Belgian, but German
June 9, 2007
Headlines in Belgium tend to be dominated by the tug-of-war between the Flemish, based in the country's north, who want more autonomy from the less prosperous, French-speaking areas that are still coming to terms with the post-industrial age.
But Belgium has another official linguistic group: the Germans who live on the Eastern border and make up only one percent of the population.
The area was ceded to Belgium after the World War I under the terms of the Versailles Treaty. Over the decades, a unique Belgo-German way of life has developed.
The capital of the German-speaking region is Eupen, close to the German city of Aachen. The area formally belongs to the province of Liège, but this minority community is autonomous and functions like a federal state of its own.
Lingua franca: German
People here mainly speak German in shops and schools, watch German TV channels and even have their own German-language newspaper, the Grenz-Echo or Border Echo. The sports page covers Bundesliga games, of course. But editor-in-chief Gérard Cremer said his readership has a broader outlook.
"People are also interested in how Anderlecht or Standard Liège are doing," he said. "That's why they read the Grenz-Echo. That's why it is not your normal newspaper in that sense. It's our job to bring Belgium closer to our readers."
Many people here might only be able to name the Belgian prime minister, while they can list the entire German cabinet. Nevertheless, they are Belgian and they certainly don't want to be called Germans.
"We are a mix and I mean that positively," Cremer said. "Not just linguistically, but also in terms of our mentality, in all ways really."
But Cremer added that the minority here are culturally German. And there are a lot of active cultural organizations here.
Multi-layered identity
The flags at the headquarters of the government of the German-speaking community reflect the area's diverse allegiances. The Belgian flag flutters next to the European Union's blue star-sprinkled banner, the arms of the province and the emblem of the German-speaking community - a red lion surrounded by nine blue gentians.
The area's deputy premier, Bernd Gentges, said he appreciates his community's status.
"We think that we are one of the best protected minorities in Europe," he said.
One of Gentges's responsibilities is the integration of immigrants from other countries. But most of them come from Germany and do not present any "acute problems", according to Gentges.
They come because of the lower taxes and the more favorable housebuilding conditions in Belgium. Many are employed over the border, in Aachen, for example, which is just 17 kilometers (10.6 miles) away.
But not only the recent immigrants tend to commute across national frontiers to work: Many of the longstanding members of the German-language community are employed in Germany or Luxembourg.
Gentges sees this with mixed feelings.
"The advantage is that people have greater purchasing power," he said. "Disadvantages arise because many qualified workers are going to Luxembourg and then there is a shortage of those workers here."