flandersfocus on THE DUTCH SPEAKING PART OF BELGIUM press review weekly, does not appear in July • number 28 • 3 July - 9 July INTRODUCTION la fland Is Louis Michel fleeing to ur re s • s f ne thing is certain: there u o c c o u will be no new Flemish Gov- f s O • o n ernment by the Flemish nation- n Europe? r f e l a d al holiday on 11 July. Yves n n d a l e f Leterme, who is leading the ne- r f s u a • f o s k u gotiations on the formation of a hings have not been going well re- Foreign Affairs Louis Michel, is in turn new government, is aiming for T cently for the Mouvement Réfor- considering moving to the European 20 July. On 7 July the sticking points that technical mateur (MR). Several weeks ago the Commission. PS Chairman Elio Di working groups had studied over the past week were listed. De Standaard (8 July) summarises the party learned that it was being dumped Rupo is apparently prepared to offer key ones: tax cuts, for which the VLD is pressing, by the PS in all regional governments. him the commissionership of PS mem- building land policy, healthcare premiums, the ex- And recently there was also little com- ber Philippe Busquin in exchange for pansion of (free) bus and tram travel, direct elec- tions for mayors and obviously the budget, and forting news for the party from the Fed- chairmanship of the Chamber or Senate more specifically the surplus that must be aimed for: eral Government. Its Finance Minister, and possible another state secretary 280 million euros in 2005, 366 million as the admin- Didier Reynders, was forced to ac- (Het Laatste Nieuws, 8 July). The Fran- istration wants or 443 million as the High Council for Finance wants. A second round of negotiations, the knowledge that the Council of State cophone newspapers La Libre Belgique so-called second reading, in which the negotiators had suspended the entire guarantee and and La Dernière Heure revealed the assign the budgets for each policy area, is also being sanction regulation for the lowest rate news. But according to VLD Party organised on the policy choices for which a consen- sus does already exist between the participating car- (6%) of the Fiscal Amnesty Act. That chairman Karel De Gucht, there is an tels of SP.A/Spirit, VLD-Vivant and CD&V/N-VA. And rate applies to fraudsters who want to agreement that the PS must first offer obviously there is the allocation of ministerial posts. legally launder their illegal or legal the commissionership to a Flemish Seen like this, the real negotiations are yet to start. Up to now there has simply been a lot of proposing, money by investing it for three years candidate. Finally, he is making no se- sounding out and noting. And of this, remarkably under specific conditions. Now the reg- cret of the fact that he himself is keen little has filtered through to the press. The press is ulation has been suspended, banks and on the post (FF). now experiencing first-hand that the open-debate culture of the Purples, with public debates in the the taxman can no longer impose con- press and rows on the street, has been buried once ditions. This is the fifth time that Reyn- BART BRINCKMAN/BERNARD BULCKE • and for all. The negotiators are playing their cards ders has had to touch up his Act. DE STANDAARD • 8 JULY close to their chests. Nor is it known which commu- nity demands the Flemish Government will take to The other MR figurehead, Minister for the forum on further state reform. Internal Affairs The possible departure of Louis Michel Minister Patrick Dewael made the first move in Het is clearly bad news for Premier Verhof- Belang van Limburg (3 July). A new state reform has a chance if the parties that form the Flemish (the stadt. The disintegration of his govern- three cartels) and Walloon (Christian Democrats and CONTENTS ment is accelerating. The figure of Socialists) Governments agree with each other. To- Michel is extremely important in the gether they have an ample two-thirds majority in the Chamber (102 out of 150 seats) that is required Politics government to give shape to the com- for amendments to the constitution. He is therefore 6 empty seats in Flemish Parliament 2 promises with the PS. Yesterday, there- advising Yves Leterme to lay a list of wishes on the Vlaams Blok with war rhetoric in fore, there were again rumours that table and go and talk with the Walloon Govern- ment, since the PS also supports more powers for Flemish Parliament 2 with the disappearance of Michel, Di the regions. A condition for this, however, is that the Budget: Council for Finance calls for Rupo actually wanted