A workshop in crisis

Are we taking Belgium’s crisis seriously enough? The press too often underestimates the importance of the crisis under way in this small country of north-western Europe, slightly mysterious with its complex federative institutions which a non-Belgian citizen strives to understand and with its repeated ministerial crises generally too long to solve. But this time it’s not yet another government crisis as the ones which hit the country in the past. The present one is an existential crisis, which touches the nation’s very foundations. Co-founding State since the beginnings of Europe’s construction in 1950, at the time of the small six-country Europe, seat of European institutions, Belgium’s importance at European level is greater than its demographic and economic bearing since it represents a sum-up of some of Europe’s problems and thus it is like a workshop for the entire Union.Some of the problems are: co-existence in a multicultural society. How to accept differences, how can the Walloons, the Flemish and the immigrants from different parts of the world live together? How is it possible to concretize the solidarity between regions marked by differences in their economic development, social protection policies and employment? How is it possible to address the language problem that exacerbates differences between the various parties? How can the relationship between an ever-globalized world and the will to preserve one’s identity be developed? All of Europe is called into question by these challenges: unequal development of regions, diversified populations which are to live side by side, social problems, different languages, temptations to closure and isolation, unemployment, etc. Until today, more or less efficiently, Europe has managed to solve these problems and follow the wake of the Union. If Belgium should fail, and end up with a separation between Walloon and the Flanders, it would mean a failure for all of Europe where many Europeans increasingly manifest a fear of ‘the other’ and are attracted by different forms of populism or nationalism.”Belgium must explode”, shouted the Flemish a few days ago during a demonstration. Their slogan is, “Belgie barst!” which means, “Belgium, explode! Such explosion would signify the victory of egotism and personal identities over the will of building a common cultural and political entity. It would upset the European construction, which is still very fragile. How can Europe be built and its unity ensured if a strong State is unable to preserve its unity? The basic question is understanding whether Europeans are able to live together, to accept plurality and otherness. This is the matter at stake. Belgium’s division into two States (after the separation of Slovakia), would affect inner divisions in many other countries focusing on the question of national identity and the defense of particular financial interests in Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, and so on. The crisis is Belgium shows that Europe is at a crossroads. On the one side, the road leading to a closer unity which, besides being economic might be political, even though there are many obstacles, on the other side the road that goes backwards, in the direction of Europe fragmented in many small States in opposition with one another with a disproportionate increase in borders. It is very likely that this time Belgium will avoid the worst solution and will overcome its crisis. But a rotten seed was sown in Belgium’s soil and the fruit may not be good.