topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2270.63 -0.42
DAX 6788.8 0.59
IBEX 30 8902.1 0.60
CAC 40 3424.71 0.43
FTSE 100 5895.47 0.33
AEX 325.12 -0.06
DJIA 12890.46 0.05
Nasdaq 2927.23 0.39
FTSE MIB 16653.83 -0.09
TSX Composite 12497.94 -0.18
ASX 4322.6 -0.79
Hang seng 20756.97 -1.20
Straits Times 2961.12 -0.67
ISEQ 20 503.71 0.33
You are here: Home News Belgian News EU probes into housing discrimination in Belgium

Belgian News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


11/09/2008EU probes into housing discrimination in Belgium

The European Commission is looking into complaints that French-speakers are discriminated against buying public land in the town of Zaventem because they don’t speak Dutch.

11 September 2008  

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission said Wednesday it was seeking information from the Belgian authorities over complaints that French-speakers are discriminated against over public housing.

A justice spokesman said the commission sent a letter on 22 August for clarification about reports that a number of Dutch-speaking communes are making the use of their regional language a condition for access to public homes.

"We have received a number of complaints about the conditions that are put in place by these municipalities in order to rent public housing, buy land or receive minimum social wages," he said.

"There is European legislation that rules out direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of nationality, for example, or on the basis of language," the spokesman Michele Cercone said.

He said that commission was awaiting a response.

In March, a United Nations committee expressed concern that Belgium's Flemish community had adopted a decree "restricting access to social housing to persons who speak or make the commitment to learn Dutch".

The committee voiced concern that the town of Zaventem, near Brussels, was restricting the sale of public land to Dutch-speakers or people committed to learning Dutch.

The language divide is a long-running problem in Belgium, pitting the richer Dutch-speaking north of Flanders against poorer Francophone Wallonia in the south.

Only the Brussels capital region is officially bilingual with, for example, road signs in both languages.

The divide has been at the root of a political crisis in the kingdom, which borders both France and the Netherlands, amid a struggle by Flanders to win more powers.

The French community regards the housing language rules as thinly veiled measures to keep them out of Dutch-speaking Flanders.

The Flemish authorities argue that the rules are there to foster community spirit in the Dutch-speaking region, so that everyone can talk to their neighbours.

[AFP / Expatica]

If you would like to comment on this topic, you can do so below or in our discussion forums at: http://forum.expatica.com/Belgium-f204.html. (Forums require a personal profile. Sign up here.)


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

English in Belgium

ascent of language in belgium

Family in Belgium

Question about summer program/camp in Belgium

Healthcare in Belgium

How to find a good Physio and optometrist?

Jobs in Belgium

IFAs / FSIs / Country Managers / Confidential Introducers

Housing in Belgium

Flatmate Wanted as from mid February – SPACIOUS DUPLEX/PENTHOUSE

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Looking for work in Belgium

Looking for work in Belgium

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.

Learning to cope with life abroad

Learning to cope with life abroad

The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.