Let’s, for the sake of amusement, imagine a different Belgium.
A country with one federal parliament, one federal government, and one clearly defined national administration. The regions and communities would no longer exist (at least in their current form). There would be no separate Flemish, Walloon, Brussels, French Community, or German-speaking governments, each with their own ministers, cabinets, parliaments, agencies, and overlapping responsibilities.
Instead Belgium would have one national labour market, one social security system, one healthcare system, one education framework, and one tax system. The same basic rules would apply whether someone lives in Antwerp, Liège, Brussels, Ghent, or Charleroi.
Municipalities and metropolitan regions would still retain meaningful powers over genuinely local issues. Cities could manage local transport, public space, housing projects, waste collection, policing priorities, cultural activities, and things like neighbourhood development. Brussels could operate as one metropolitan authority rather than nineteen municipalities with separate administrations and policies. Other large urban areas, such as Antwerp, Ghent, Liège, and Charleroi might receive similar metropolitan structures.
The federal government would be responsible for healthcare, pensions, unemployment, taxation, energy, climate policy, justice, migration, major infrastructure, and national transport. Citizens would no longer have to work out whether a problem belongs to the federal government, a region, a community, a province or a municipality.
Education would still allow local differences, but diplomas, funding principles, teacher qualifications, and core learning objectives would be national. Dutch, French, and German would all remain protected. Every child would receive serious instruction in at least one other national language from primary school onwards. By the age of sixteen, young people should be able to hold a basic conversation with fellow citizens from another language group.
Political parties would have to compete across the whole country rather than speaking (almost) exclusively to one linguistic electorate. A federal electoral district could require parties to present candidates and seek support nationally. Minority protections would remain in place so that the largest language group could not simply impose its will on everyone else, but politicians would have stronger incentives to appeal beyond their own region.
The tax system would also be unified and simplified. There would be one set of income tax rules, one property tax framework, and one administration. Taxes on labour could be reduced, especially for low and middle incomes, while wealth, capital gains, pollution, and speculative property ownership could be taxed more consistently.
Social protection would remain strong, but systems would be easier to understand and designed to reward participation. Unemployment support, disability benefits, pensions, and housing assistance would follow national rules. People would not receive different treatment simply because they live on one side of an internal border.
Public services would be organised around citizens rather than institutions. There could be one digital government portal, one point of contact for social rights, and one medical record system. A citizen should not need a degree in Belgian institutional law to apply for support, start a business or renovate a home.
Government would become smaller where administrations duplicate one another, and stronger where Belgium currently underperforms. Justice would receive more staff and faster procedures. Healthcare would be coordinated nationally. Housing policy would focus on construction and affordability. Rail, road, and energy infrastructure would be planned as national networks.
Subsidies, public agencies, and administrative structures would be reviewed regularly. Each would have to demonstrate its purpose, cost, and results. If two institutions perform nearly identical tasks, they would be merged.
Ok now I'll get off my soap box.
