Flemish Minister for Brussels Cieltje Van Achter (N-VA) wants to work together with the Capital Region's 19 municipalities to enhance their services in Dutch.
As part of Van Achter's 'Round of the 19 municipalities' – which kicked off with Watermael-Boitsfort's mayor and former Brussels formator David Leisterh (MR) – she also held a first series of discussions with the local authorities of Forest, Auderghem, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Jette, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Evere and Ixelles.
“Local authorities have shown themselves to be very willing to work on strong Dutch-language services and more opportunities to practice Dutch. In every municipality, I feel the will to continue to make a difference together," said Van Achter.
'Dutch plan'
In a press release, she noted that she is pleased with the broad commitment of the Brussels municipalities she has already spoken to. Her plan is to work together with all 19 to improve the use and knowledge of Dutch in Brussels, especially outside the school context.
"Both children and parents need low-threshold and accessible ways to practice the language," said Van Achter. "The increase in the budget for after-school care and holiday initiatives is a first step. Parents are asking for quality care and a wide range of activities in which their children can use Dutch. I am working hard on a 'Dutch Plan' to focus even more on this."
At the same time, it became clear to Van Achter that the Flemish integration programme and the offer at Huis van het Nederlands (known in English as Dutch Language House Brussels, an organisation aiming to facilitate access to the language) are not well known enough yet.
A 2023 survey by Huis van het Nederlands found that the majority of Brussels residents who do not speak Dutch are motivated to learn the language to get a better job. "For them, learning the Dutch language is never the end in itself, but above all a means to achieve more general goals in life," they found.
"For some municipalities, the Flemish integration programme appears to be unknown territory," she said. "Yet it is the municipalities that have to inform and refer newcomers. My round shows that referrals are mainly made to the French-language integration programme."
Huis van het Nederlands in Brussels. Credit: Belga/ Siska Gremmelprez
As of April, the Federal Government has raised the language requirements for newcomers to Belgium following an integration programme to B1 (up from A2 previously), according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
This means that people following the integration programme in Flanders need a B1 for Dutch, while those following the programme in Wallonia need a B2 for French. In Brussels, people are free to choose which programme they want.
Van Achter stressed that, once again, this underlines the importance of more awareness and structural cooperation with local authorities. "We want every municipality to know the offer, use it and actively refer people."
She will continue her tour of Brussels in the coming weeks and months and will then also meet – likely in June – with the mayor of the largest municipality, the City of Brussels, Philippe Close (PS).
