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The decentralized federal state of Belgium, officially trilingual and a founding member of the European Union and NATO, has been deadlocked for months over constitutional reform. Five sets of state reforms (in 1970, 1980, 1988, 1993 and 2001) have given increasing powers of self-government to the federal components of the Belgian state, but a large number of parties in the Flemish Parliament are now calling for a sixth set of reforms to make Belgium a confederation or turn Flanders into an independent state.

Flanders is one of Belgium's three federal regions (alongside Wallonia and Brussels) and more-or-less corresponds to the Flemish-speaking language community (one of the three official language communities alongside the French- and German-speaking communities). Each division has its own government. These two levels of government are complicated further by the fact that the Flemish nation traditionally also comprises the northernmost department of the Nord-Pas de Calais region of France as well as the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen region in the Dutch province of Zeeland.

After the 2007 Belgian general election, which showed up major difference between Flemish- and French-speaking parties, it took over half a year to form a coalition government. When the executive was finally formed in December 2007, a group of experts began to examine a list of topics that were and continue to be a source of disagreement for the two linguistic communities, chiefly further devolution of powers and division of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (BHV). See corresponding articles at Nationalia.info.

During negotiations Flemish nationalist parties (mainly CD&V, N-VA and VP) have said they want to progress towards a confederation structure and that they want further powers to be transferred to Flanders. Their French-speaking counterparts, however, are opposed to further decentralization of the Belgian state.

The Flemish parties are also calling for the division of the BHV district, the electoral constituency that encompasses the city of Brussels and a number of Flemish-speaking municipalities, so that the French-speaking community can only vote for Flemish parties, as is already the case in the rest of the Flemish region and vice versa in Wallonia.

Today the Flemish Parliament (124 deputies) is dominated by parties that are not necessarily pro-independence but are largely in favour of state reform: Christian Democrat and Flemish (CD&V, 29 seats), Flemish Progressives (VP, 25 seats in coalition with the Socialist Party), Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD, 24 seats in coalition with two other parties), and the List Dedecker (LDD, 2 seats).

Meanwhile, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA, 7 seats) and Flemish Interest (Vlaams Belang, 32 seats), which is the largest party in the Flemish Parliament but is ostracized by other parties because it is considered to be too right-wing, are openly in favour of independence.

Currently in power in Flanders is a coalition made up of CD&V, SPA and VLD. N-VA left the coalition just two months ago claiming the current political leaders were incapable of solving Belgium's political crisis. See the relevant Nationalia article.

Further articles on Flanders available at deredactie.be (in English and French as well as Flemish), Flanders Today and Flandersnews.be (both in English), and De Standaard Online. Lesoir.be and RTBF INFO offer state-wide coverage and are in French.

Flanders/Vlaanderen

General information
Population: 6,117,440 inhabitants (2007)
Area: 13,522 km²
Institutions: Flemish government
State administration: Belgium
Major cities: Brussels, Antwerp
Territorial language: Flemish (also known as Dutch)
Official language: Flemish
Major religion: Christianity (Catholicism)
National Day: 11 July

Further information:

• Dossier Peoples and nations today