Council of Europe to open Belgium monitoring procedure

The oldest European organisation is set to impose a monitoring procedure on Belgium, the country hosting the EU institutions, over the failure by Flemish authorities to appoint three mayors in municipalities with special linguistic arrangements in the Brussels area.

The draft resolution was taken unanimously by the Institutional Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, meeting in Strasbourg on 31 October. 

The decision opens a monitoring procedure on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Belgium. 

Rapporteurs Michel Guégan (France) and Dobrica Milovanovic (Serbia), who visited Belgium on a fact-finding mission last may (EURACTIV 15/05/08), are the authors of the draft resolution, which will be discussed and submitted for adoption at the autumn session of the Congress (1-3 December, Strasbourg). 

For that occasion, the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress has also invited Marino Keulen, the Flemish Region’s minister for home affairs, urban policy, housing and civic integration, and the three mayors who have not been appointed: Damien Thiéry (Linkebeek), Arnold d’Oreye de Lantremange (Krainhem/Crainhem) and François van Hoobrouck d’Aspres (Wezembeek-Oppem), to participate in the debate. 

After the visit of the rapporteurs last May, Flemish Minister Mario Keulen said it was “absurd” that the delegation from Strasbourg did not take Belgian linguistic legislation into account. 

Frieda Brepoels, a Belgian MEP from Flanders, lambasted the “arrogance” of the mission, pointing out that its members were not well-enough prepared to evaluate the situation. The Belgian press also expressed doubts as to whether the Council of Europe’s appointment of a French head of delegation was a good idea. 

The Council of Europe can make recommendations to its 47 member states, but it cannot impose sanctions on them for non-compliance. 

In 1998 and 2001, the Council of Europe recommended that six Flemish districts, including Crainhem, Wezembeek-Oppem and Linkebeek, should join the majority French-speaking Brussels region. But this call was largely ignored by the Flemish authorities. 

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