<div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">=========================================================================<br>L O W L A N D S - L - 16 March 2008 - Volume 04<br style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">
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=========================================================================<br></div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="HcCDpe"><span class="EP8xU" style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25);">Roger Thijs, Euro-Support, Inc.</span> <span class="lDACoc"><<a href="mailto:roger.thijs@euro-support.be">roger.thijs@euro-support.be</a>></span></span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Subject: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="HcCDpe">LL-L "Government" 2008.03.15 (05) [E]<br><br></span><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" id="1fqo" class="ArwC7c ckChnd">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div><div class="Ih2E3d">> From: R. F. Hahn
<<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com" target="_blank">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>><br></div>> Subject:
Government<div class="Ih2E3d"><br><font size="2">> </font>I don't know if the portfolio is always
the same or if this is Bert Anciaux's specific mix. What comes to mind is this:
</div>Brussels is treated
as it's own area, where "Flemish," "Walloon" and "German" Belgium coexist.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">Hi
Ron,</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">It was a
pleasure to meet you in Seattle.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">As to the competences of ministers in Belgium.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">The administrative structure in this country is:</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">- 1 - Federal: King, <strong>Federal
Government,</strong> Two </font><font size="2"> Houses of
parliament (Chambre & Senat)</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- 2 - Regional & Cultural (parallel levels) with
<strong>Governments</strong> and elected bodies (parliament)</font></div>
<div><font size="2"> Basically: </font></div>
<div><font size="2"> - <u>Regions</u>: <strong>Flanders</strong>, Wallonia
and the Capital Region of Brussels</font></div>
<div><font size="2"> - <u>Cultural area's</u>: "<strong>Flanders + Dutch
speaking Brussels</strong>", "Wallonia + French speaking Brussels", German
speaking area (in the Wallonia Region)</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- 3 - Provinces: with an <strong>appointed governor, elected
"deputees"</strong> governing dedicated matters. They have an elected council
(provincieraad kind of parliament)</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- 4 - Arrondissements: a subdivision in the province, no
government nor elected body; the arrondissementscommissaris, reporting to the
governor of the province, may be appointed to interfere in linguistic
matters (as has happened in Voeren and in Schaarbeek)</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- 5 - Cantons: a subdivision of the arrondissement, no
government nor elected body (size similar to the German Kreis). Lowest level of
justice (Justice of Peace and Police Courts), lowest level of election
circuits</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- 6 - Municipality, with an appointed burgomaster, generally
from within the elected councelers, a kind of government "<strong>college van
burgermeester en schepenen (aldermen)"</strong> and an elected council
("gemeenteraad")</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">The governments and councils of the "<strong>Flemish
region</strong>" and the "<strong>Dutch language cultural area</strong>"
<u>merged</u>, which give it <strong>certain cultural competences over
Brussels</strong> (as e.g. Dutch language education). From the French side there
has <u>not been a parallel merger operation</u>.</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_Raad" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_Raad</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_regering" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_regering</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">merging competences for:</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_Gemeenschap" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_Gemeenschap</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaams_Gewest" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaams_Gewest</a></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">The Brussels capital region</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Hoofdstedelijk_Gewest" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Hoofdstedelijk_Gewest</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">got/kept competence for some residual cultural
matters,</font></div>
<div><font size="2">and complementarty to its proper council</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselse_Hoofdstedelijke_Regering" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselse_Hoofdstedelijke_Regering</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Hoofdstedelijk_Parlement" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_Hoofdstedelijk_Parlement</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">has its own cultural commissions:</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_Gemeenschapscommissie" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_Gemeenschapscommissie</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/COCOF" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/COCOF</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemeenschappelijke_Gemeenschapscommissie" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemeenschappelijke_Gemeenschapscommissie</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">The competences are <u>assymmetric</u>, depending of different
delegations of authority from the Dutch and the French sides.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">The Brussels capital region coincides with its own
arrondissement</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrondissement_Brussel-Hoofdstad" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrondissement_Brussel-Hoofdstad</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">and absorbed all Brussels provincial
competences</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincies_van_Belgi%C3%AB" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincies_van_België</a></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">For parliamentary elections the arrondissements
Halle-Vilvoorde (Flemish) and Brussels are still merged as a
single election district. This allows the French to get votes in the
Brussels border area (but also reïnforces the position of Flemish voters in
Brussels). The split of this election circuit is one of the hot issues in this
country.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">Politically, Belgium had, in the beginning of the 20th
century, 3 main political families:</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- <strong>christian-democrats</strong>, considered in the
middle</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- <strong>socialists</strong>, considered at the
left</font></div>
<div><font size="2">- <strong>liberals,</strong> considered a bit to the
right</font></div>
