Belgium and Bureaucracy Are Made for Each Other

Bureaucracy, political infighting, and linguistic nitpicking in their most extreme and most annoying forms and formalities are blood sports in Belgium, a small central European country, which also lends its capital as headquarters to another bureaucratic behemoth, the governmental organization known as the European Union. In Belgium not only is there a king, but also active in public life are a prime minister, a federal bicameral parliament with key leaders, five minister-presidents for regional and cultural communities, and officials in unicameral parliaments for each of the regions or communities. The various political parties, including the Christian Democrats, the Liberals, the Socialists, and the Greens, all exist in at least two linguistic flavors, Flemish or French, with one German-speaking party. Imagine how long it must take to figure out lunch orders, let alone decide on an important policy issue!

Herman Van Rompuy, the current Prime Minister of Belgium, heads up a coalition government comprised of five political parties, including the Flemish-speaking Christian Democrats, the French-speaking Christian Democrats, the Flemish-speaking Liberals, the French-speaking Liberals, and the French-speaking Socialists. This is pretty much the same coalition united under Van Rompuy's predecessor Yves Leterme, who currently holds the post of Foreign Minister. Leterme was forced to resign the top job because of a scandal over alleged government interference in the sale of part of a major Belgian Bank, Fortis, to a major French bank, BNP Paribas. Problems with the nation's top banks, Fortis, KBC, and Dexia, all of which recently secured government-funded bailouts, have temporarily diverted attention from Belgium's chief fixation in recent years, devolution, or the granting of greater autonomy to Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern part of the country, and Wallonia, the mainly French-speaking southern section. Education is the only field which has successfully been surrendered by the federal government to the control of the regional and community governments.

In addition to banking troubles, the worldwide financial crisis has also highlighted issues like employment, inflation, consumer confidence, and foreign trade. Belgium relies on exports, so its manufacturing companies are struggling. One company, brewer InBev has managed to buck a pessimistic trend, thanks to its purchase in 2008 of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch. Yet, the government decided to investigate the beer-maker on antitrust grounds, contending that the country's malt suppliers were being pressured on payment terms. Recently, the investigation was dropped without explanation. On another topic, employment concerns are further complicated by the strength of the trade unions, which are highly politicized and which also control the distribution of benefits. A further issue causing tempers to rise is that of refugees, or asylum seekers, many of whom are in the country for economic rather than political reasons. Amnesty International has cited Belgium for rough treatment of foreign refugees.

Language is a fundamental thing in Belgium. Speaking French in a Flemish town can get you into big trouble and vice versa. Language discrimination in the housing and job markets has been documented. How troubling is it that such a civilized country, the crossroads of Europe, should also turn out to be almost xenophobic in its national character? Or maybe it's that touch of surrealism that resides in all Belgians. A new museum dedicated to a favorite son, the painter Rene Magritte, celebrated for surrealist imagery, opened just this spring in Brussels.

"Former Belgian premier returns to cabinet in reshuffle", Expatica/AFP

David Jolly, "Takeover of Belgian Bank Sparks Anger at Meeting," New York Times

Jeremiah McWilliams, "Belgium drops investigation of Anheuser-Busch InBev's payment terms", St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Linguistic discrimination in Belgium", Eurotopics

"Amnesty International condemns Belgium", Expatica/Flanders News

Jim Ruane, "Magritte Museum Opens as Surreal House, Tintin Gets Spaceship", Bloomberg News