euro|topics - How can Belgium get out of its crisis?

Main focus of Tuesday, December 4, 2007

How can Belgium get out of its crisis?

Deprived of a government for 177 days, Belgium has yet to find a compromise to resolve the situation. Facing this stalemate, the European press suggests alternative solutions and analyses the risks the current state of affairs presents for the Belgian political class.

De Standaard - Belgium

For Peter Vandermeersch, "the most important conclusion to be drawn from this war of nerves is that there can be no federal reform without an in-depth reform of the State. It should be clear to everyone that nothing can be achieved without a large-scale agreement on the new balances in this country. If this country wants to guarantee the well-being of its citizens -in the Flanders region, the Walloon region, and in Brussels-, it is necessary to engage at once in forming an emergency social-economic government, as well as a vast agreement on reforming Belgium. ... The Flemish representatives at the drawing board will have to clearly show that the survival of Belgium is not open to discussion. And the French-speakers will have to clearly show that an empty 'no' is not an option for finding any new balance." (03/12/2007)

Die Welt - Germany

Hannelore Crolly portrays the Belgian King Albert II, who is to act as a mediator in the current state crisis. "It's true that the two squabbling ethnic groups have nothing in common - apart from their king. The universally popular 73-year-old monarch Albert II plays a key role in Belgium's unity. Without him and the royal dynasty, which is equally respected by the Flemish and the Walloons, it would be absolutely impossible to get through the state crisis more or less unscathed. ... But the father of three and grandfather of 12 hasn't been all too successful so far. Since the chief negotiator Yves Leterme threw in the towel again last Saturday, the country is in a stalemate. The sixth king in the history of Belgium could now risk an unusual move: if he grants the government which has been voted out of office but is provisionally managing government business more powers, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt could remain in office until the regional elections in 2009. To postpone the dispute would be to end the crisis." (04/12/2007)

Le Soir - Belgium

On Monday, December 3rd, following the resignation of Yves Leterme, the King of Belgium asked the outgoing prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who has been managing current affairs for the past six months, to find a way out of the political dead-lock. Interviewed by Olivier Mouton, the Belgian political scientist Pascal Delwit, describes the dangers inherent in the current situation. "The main risk lies in a phenomenal rise in apolitical thinking. Things are incomprehensible for a number of observers as well as Belgian citizens. Even political authorities no longer understand what is going on! This is a fact. And it must be understood that such an increase in the apolitical will affect everyone except for the far-right. This must be seriously taken into account. And frankly, it is going to be very hard to explain an enlarged Verhofstadt III government to the citizens. That would really be stretching our pedagogical capacities too far." (04/12/2007)

La Voix du Luxembourg - Luxembourg

Facing the current political stalemate, Laurent Moyse considers that Belgium should think up some new scenarios. "One solution would be to resort to a large coalition bringing together Flemish and French-speaking Christian-democrats, liberals and socialists. Other countries have chosen this compromise, despite deep ideological divergence separating the main protagonists. This is notably the case in Germany where great rivals, the CDU-CSU and the SPD have formed an ad hoc alliance which does not avoid the gritting of teeth. In other countries the refusal to resort to a big coalition to save the situation has led components to join forces with far less palatable movements, often in the far-right. Austria and Poland have for example experienced this, while Slovakia stands out for having united left wing ministers and deeply nationalist representatives in the same government ." (04/12/2007)

» To the complete press review of Tuesday, December 4, 2007

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