BRUSSELS BRIEFING February 2005

News this month

No vote

Belgium's plans to hold a referendum on the proposed new European Union (EU) constitution have been shelved. The government had originally argued that the document is important enough to merit a plebiscite. Ten of the 24 other EU countries have already scheduled referenda on the constitution over the next 18 months. But Belgium got cold feet after a horrible thought struck the government: it might lose.

More specifically, officials worried that the country's far-right party, the Vlaams Belang (now the biggest party in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking half of Belgium), might mobilise voters who don't want Turkey to join the EU. Strictly speaking, Turkish membership has nothing to do with the constitution, but Turkey will begin accession talks around the time of the referendum, and EU opponents in France and the Netherlands are successfully linking the two issues. Fear of a similar link in Belgium provoked second thoughts among key members of Belgium's coalition government. So the world has been deprived of the entertaining prospect that the country hosting the EU's institutions might reject its basic legal treaty.

Another implosion?

Belgium's government, meanwhile, once again teeters on the brink of collapse. The crisis comes from a row between French and Dutch-speakers over Flemish demands to split up the electoral constituency of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. All Flemish parties in the government support the move; all French parties oppose it. If the Dutch-speakers force the measure through parliament, the Francophones could pull the so-called “emergency brake” available under Belgium's complex federal system, so triggering the government's collapse. Such a scenario would be particularly disastrous for Guy Verhofstadt, Belgium's prime minister, whose Liberal party is already taking a beating in the polls.

A kingly response

Though the issue of the hijab, the veil worn by some devout Muslim women, has received the most attention in France, it is no less controversial in the rest of Europe, particularly in Belgium. The friction comes from the country's large Muslim population and its active far-right. In November, Rik Remmery, the owner of a food-processing firm in western Belgium, discovered just how strongly his countrymen felt about the veil, to his peril. He received a death threat from a group calling itself “New Free Flanders”, because he allowed one of his employees, Naima Amzil, to wear the veil during working hours. The group sent five letters accusing him of being “a bad Belgian who collaborates with Muslims”, and threatened both him and his family (one letter included a bullet).

In response, Ms Amzil offered to resign. Mr Remmery declined, and stood by her, though she now wears a protective hairnet (worn by all the company's employees) rather than a veil at work. Mr Remmery's steadfastness has so far have been greeted with support rather than violence: an association of employers collected 25,000 signatures on a petition backing him. Support from a higher source came on January 12th, when Belgium's king, Albert II, received Mr Remmery and Ms Amzil at his palace. He told them they were right not to cave in to the threats.

Puff elsewhere

The first non-smoking bar in Brussels has opened on Place de Brouckere, just opposite the stock exchange. The terribly named, newly refurbished “Le Drink” says it wants to appeal to families. It is certainly in line with social trends: at the beginning of 2004, 27.4% of Belgians were daily smokers; by the end of the year, only 20% were smoking every day. This impressive drop follows a government education campaign, targeted especially at women, only 15% of whom now smoke.

Rudy Demotte, Belgium's health minister, said on January 25th that he plans to suggest a total public-smoking ban to the cabinet. He blamed landlords and restaurant owners for failing to enforce no-smoking areas in their establishments: a recent survey found that 43% of bars and restaurants had ineffective ventilation systems and minuscule smoke-free areas. A survey of 1,070 Belgians showed a majority in favour of a smoking ban.

Catch if you can

February 2005

“Memory of Congo” and “Congo: Nature and Culture” at the Africa Museum

Until October 9th, 2005

No historical subject troubles Belgians as much as the country's colonial past in the Congo. King Leopold more-or-less ran the country as his own personal rubber farm, relying on torture, slaughter and slave labour. But many Belgians still remember the colonial period with pride, as a time that provided much of modern Brussels's wealth. Outsiders have often accused Belgians of being unusually brutal colonialists, and of being oblivious to these faults. But a recent book called “King Leopold's Ghost” by Adam Hochschild, an American historian, has provoked some soul searching.

The Africa Museum's director created a commission of historical inquiry, which is somewhat curious given that this old-fashioned museum on the city's outskirts is often accused of glossing over Belgian savagery in the Congo. These broad exhibitions indicate Belgium's new-found introspection. The first is a look at Congo's history up until independence; the second concentrates on Congo's environment and people.

Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080 Tervuren. Tel: +32 (0)2 769-5200. Open: Tues-Fri, 10am-5pm; Sat, Sun and holidays, 10am-6pm. Entry: €4. For more information, visit the museum's website.