Flanders should have constitutional autonomy the Minister-President of Flanders, Geert Bourgeois (of the New Flemish Alliance), said when speaking on behalf of the party on Monday in the columns of the daily newspapers De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad.
He is calling upon the federal parliament to make the Constitution adaptable.
The Flemish Minister-President, Geert Bourgeois, is in favour of a widened constitutional agenda for Flanders. This is demonstrated by the title of the conference speech that he will present on Monday evening in Leuven, as both newspapers report. In practical terms, he intends to secure greater constitutional powers for the region and as the ultimate symbol, would like Flanders to have its own Constitution.
Mr Bourgeois acknowledges that there is nothing envisaged on this point in the government agreement. However, he explains the use of his “academic freedom" to express his personal opinion. “In almost all other federal states, you find that states have their own Constitution." However, nothing can happen without federal intervention.
Mr Bourgeois is therefore requesting the federal parliament to declare the constitution adaptable so that Flanders is equipped with constitutional powers in 2020.
However, the federal majority has agreed to leave all institutional issues on ice for five years.
(Source:Belga)
