A difficult compromise

The great challenge of Belgium is to find a feasible agreement that would satisfy the two different souls of the country. However finding a balance between unity and regionalism and proposing this as a model for cohabitation to other European peoples is also a major task. This is what emerges from the following interview with Eric de Beukalaer, spokesperson for the Episcopal Conference of Belgium, who speaks to SIR Europe about the results of the recent elections in his country, “from a totally personal point of view”.It is said that these elections mirrored the divisions between North and South in this Country. Do you agree?“The situation in Belgium is to a certain extent comparable to that of other countries on the European continent – for example Bretagne and Corsica in France, or Padania in Italy. This means that in the course of the history of humanity, large and small movements have always alternated simultaneously. This is part of human history. The European States were created from the XIV century up to the end of the First World War. After this period a global conscience began to grow right up to the present when we can truly say that the world has become a village. However at the very moment in which the horizon has expanded, citizens have greater interest in searching for their local roots. These are phenomena that reveal the degree to which interest in regional identities in Europe is growing”.And Belgium?“Belgium was created from two large linguistic communities. One could truly say that the country is a frontier between two large spheres of interest in the Western world, that is between the Germanic and the Latin cultures. And the frontier of the frontiers is precisely in its capital. Brussels is a Flemish city that became francophile. I would therefore say that Brussels can really be considered a symbol of the complexity of the European Union as well as of Belgium”.And what did the elections reveal?“The elections showed that a great majority of the Flemish population espresse the desire to have a greater voice and therefore voted for a party that promised them exactly that. In the South of the Country, on the other hand, the majority of people voted for the Socialist Party because it was the party that fought most for social security. These are two parties with different political projects, and in the future they will have to reach an agreement”.As Church, are you concerned with this process of change in Belgium?“The bishops did not react, at least for now, because they respect the political autonomy of the Country. The Belgian Episcopacy loves this country, but it i salso true that Belgium is not a Catholic dogma. One can be a good Catholic even without believing in Belgium. Therefore, the bishops are not concerned. They respect the results of the ongoing debite and simply appeal to the great capacity for compromise that has always been demonstrated by the Country in its history. Belgium is an extremely complex Country. Belgiums themselves have difficulty in understanding it. “But it has also always been a Country with a great sense of compromise”.Belgium is divided between a North that is richer than its South, Wouldn’t you also see in the electoral results, a lack of economic solidarity between the two Regions?“No, becausse no one in the North wants to abolish solidarity. One might rather say that there are different projects for society. And I repeat, Belgium has always given proof of a great sense for compromise and the bishops hope that this ‘good sense’ continue sto emerge for the common good of the Country and the good of all. But to under stand how this common sense can be cultivated is a task for politicians, not for bishops”.But is Belgium truly in danger of dividing itself into two parts?“No one has a crystal ball that will tell us what will happen now. Certainly, no one can exclude this, although curiously, the majority of analysts in Belgium feel hopeful, saying that the fact that there are two different political currents can in the end elicit an appeal for finding a political accord that is not only possible but becomes in fact a guarantee for stability. It seems to me, to use a metaphor, that in Belgium there is no one taking part in a table who has yet expressed the desire to leave it. Everyone simply wants to prepare the meal in a different manner, which is why they must now find a common agreement”.Many European Countries find themselves in the same situation. What do you conclude?“It is a sign that humanity today needs to find a balance. But it i salso a sign of hope. The world is progressively becoming more united. This is evidenced by the big International institutions, the economic thrust of world markets, the flow of migration. But at the same time there is very strong evidence that humankind has need of roots and these roots are being sought on a regional level. In this respect, Christians can play a significant role as members of a universal Church but at the same time rooted locally. On one hand there are the global movements that, apart from opening up horizons also present the risk of losing the particularities of local character. And there are also the regional movements that have the great merit of remembering that we are all different, but which can fall into the temptation of shutting themselves off from the others. We must find a balance. The hope is that Belgium can give this example”.