to administer the parties defend the same thing at Flemish and feder- major savings 3 fatal blow to Verhofstadt’s government. al level, he added. In addition, the biggest opponent of any form of state reform, the Francophone MR of Thus preparations could be made for Louis Michel, is no longer indispensable. The party Economy and mobility 3 the arrival of Di Rupo at 16 Rue de la still sits in the Federal Government, but could easily Public transport enjoys success Loi (the Premier’s official residence, be replaced by the CdH, which would have the fur- ther advantage of restoring the symmetry with the in Antwerp 3 ed.) and the entrance of the CD&V. But regional governments on the Francophone side. The Newspaper publishers are optimistic 4 that scenario was explicitly denied by European ambitions of Louis Michel could be an in- Employment and the fight against the PS. Guy Verhofstadt issued a com- dication that he is giving this scenario serious con- ageing 5 munication from the Tour de France in sideration. If that happens, it will be impossible to prevent the CD&V entering the Federal Government which he labelled all rumours prema- and the position of Premier Verhofstadt becoming Justice and Integration ture and announced talks between the extremely unsteady, says De Tijd (7 July). But if the Belgian police conducted house majority parties. The Belgian commis- MR stays, the CD&V will have to consider whether it is worthwhile breaking into the Federal Govern- search with Fourniret in 1996 6 sioner does not have to be announced ment, analyses the paper. Scenarios enough for a Growing racist violence 7 until after 22 July. particularly turbulent political autumn. Culture Frank Vandecaveye | editor in chief Scandinavian design in Ghent 7 focus on FLANDERS • 3 July - 9 July 2004 • Number 28 2 POLITICS FLEMISH PARLIAMENT changes in his Federal Government The six empty seats in the were unavoidable. But he wants that to happen in one Great Movement. new Flemish Parliament If it happens in stages, there is a risk that the difficult-to-alter picture will Federal Premier Verhofstadt (VLD) asked the members of his government to arise of an eroding Federal Govern- remain in the Federal Government for the time being ment, as the Flemish Government came across in the ministerial changes n 6 July the new Flemish Parlia- ly. Federal Premier Verhofstadt (VLD) shortly after the Federal elections of 18 Oment was installed. Of the 124 asked the members of his government May 2003. If his government is reorgan- members, 118 took the oath. Six chose to remain in the Federal Government ised in one go, Verhofstadt can give it not to. In the CD&V cartel these were for the time being. In his own words, by the necessary spin. With a strong new N-VA Chairman Geert Bourgeois and making this request he wants to pre- team and - who knows - a modified or CD&V Vice-Chairman Hendrik Bo- serve continuity in the Federal Govern- adapted federal coalition agreement, gaert, at SP.A-Spirit Federal Ministers ment and avoid the Palace or the insti- Verhofstadt can then talk of a new Frank Vandenbroucke and Bert Anci- tutions being misused in a scramble for start. aux and State Secretary Kathleen Van positions. In the end the majority par- The Great Movement is expected once Brempt and at the VLD State Secretary ties agreed to reorganise the Federal all regional governments are formed Vincent Van Quickenborne. According Government in one go, once all the re- and the pieces of the puzzle have fallen to De Tijd (6 July), the SP.A-Spirit cartel gional governments are formed. Only into place. SP.A-Spirit and the Parti So- had a plan to replace the Federal excel- then will the six absent MPs be given cialiste (PS) are already known to want lencies this week. Former Flemish the chance to take the oath in the Flem- to transfer a number of federal minis- Minister Renaat Landuyt would appar- ish Parliament (FF). ters to the Flemish and Walloon Gov- ently replace Bert Anciaux in Trans- ernments, and vice versa. Just as clear is port, former Parliamentary Party Opinion that Premier Guy Verhofstadt and Vice- Leader in the Flemish Parliament Premier Patrick Dewael want to re- Bruno Tobback would replace Frank WIM VANDE VELDEN • DE TIJD • 7 JULY main in their jobs. This explains why Vandenbroucke in Labour and Pensions they are doing all they can to safeguard and Spirit Chairwoman Els Van Weert Verhofstadt was able with difficulty to the stability of the Federal Government would replace Kathleen Van Brempt. avoid a scramble for positions, even as much as possible.