flandersfocus on THE DUTCH SPEAKING PART OF BELGIUM press review weekly, does not appear in July • number 9 • 1 March – 7 March 2003 INTRODUCTION fla r la ndr Ryanair to fly to Ostend su e • s f he activists of the Forum u o c c o u f for Peace Action (Forum s • T Ryanair’s arrival a boost for the region around Ostend after the British o n n r voor Vredesactie) had proba- f e l a d shipping company Hoverspeed announced that it was getting rid of n n d bly imagined the outcome of a l e f r f s u a • its ferry service between Ostend and Dover f o s k u its action differently. Around 150 of them were clapped in irons by the local police in a parish centre of the n 1 May the Irish budget airline the airport’s name is being changed to municipal district of Melsele on Saturday even O Ryanair will begin daily flights be- Ostend-Bruges (FF). before they could unfurl their banners. In doing tween Ostend and London Stansted air- so the CD&V Mayor from Beveren wanted to port. The scheduled Ryanair flight is a BERT LAUWERS • DE FINANCIEEL- prevent the campaigners from stopping 18 rail transports of heavy American army equipment, windfall for Ostend airport. Until re- ECONOMISCHE TIJD • 7 MARCH which arrived at the Port of Antwerp intended cently it only handled charter flights for the Gulf. The police detained the demon- and freight flights. Besides, several Initially Ryanair will be making one strators for 12 hours and the Mayor hid behind freight flights with Russian aircraft daily flight with a Boeing 737-300 with a circular from Foreign Affairs Minister Antoine were recently scrapped because of noise 149 seats. Ostend is setting its sights Duquesne (MR), which bans any obstruction of standards. Ryanair’s arrival is also a mainly on British tourists who want to military transports to explain away his ‘preven- boost for the region around Ostend after visit Bruges. Ryanair, which before the tive intervention’. De Standaard questioned the the British shipping company Hover- transaction entered into an agreement constitutionalness of banning a demonstra- speed announced in December that it with Aviapartner, is known for its tion, and Het Volk (3 March) wondered why the was getting rid of its ferry service be- tough negotiating policy and demands activists were treated like terrorists. De Morgen (7 March) wonders what Duquesne was trying tween Ostend and Dover, with the loss contributions from the smaller airports to achieve by announcing a totally undemocra- of several hundred jobs. Primarily to de- it serves. The contributions Ryanair ex- tic ban on demonstrations as a member of the velop the tourist potential of Bruges, acted at its Belgian base of operations in Purple-Green government, which disapproves Charleroi even led to an investigation of the war. On top of this, not every mayor CONTENTS by the European Commission into dis- agreed with this circular. Freddy Willockx, SP.A tortion of competition and possible ille- mayor of the adjoining municipality of Sint- Politics gal government support from the Wal- Niklaas, immediately let Duquesne know that Parties prepare for electoral campaign 2 loon Region. his police had better things to do than see to it New action against inequality in Ostend does not want to fall into the that the Americans could prepare for their war. electoral legislation 3 same trap as Charleroi and is immedi- Among the campaigners arrested in Melsele was the Green MP Peter Vanhoutte. There is no Splitting of electoral lists in ately laying its cards on the table so as longer anything unusual about MPs demon- Flemish-Brabant 3 not to make the European Commission strating, and certainly this is appreciated by the Janssens and Van Campenhout orga- suspicious: in Ostend Ryanair received Green grassroots. But the MP now wants the nise clean hands operation in Antwerp 4 a discount ‘seen as normal’ of 30% on anti-war action to be extended into diplomacy. landing rights, says Paul Catrysse, the In De Morgen, Vanhoutte stated that Belgium Economy division head for airports of the Flemish would be better expelling its American diplo- Employers denounce increase in administration. Catrysse stresses that mats if the USA decided to go to war against municipal taxes 4 other companies can also expect a sim- Iraq without a UN mandate and is calling for a Sauwens calls for regionalisation of ilar discount if they ‘provide an equiva- blockade of the Port of Antwerp against the employment policy 5 lent added value to the airport and the transport of war materials. Vanhoutte is far from being the only one against war in Iraq, but Saverys Family splits up