interview to Flemish newspaper De Standaard last Saturday. These words were tempered by Bart De Wever, N-VA president. De Wever said that his party is not looking for complete independence next year, but he conceded that he hopes for a "big step" to be made.

N-VA leaders expect a landslide victory for their party in next year's Belgian federal election, which is scheduled to be held on 20th July. Opinion polls say that pro-independence N-VA will be the single largest party in Flanders, with up to 40% of the vote. This will likely turn it into the largest party of Belgium, as was the case in 2010 election.

N-VA considers that in such a scenario their party will be "unavoidable" and that they will be able to impose a seventh reform of the Belgian state. According to their calculations, that will be an opportunity to turn Belgium into a confederation, with Brussels remaining as the state capital but with most of the powers being held by Flanders, on the one side, and Wallonia on the other.

Flemish PM: "No to complete independence"

Meanwhile, Flemish Prime Minister Kris Peeters (Christian Democratic and Flemish party, CD&V) has stated that the goal of his party is not the same as that of N-VA: ""We are not a party that strives for complete independence for Flanders", he said. But he conceded that a new state reform cannot be ruled out after next year's election. Still, he insisted that before thinking about that, Flanders should concentrate instead in new powers that are granted under the current, sixth state reform, which was agreed by four Flemish and four Francophone parties in 2011 (CD&V signed the agreement, while N-VA did not).