Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) President Bart De Wever spoke out on Thursday against Vlaams Belang’s independence strategy for Flanders, saying the idea of creating "a 19th-century-style country with full competences" was outdated.
The leader of the Flemish nationalists was reacting on VRT Radio 1's morning show De Ochtend to comments made by VB's Tom Van Grieken during the VTM's 'Het Conclaaf' programme.
The leader of the extreme-right party had compared his party’s strategy for achieving Flemish independence to a “grandmother’s kitchen timer.” The Francophones would be given five years to strike a deal with the Flemish, he said. In the absence of an agreement after five years, Flanders would unilaterally declare its independence, according to Van Grieken’s vision.
His declaration was a sign that Vlaams Belang is not a feasible partner for the N-VA, according to De Wever, who identified it as a “key moment” in the election campaign. "Everyone in our party saw it as a hopeless situation," he commented. "We cannot fool ourselves, it will be up to us to make it happen, otherwise nothing will happen.”
The Antwerp mayor said he despised “foolish strategies, revolutions, improvisations and amateurisms,” and that he had accepted the fact that the national reform he seeks can occur only in stages, likely through confederalism, the “next logical step.”
"If that helps to enhance and protect Flemish prosperity, it's enough for me,” he added.
De Wever said that while he was open to community discussions, he would not consider making certain competences federal again, a move several Francophone parties wish for. “I see no use in that," he said. "I will never discuss it.”