CMB 5 economy of the region’. In return, his suggestion is a bridge too far, says Het Be- Bayer Antwerp closes Isocyanates Ryanair is undertaking to carry at least lang van Limburg (6 March). Making it clear to division 6 450,000 passengers over the first five the Americans that we do not support a war in Degussa puts Antwerp investment years, 600,000 in a second period and Iraq is one thing, but there is no need to offend under review 6 750,000 in a third. ‘If these minimum them as well, says the paper. Vanhoutte is also Bankruptcies do away with 5,100 jobs 6 numbers are not achieved, the contract embarrassing his party. Agalev Parliamentary KBC pushes profits up by 1% 7 will be re-negotiated,’ says Catrysse. Party Leader in the Chamber, Joos Wauters, Agfa: strong profit growth 7 called the statement not very wise and feels that the government ‘has thus far defended the Culture: Arts decree must restore peace line superbly in the Iraq dossier.’ primacy of politics 7 I Frank Vandecaveye | editor in chief focus on FLANDERS • 1 March - 7 March 2003 • Number 9 2 POLITICS ELECTIONS debts to be further reduced. A green Parties prepare for light for optimism and entrepreneurial spirit. election campaign Last weekend his two coalition part- ners showed significantly less devotion Premier Verhofstadt (VLD) addresses an open letter to the people to the Purple-Green record. The slogan which the SP.A-Spirit cartel unveiled - politics is about people - has a striking Eleven-and-a-half weeks before 18 May tion themes. No linear tax cuts for busi- meekness about it. Clearly the Social- it looks as if the parties have begun nesses without guarantees in relation ist strategists detect a groundswell of their election campaigns. Premier Ver- to employment and rational energy use, dissatisfaction with an overly self-con- hofstadt (VLD) sent an open letter to according to Agalev Secretary Jos Gey- scious political style in their incessant the people in which he explains in as sels. The Green party itself wants to opinion polls. Something to which Lib- many as sixty proposals what he wants make the fight against poverty a priori- erals driven by voluntarism perhaps to achieve in the next period of govern- ty and in so doing is poaching on the pay too little attention. ment and in 40 points what his Purple- SP.A’s territory. Geysels also empha- The Greens are displaying their suspi- Green government has accomplished sised once again that his party does not cion even more clearly. They are even in this last term of office. The letter want a war in Iraq and above all that the rejecting godparenthood of the active will be published in all newspapers this nuclear weapons must be removed welfare state. ‘Agalev makes the differ- week and people can react to it on the from Kleine Brogel NATO base. ence’ means that the party is boasting website www.openbrief.be or at the Finally, the Christian Democratic about having been in opposition in the VLD’s debate days, to be held in every CD&V has opted for ‘people and values’ government and is planning to do so province in March. Once all the reac- (‘mensen en waarden’) as a baseline for again. In this way the Greens are trying tions are known, everything will be its campaign. These are the building to survive if the campaign suddenly de- brought together at the end of March blocks, the foundations of a stronger generates into a titanic struggle. into ‘a contract with the people’, which community, a greater feeling of solidar- Against this diffuse battle array, the will form the VLD election manifesto. ity, says Chairman Stefaan De Clerck, CD&V has produced a manifesto Economic recovery remains the main who had chosen a village café in Gooikt based on ‘people and values’. It is the concern. Alongside new tax cuts and that is used as décor for a popular TV classic third way, that does not expect less bureaucratic red tape for business- chat-show to launch his campaign. De salvation from the State or the people, es Verhofstadt is also calling for a fur- Clerck wants to tackle rising individu- but from safety in family, networks ther cut in corporation tax and personal alism and egoism, but is also in favour and society. It too is avoiding the income tax, more funds for healthcare, of a strict budgetary policy. According choice of a potential coalition partner. a more efficient legal system and a low- to the party, no single measure must en- This means the voter will be faced with ering of the voting age to sixteen. danger the reorganisation of public fi- a problem on 18 May. The parties are At a joint meeting in the Flemish Par- nances.