By Martin Banks - 30th June 2010
It is being asked to deal with issues at an EU level that it cannot even deal with in its own country
Bruno Valkeniers
The separatist Vlaams Belang says the current caretaker government in Belgium "has no legitimacy" to preside over the EU council presidency.
Belgium takes over the presidency from Spain on 1 July but, speaking at a news conference in parliament on Wednesday, the party's president questioned whether the interim government led by Yves Leterme had a right to govern.
Bruno Valkeniers was speaking in the wake of the recent Belgian elections in which Leterme's party was routed by a Flemish nationalist party led by Bart de Wever.
Valkeniers, also a Belgian MP, said, "This government won only 31 per cent of the vote in Flanders. It is being asked to deal with issues at an EU level that it cannot even deal with in its own country."
He accepted that much groundwork had already been done in the run-up to the start of the presidency but added, "The problem is when a crisis or unexpected event comes up during the next six months.
"How can you expect a government to take responsibility for such an eventuality when it does not even have any legitimacy to do it?"
Karim Van Overmeire, a member of the Flemish parliament, also raised the ongoing issue of possible independence for Flanders.
He said there was "no reason" why such a move would then lead to similar calls for independence in places like Scotland, Catalonia and the Basque region of France.
But he added, "At the same time you have to realise that the map of Europe is always changing. It is unavoidable that country borders change over time."
His comments were echoed by Vlaams Belang MEP Philip Claeys, who said the presidency was "not as important" as in the past now that it has a high representative and an EU president.
Even so, he said he did not expect "much good" to come out of the presidency.
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