Maddens Doctrine
Encyclopedia
The Maddens Doctrine or Strategy refers, in Belgian politics
, to a strategy suggested by Bart Maddens to achieve progress in the state reform
.
The strategy has been adopted by, among others, the New Flemish Alliance and the Flemish People's Movement, but also has opponents, including within the Aktiekomitee Flemish Social Security, who doubts its effectiveness.
The aim of this strategy is to enforce a positive evolution of the state reform from the Flemish nationalist
point of view. Its main idea is that the reform may only achieve progress if both parties, the Flemish and the Francophones look for it. According to Maddens, if the Flemish want a reform, they have to operate in such a way that the Francophones require further devolution from the federal government to the federated entities.
Three options are open in order to reach this objective:
Politics of Belgium
Politics of Belgium takes place in a framework of a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy, whereby the King of the Belgians is the Head of State and the Prime Minister of Belgium is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by...
, to a strategy suggested by Bart Maddens to achieve progress in the state reform
State reform in Belgium
The term State reform in the Belgian context indicates a process towards finding constitutional and legal solutions for the problems and tensions between the different segments of the Belgian population, mostly Dutch-speakers of Flanders and French-speakers of Wallonia...
.
The strategy has been adopted by, among others, the New Flemish Alliance and the Flemish People's Movement, but also has opponents, including within the Aktiekomitee Flemish Social Security, who doubts its effectiveness.
The aim of this strategy is to enforce a positive evolution of the state reform from the Flemish nationalist
Flemish movement
The Flemish Movement is a popular term used to describe the political movement for emancipation and greater autonomy of the Belgian region of Flanders, for protection of the Dutch language, and for the over-all protection of Flemish culture and history....
point of view. Its main idea is that the reform may only achieve progress if both parties, the Flemish and the Francophones look for it. According to Maddens, if the Flemish want a reform, they have to operate in such a way that the Francophones require further devolution from the federal government to the federated entities.
Three options are open in order to reach this objective:
- create social and political organisations within Flanders which are autonomous of federal structures;
- reduce the budget of the federal government;
- associate any further devolution of powers from the federal government to the Communities and Regions with new financial support to the federal government.