We have seen in the previous section that cultural differences between Flemings and Walloons are at the root of Belgium's present division. But ethnic or linguistic disparities between the two communities are a smoke screen that hide the structural causes of the crisis, and the Flemish question cannot be reduced to a cultural frustration.
Indeed, these tensions always existed in Belgium. What really triggered the current confrontation is the financial crisis that started in 2007. The recession that followed deepened the country's economic hardship. Indeed, Belgium's overall debt is set to rise to above 100% lower this year, lower than only Greece's ans Italy's, and the country's balance of trade is negative for the first time in over a decade. Besides, the inflation rate in the country is among the highest in Europe (and running faster than any time in the 25 years).
To understand the correlation between the economical crisis and the Flemish will to split from Wallonia, it is necessary to know that the economic situations of the two regions are very different. The majority of the Belgian economical activity is concentrated into the North of the country. Therefore, Flanders is a region much more prosperous than Wallonia. This concentration can be explained by the fact that Flanders benefits from its access to the North Sea, with thriving harbors like Zeebrugge or Antwerp, which is the third biggest harbor in the world. Moreover, the region benefit from the economic dynamism of Brussels.
Belgium's economic activity is highly concentrated in the Northern part of the country.
The unemployment rate is also higher in Wallonia (around 20%), so the Belgian federal government provides the region with relatively important social aids through the social security. The Flemish pro-independence political parties use these financial transfers from the "wealthy Flanders" to the "poor Wallonia" present the Walloons as lazy profiteers from the Flemish economic dynamism. So this thirst for independence is mainly motivated by economic reasons, the pro-independence Flemings thinking that the separation from Wallonia is the key for a wealthier Flemish society.
The clash between the two regions is also a clash between two opposite political ideologies. Wallonia is a left-wing oriented region. The PSB (Belgian Socialist Party) dominates most local authorities and is very commonly part of governing coalitions. This orientation is partly due to the proximity of the PSB with the powerful French Socialist Party, but the real reason for its lasting success lies in the industrial past of Wallonia. From the mid 19th to the 1930's, the region was specialized in industries involving coal and steel. The end of the first industrial revolution dramatically slowed down the activity, and a large proportion of workers found support in socialist policies.
Historically, the Flanders's economy always relied on commerce and finance. The region is fully integrated in the financial system and benefits from the dynamism of this activity. The Flemish population mainly supports this economic model, and therefore supports Neoliberalism which is the political side of the free-market economy. Since Neoliberalism is absolutely incompatible with Socialism, Flemish nationalism has become the ideological form of the neoliberal project in the specific context of Flanders.
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The failure of the Belgian federal Government deepens antagonisms between the two regions. As a matter of fact, it does not represent the aspiration of the Belgian population anymore. The political life in Belgium is clearly and hermetically divided. Dutch-speaking politicians only speak to the Fleming, while the Francophone politicians only care about Walloon voters. This de facto division in the Belgian politics made the Federal Government unrepresentative of its own citizens.
This lack of representation from the federal government allowed the increasing popularity of pro-independence parties in Flanders. The Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) and its charismatic leader Bart De Wever (see picture) had become the largest political party in Belgium.
If the Flemings were the first to desire the separation of the two regions, the Walloons are now more and more kind on creating their own country. Yet one major issue prevent both community to agree on their respective independence : the case of Brussels.
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