Belgium

The Belgian Patient

After the attacks of 22. March bundles must be Belgium his forces for the fight against terrorism. But to feel a little is currently. One reason could be the Belgian federalism. Andreas Noll reported from Brussels.

If it were needed, further evidence for the division of the Belgian company, then the daily newspaper “Le Soir delivered him” on Friday. Around 40 percent of the Belgian death behind a civil war between Muslims and non-Muslims in the country, reported the newspaper with reference to a recent survey of the Institute “Survey&Action”. Whether fear of Muslim fellow citizens, a shake of the head on the roadside of the investigating authorities or distrust in the contradictory information policy of the government: It is the evidence that the fight against terrorism has led the country to the brink of a crisis of the state.

Government education as an art piece

The risk of a breakup of the Belgian state has been painted in the past few years, on the wall. Especially the conflicts between the Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia, which lead to limit the state to its burden. The anti-terror fight seems to fuel this development. “There is something rotten in our Kingdom,” complained a few days ago, the Belgian journalist Béatrice Delvaux. Also, the government does not want to contradict that. Justice and interior Ministers have offered immediately after the attacks her resignation. However, Prime Minister Charles Michel refused. At least the government, it seems, is moving closer together in the crisis closely.

The French-speaking head of government, Charles Michel (2.v.l.) and interior Minister Jan Jambon from the Flemish region (on the right)

And it recognises what has long been obvious to all: In the course of the investigation, according to the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks, Belgian authorities and government bodies on a large scale together have worked. Critics see the responsibility in a federalism that have given rise to new reform a dysfunctional state.

Here, the federalism should be the solution for the dispute between the Flemish and the Walloons, burdened for decades, the political climate in the country. With a comprehensive state reform in Belgium in 1993, officially of a Central – transformed into a Federal state. The policy shifted more and more competences from Brussels to the regions. However, distrust and rivalry between the regions of the country remained. Unimaginable 541 days of government formation lasted for example, after the 2010 election, because the parties of the language groups could not agree for a long time on a coalition.

Parties without party friends

After several state reforms, the regulatory responsibilities in Belgium, the same today, a patchwork. Particularly drastic is the often-mentioned example is of the capital police: Brussels is divided into districts, in six different Police, who work largely independently of each other.

Ironically, at a memorial ceremony for the victims of the attacks last Sunday showed, what are the consequences of the confusion. Though the security authorities were informed early about a planned a March of about 400, the majority of Flemish Hooligans, the police in the Flemish suburb of Vilvoorde train the slobs in the direction of Brussels city centre to happen. “The others needed to avoid the not lived up to its responsibilities,” complained later to the competent French-speaking Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur in the direction of his Flemish counterpart, Hans Bonte, the leads in Vilvoorde, the town hall. Bonte pointed cooling on a consultation with the Ministry of the interior not to stop the men, and added: “Otherwise, you’d have beaten here the noise.”

Occasion for dispute between the groups: Hooligans spoke at a memorial ceremony for the victims of terrorism of 22. March.

That Mayeur and Bonte the same socialist party of family members, not to say, but apparently a lot have, is indicative of the entrenched party organizations in various parts of the country. Exactly in this separation, experts see an important reason for the difficulties in Belgium. A group of scientists calls, therefore, for a long time electoral reform, the electoral lists for the whole of Belgium forces. “It is undoubtedly an important reason for the tensions in Belgium”, Brussels, political scientist Dave Sinardet in a DW Interview, “that it is, Belgium has no national parties of importance. We are the only state far and wide with this feature.”

All of the errors on the Federal level?

Government Chief Oliver Paasch

However, not all politicians share the diagnosis of a crisis of Belgian federalism. “I don’t see Belgium in front of a new crisis of the state. I also have the impression that the cooking of the language conflicts at present. Belgium Interview is basically a state operating, even when he works from the outside very complex and complicated,” says Oliver Paasch, Prime Minister of the small German-speaking community in Belgium, in DW. Instead of a large state reform Paasch calls for selective improvement. Here, the politician sees the fight against terrorism, the competent Federal level: “We need to complain in Belgium, that the information flows between services at the Federal level, in the context of the fight against terrorism have not worked.”

A better exchange of information and additional Posts for the police and the secret service head of the government, Paasche calls. In addition, the databases of the various security services would have to be put together, finally. So far, Federal police, justice store, or even the threat analysis centre OCAM their findings strictly separated from each other.

The division of society could be fought against in the Problem areas: “Belgium should, especially where there are problems, for example, in Molenbeek, very much more to invest in the Integration. In both people with a migrant background, but also in the Integration of people coming from difficult social environments. Nowhere else is the gap between rich and Poor is as great as in these districts.”

Basic structural problem: Brussels is divided into six police districts

Ironically, in Molenbeek, the state could be made again soon. For Saturday, a rights group has called for a Islam-critical Demonstration. The parade in the district with a share of around 40 per cent Muslims, was banned by the local authorities, but the security organs were prepared for all eventualities.