Freedom in the World 1999 - Belgium

1999 Scores

Status: Free
Freedom Rating: 1.5
Civil Liberties: 2
Political Rights: 1

Overview

Belgium continued to be plagued by political scandal and decreased confidence in its government throughout 1999. This resulted in a landslide victory of the conservative Liberal Party over the government of Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene and his Christian Democratic led coalition in national elections in June. Public outrage over a food scandal, involving dioxin-contaminated poultry and other products, and revelations that Dehaene's government suppressed information about the poisoning culminated in the sweeping victory of the center-right Liberals, led by Guy Verhofstadt. It is estimated the dioxin crisis caused at least $500 million in damages to the Belgian economy, as a result in large part of temporary Europe-wide and Asian bans on Belgian meat and produce. In July a coalition government of Greens, Liberals, and Socialists was formed, with Verhofstadt as prime minister.

In September the new government drafted a plan outlining the reform of immigration and deportation procedures. The previous government had come under intense public pressure in the wake of the 1998 death of Semira Adamu, a 20-year-old Nigerian asylum seeker smothered to death with a pillow by Belgian police as they struggled to forcibly deport her. The new plan calls for simplifying asylum procedures, improving immigrant aid programs, and improving conditions in detention centers, measures previously called for by human rights groups.

The country continues to face increased ethnic and linguistic tensions between its French-speaking Walloons, who worry that they are losing their identity, and the Flemings, who are calling for a confederated or separate state.

Modern Belgium dates from 1830, when the territory broke away from the Netherlands and formed a constitutional monarchy. Today, the largely ceremonial monarchy symbolizes the weakness of Belgian unity. Ethnic and linguistic antagonism during the 1960s prompted a series of constitutional amendments, in the period 1970-71 and in 1993, that devolved power to regional councils at the expense of the central government in Brussels. A 1993 amendment formally transformed the country into a federation of Flanders, Wallonia, and bilingual Brussels, with the German-speaking area accorded cultural autonomy. Also in 1993, parliament adopted an amendment establishing three directly elected regional assemblies with primary responsibility for housing, transportation, public works, education, culture, and the environment. The weak central government continues to oversee foreign policy, defense, justice, monetary policy, taxation, and the management of the budget deficit.

Political parties are split along linguistic lines, with both Walloon and Flemish parties ranging across the political spectrum. Numerous small ethnic parties and special interest groups have emerged, leading to a decline in the dominance of the three major parties: the Social Democrats, Christian Democrats, and Liberals.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Belgians can change their government democratically. Nonvoters are subject to fines. Political parties generally organize themselves along ethnic lines, with different factions of the leading parties subscribing to a common platform for general elections. Each ethnic group has autonomy in its region, but constitutional disputes arise when members of one group elected to office in a different territory refuse to take competency tests in the dominant language of that region.

The country's judiciary is independent but has continued to experience criticism as a result of the country's ongoing political and criminal scandals.

While freedom of speech and the press is guaranteed, Belgian law prohibits some forms of pornography as well as incitements to violence. Libel laws have some minor restraining effects on the press, and restrictions on the right of civil servants to criticize the government may constitute a slight reduction of the right to civil speech. Autonomous public boards govern the state television and radio networks and ensure that public broadcasting is linguistically pluralistic. The state has permitted and licensed independent radio stations since 1985.

Belgians enjoy freedom of religion and association. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim institutions are state subsidized in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, and other faiths are not restricted. Immigrants and linguistic minorities argue that linguistic zoning limits opportunity.

Belgium has enacted measures to promote sexual equality, including the prohibition of sexual harassment. Legislation mandates that, in the next general parliamentary election, 33 percent of the candidates be women. Approximately 60 percent of the workforce are members of labor unions, which have the right to strike – one that they frequently exercise – even in "essential" services.