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Whether expressed as “2+2”, as “3+3-2” or simply as “4”, there seems to be growing support for the idea that Belgium’s federal structure could be more legible and more efficient if it simply consisted in four territorially defined components: Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and Ostbelgien. This would enable the parliaments and governments of each one of these components to exercise a more comprehensive and coherent set of competences. But in this simplified federal Belgium, how should the competences currently exercised by the Flemish and French Communities be efficiently reallocated and sustainably funded? Must the reallocation operate in the same way in all sectors, from culture and education to scientific research and the media, and must it operate symmetrically for the competences of the French and Flemish Community? Can the outcome be improved democratic accountability rather than wasteful duplication ?
Language regime: Dutch and French
Moderation : Béatrice DELVAUX (Le Soir) & Karel VERHOEVEN (De Standaard)
Welcoming: Philippe VAN PARIJS (Re-Bel & UCLouvain)
Introduction: Sven GATZ (finance minister in the governement of the Region of Brussels-Capital) and Paul MAGNETTE (president of the Parti socialiste)
Challenges: André ALEN (KU Leuven), Céline ROMAINVILLE (UCLouvain) and Willem SAS (University of Stirling)
General discussion
Concluding comments: Paul DE GRAUWE (Re-Bel & LSE)
Background documents
Naar een België met vier?
Paul De Grauwe en Philippe Van Parijs, coördinatoren van het Re-Bel initiatief
De Standaard, 20 april 2021
Vers une Belgique à quatre?
Paul De Grauwe et Philippe Van Parijs, coordinateurs de l’initiative Re-Bel
Le Soir, 20 avril 2021
Belgisch Federalisme: 2 + 2 = 4 ?
Willem Sas, University of Stirling & KU Leuven, slides presented on 22 April 2021
Il est nécessaire de simplifier le modèle institutionnel
André Alen, Le Soir, 22 avril 2021
Belgium. Une utopie pour notre temps – Chapitre 4 (“Quatre régions”)
Philippe VAN PARIJS, Bruxelles: Académie royale de Belgique, 2018
Belgium. Een utopie voor onze tijd – Hoofdstuk 4 (“Vier gewesten”)
Philippe VAN PARIJS, Antwerpen: Polis, 2018
Source: https://rethinkingbelgium.eu/event/naar-een-belgie-met-zijn-vieren-vers-une-belgique-a-quatre/
