flandersfocus on THE DUTCH SPEAKING PART OF BELGIUM press review weekly, does not appear in July • number 18 • 30 April – 6 May 2005 INTRODUCTION fla Breakthrough in case of r la ndr u e s • s f u o lmost every week the c c o u economy sections of the f s A • o n newspapers zoom in on the n Remmery threatening letters r f e l a d relentless competition from n n d a l e f r the low-wage country par f s u a • f o s k u excellence, China. On 1 Janu- breakthrough may have been huyse who received the seven threaten- ary the European import made in the investigation into the ing letters, one of which contained two restrictions for textiles that had been in place for A around thirty years were scrapped, and the suspect responsible for the threatening bullets, and Naïma Amzil were sum- repercussions of this are being felt throughout letters sent to Remmery, a company moned before the King and the royal Europe, including in the Belgian textile sector. based in Ledegem in West Flanders. On couple later visited the firm (FF). According to Fa Quix, Director of the textile fed- eration Febeltex, the sector has lost 500 jobs in 3 May the husband ('Bernard') of a three months. The closure of artificial silk manu- female employee ('Marijke') of the JAN FEYS/STEVEN DE BOCK • facturer Fabelta in Ninove, with the loss of 179 company was arrested. The Kortrijk HET NIEUWSBLAD • 5 MAY jobs, was the lowest point. A further 150 jobs may also go among small hosiery manufacturers Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed in the Waasland. Most major clothing chains that testing of DNA material found on a Marijke was not immediately Naïma's now buy their hosiery from China. stamp of one of the threatening letters best friend. That had to do with the According to Febeltex, imports from China rose by 70% during the first quarter. Febeltex fears led to the breakthrough. The female new job thrust upon Marijke. Van 2,000 jobs will be lost in 2005 and as many as employee apparently felt ‘passed over’ Nieuwenhuyse: ‘I needed someone in 10,000 within the textile and clothing sector by by her colleague of Moroccan origin, the kitchen and found that she was 2008. Nor is the loss of jobs the only indication that things are moving in the wrong direction. Naïma Amzil. Her husband (or another suitable. She was a bit frustrated but I The competitive struggle has become so tough suspect) demanded Naïma's resigna- increased her pay.’ that the average return in textile firms is now tion in a series of letters, before threat- That was a few weeks before the first barely 2%. Should it come as any surprise that many small textile manufacturers are being on ening to set fire to the company, kill threatening letter. Naïma had been ab- the safe side and putting their businesses up for Van Nieuwenhuyse, and poison the sent for several months through illness sale, Quix wonders. Together with France, Italy, firm's food products. The case received and maternity leave. Once back she Poland and Portugal, Belgium is therefore siding with European Commissioner Mandelson, who a great deal of attention when the man- was allowed to resume her former job wants to limit the growth of imports from ager of the company, RikVannieuwen- in the packaging department. That de- China for certain textile products. Still, accord- partment is seen as the ‘cushiest job in ing to Philippe Vlerick of Uco Textiles, the direc- tives will come into effect much too late, some- the company’. Perhaps her colleague times when imports have already risen to 100%. CONTENTS felt that she had been kicked upstairs The Chinese textile worker costs an average of to the kitchen instead of Naïma and 40 eurocents an hour, a Belgian textile worker 20 euros, a ratio of one to fifty. According to Fa Politics therefore felt frustrated. Did her hus- Quix (Het Nieuwsblad, 3 May), there is nothing BHV: Francophones push up the band adopt the weapon of anonymous wrong with China competing on the world mar- price 2 terror to avenge his wife? Was she ket with low wages. Belgian textile firms have other aces such as technology, efficiency and ex- BHV: the cracks behind the split 2 aware of what was going on? The tensive automation. It only becomes unfair BHV: guide to a complex federal cross-examinations will have to de- when China subsidises its prices, says Quix, be- problem 3 cide. Marijke did not hide the fact at cause many Chinese textile products are sold here below the price of raw material costs, even work that she voted for the far-right. 