Flanders is challenging French-language subsidies before the Constitutional Court | Interior

The French-speaking broadcaster RTBF announced more than a month ago that the French Community awarded 471,000 euros to French-speaking associations in Flanders last year. This happened indirectly, through the ‘Assemblée Parliamentaire de la Francophonie’ (APF), an organization based in Paris, France, that promotes French-speaking culture in the world. The subsidies would end up with associations in Flemish municipalities with facilities, but also elsewhere in the outskirts of Brussels and even as far as Ghent, Ostend and Knokke.

Weyts has now raised the matter with the Consultative Committee, the consultative body of the various governments of the country, but “the French Community is not responding to the Flemish request to stop the subsidies”, it sounds. That is why the Flemish government is taking the next step: it is submitting a petition to the Constitutional Court to destroy the “illegal practice”. Similar subsidies have been declared unconstitutional in the past.

“Despite the large budget deficits, the French Community clearly has money left over to sponsor French-speaking associations in Flanders through constructions,” says Weyts. But that policy “goes diametrically opposed to the efforts of Flanders to strengthen the Flemish character of the Rand and to emphasize the importance of Dutch”. According to the Flemish minister, much of the money also ends up with associations that are close to the local political parties, thus circumventing the law on party financing.

“Federal loyalty has to come from both sides. It is now up to the Constitutional Court to put things in order,” concludes Weyts.