<div><font size="2">Before 1965 governments were mostly combinations of 2 of these
3.</font></div>
<div><font size="2">After 1965 (split of the Leuven university) these three
parties have been split in Flemish and Walloon parties.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">Further <strong>regional parties</strong> came into the
picture and participated at some governments. Some of these parties have later
been absorbed by the mainstream parties, forcing these though into a more
regionalistic position.</font></div>
<div><font size="2">Since all governments in this country (except for some
municipal governments) are <strong>coalition governments</strong>, competences
are divided and split during the negotiations of government
formation.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">So for the Brussels case one has to consider at first which
Brussels cultural matters are <strong>competence of Flanders</strong> and which
ones are <strong>competence of Brussels itself,</strong> plus see how the cake
in each government is divided between the particîpating political parties. This
often leads to other combinations than a logic of consistence of content
would lead to.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">Btw. Bert Anciaux (following his father Vic Anciaux in
politics)</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Anciaux" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Anciaux</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">belonged to the Flemish regional party
"<strong>Volksunie</strong>" before it was split up in "Spirit" and
"NVA".</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksunie" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksunie</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">Anciaux went with "<strong>Spîrit</strong>".</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">Spirit forms joint lists ("cartel" lists) with the Flemish
socialists in Flanders and in Brussels.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">The flexibility of the "Volksunie" at the occasion of the
negotiations known as Egmontpact:</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egmontpact" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egmontpact</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">leaded to a split off of Flemish radicals, forming the "Vlaams
Blok", which was later qualified as racist.</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2"><strong>Flemish government:</strong></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regering-Peeters_I" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regering-Peeters_I</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">(History of composition: <a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_regering" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlaamse_regering</a>)</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><strong>Ceyssens</strong> was in Seattle (you met
her)</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Ceysens" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Ceysens</a></font></div>
<div><strong></strong> </div>
<div><strong><font size="2">Brussels government:</font></strong></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselse_regering" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brusselse_regering</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">Its former president <strong>de Donnea</strong> was in
Seattle:</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois-Xavier_de_Donnea" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/François-Xavier_de_Donnea</a></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2"><strong>Walloon government:</strong></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waalse_regering" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waalse_regering</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2">was represented in Seattle by
<strong>Marcourt</strong></font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Marcourt" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Marcourt</a></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2"><strong>For the federal government</strong> (transitional
government)</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><strong>de Gucht</strong> (foreign affairs) participated in
Vancouver only:</font></div>
<div><font size="2"><a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_De_Gucht" target="_blank">http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_De_Gucht</a></font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">Regards,</font></div>
<div><font size="2">Roger</font></div>
<div> </div>
<div><font size="2">PS. </font></div>
<div><font size="2">- Ron I visited part of Lynden when returning from Vancouver.
I saw some little windmills in some gardens but not the big one you talked
about. I actually turned South at the Meridien Way (the street with a "mall"
look when it passes through Bellingham), and I realized afterwards that I should
have continued a bit further to the East.</font></div>
<div><font size="2">Annoying is that European credit cards do not work at some gaz
stations, since you have to combine with a US zip code.<br>- I had had problems
with my Tomtom in the morning, leading me uphill-downhill into (a small)
Broadway in Burnaby, while I was looking for a shop on West Broadway in
Vancouver. Finally at the wright place I spoiled my shirt when picking up meat
out of the soup with chopsticks in a Cambodian restaurant, but fortunately I
could buy a replacement shirt in a Korean shop (I still had to go to a
conference downtown in the afternoon). South Vancouver is almost fully
Asian.</font></div></div>
</div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">----------</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="HcCDpe"><br>
</span>
<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" id="1fqo" class="ArwC7c ckChnd">
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<div><div class="Ih2E3d">From: R. F. Hahn
<<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com" target="_blank">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>><br></div>Subject:
Government</div></div></div>
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for the clarification, dear Roger. As all things Belgian it makes one's head spin.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">It's good to know you got back home all right.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">And, yes, it was great spending time with you last Monday. Thanks for having arranged that and for Santa Claus to make an early appearance. I have always been taken by your kindness and generosity, and I don't only mean the large bag full of great books you brought me. The way you orchestrated the surprise shows that you care a lot, although you have an understated air about it. So let me express my thanks to you again, also on behalf of the rest of the Lowlanders who, like you, have been keeping the boat afloat and making headway.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't know what happened in Lynden, but it sounds as though you never saw the town center.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Anyway, it's great to have you back, Roger.<br><br>If you don't mind, I'll run my draft letter to Minister Anciaux by you when it's done.</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Regards,</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Reinhard/Ron</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">