30% below the price of countries with compa- Economy and Social policy What is surprising is that the couple rable wages, such as Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. In Innovation fund with risk capital were friends with a former suspect. Af- other words: China is cheating by employing dumping prices. Quix is convinced lower wages for starters 4 ter a comparison of his DNA with a can at most provide a price advantage of 20%. Stevaert wants banks to offer more trace found on the last threatening let- In practice the price difference amounts to 75%. loans to SMEs 4 ter proved the man's innocence, the in- Such pricing is only possible by subsidising busi- nesses, raw materials or other interventions, he Disunity within socialist vestigators turned to Bernard and Mar- believes. According to Quix and Philippe Vlerick movement about social contribution5 ijke. It was after all known that there (Uco Textiles) in Trends (14 April), China wants to cunningly capture large parts of the market Rise of unemployment has come had been a clash between Marijke and and in so doing keep its factories running. What to a stop in Flanders 6 Naïma at work. Two weeks ago a DNA is more, the European consumer hardly profits 31 suspects in Beaulieu case 6 sample was taken from Bernard. at all from these cheap import prices, the major chain stores such as H&M, Zara or Carrefour even less so. According to European figures, the Culture average import price has fallen by 30% since Why Belgian culture is hot in 2000, while the shop price fell by barely 0.5%. France 7 ■ Frank Vandecaveye | editor in chief focus on FLANDERS • 30 April - 6 May 2005 • Number 18 2 POLITICS STATE REFORM: ELECTORAL LAW three Flemish municipalities of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde: Kraainem, Linkebeek and Drogenbos also become bilingual, like Brussels. In addition, they were also demanding Francophones push up price that Flanders build Francophone sec- ondary schools in the ‘Vlaamse Rand’ of split around Brussels and were calling for more flexible linguistic legislation in Brussels itself. Finally they also want FF EDITOR peared. In the Flemish papers a rift the agreements on reducing debt to be emerged between supporters and oppo- revised. In past years Flanders has BHV as good as split, read the headline nents of the compromise. The Federal cleared almost all of its debt, but not in Het Nieuwsblad on 2 May. Accord- government parties were in favour, and Wallonia. In exchange for this package ing to the paper, there was only one even Hugo Schiltz, former chairman of the Flemings, in addition to the split- item left on the table: the splitting of the Volksunie and senior negotiator on ting of BHV, would also get the region- the bilingual constituency with the state reform in the 1970s, could live alisation of transport and energy. disappearance of registration rights for with it. The CD&V and N-VA, part of It is clear that this price is far too high Francophone residents of the monolin- the Flemish Government but not the for the Flemish parties. Talks are gual Flemish constituency of Halle- Federal, spoke out against registration therefore again at a deadlock. But the Vilvoorde after the split. They could rights. negotiators are not yet giving up. They vote for Francophone politicians in But barely 12 hours later the Francoph- are giving themselves one more week Brussels. For the residents of the six one parties torpedoed these optimistic to thrash out a compromise. But that Flemish municipalities where the expectations. For them, a registration will be the very last postponement, Francophones enjoy facilities, the reg- right for Francophones was far from since the Chamber Internal Affairs istration right would be permanent. In enough, they cried in unison before the Committee has decided to begin dis- the constituency's other Flemish mu- cameras of Flemish television. On be- cussing the bills on Brussels-Halle-Vil- nicipalities they would disappear (after half of the Francophone government voorde from next week. Both the Flem- 10 to 15 years or limited to the current parties and opposition, PS Chairman ish and Francophone parties agreed on generation of voters). In short, there Elio Di Rupo said the Flemish proposal this deadline. Only the Vlaams Belang would be an agreement before BHV ap- was simply ‘unacceptable and im- voted against. peared on the agenda of the Internal proper’. The price of the split had to be Affairs Committee in the Federal Par- much higher. In addition to the regis- liament again on Tuesday 3 May, it ap- tration right, they demanded that the ■ STATE REFORM: ELECTORAL LAW Or why for several months the PS has The cracks behind the split often been a better pillar for Guy Ver- hofstadt than the SP.A. It is a feeling that is unintentionally being strength- of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde ened by the sense pervading CD&V circles.