Vlaamse Volksbeweging
Encyclopedia
Berchem
The 'Ring', Antwerp's circular motorway which follows the track of the former city defense walls, cuts Berchem in two parts, separating the urban inner city area of Oud-Berchem from the more residential and suburban areas Groenenhoek en Nieuw Kwartier .-Demography:Berchem's total surface is over ,...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
The VVB claims to be completely independent, although several politicians can be found among the members.
In 1956, the VVB was founded by Maurits Coppieters
Maurits Coppieters
Maurits Coppieters , Belgian politician for the Volksunie, member of the Belgian Chamber , the Belgian Senate and the European Parliament ....
, a notorious politician and anti-fascist Flemish nationalist. In the beginning, the VVB opposed Belgian unitarism by demanding Flemish autonomy and suggesting the introduction of federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
. The conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
politician Wilfried Martens
Wilfried Martens
Wilfried Martens is a Belgian politician. He was born in Sleidinge . Martens was the 44th Prime Minister of Belgium from 3 April 1979 to 6 April 1981 and 17 December 1981 to 7 March 1992....
- and later Belgian Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
and EPP
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
Chairman - even announced constitutional reform
Reform
Reform means to put or change into an improved form or condition; to amend or improve by change of color or removal of faults or abuses, beneficial change, more specifically, reversion to a pure original state, to repair, restore or to correct....
on a VVB-congress in 1962.
Since 1991, the VVB no longer supports further federalisation
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
of the Belgian state and stands for complete Flemish independence. Within the Flemish Movement
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....
, the VVB represents the more radical flamingant
Flamingant
The Dutch and French word flamingant refers to all activists of the Flemish movement and was initially used as a pejorative term by Belgicists to indicate nationalist Flemish people. It may be derived from Flamins, the Walloon word for Flemings. The word can be equally used as an adjective or...
s.
The VVB publishes two monthly magazines, Doorbraak ('Breakthrough') and Binnendoor ('Indoor'), about Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
as well as the quarterly magazine Gorik about Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The VVB also distributes two newsletters Kaderblad ('Board Paper') and Nederlands Landstaal ('Dutch Language of the State').
The VVB celebrated his 50th year of existence in 2006 and changed its motto from Vlaanderen staat in Europa ('Flanders stands in Europe') into Wij gaan verder ('We Go Further').
The VVB is composed out of more than 100 regional committees and its membership exceeded 6,000 by early 2006.
Since 2007, the VVB is chaired by professor Eric Defoort
Eric Defoort
Eric Defoort is a Flemish politician and president of the European Free Alliance.In the past two years , Prof. Dr. Eric Defoort was the president of the Flemish Popular Movement , a non-party linked movement advocating Flemish autonomy...
. He succeeded Rita De Bont after she was elected in the Belgian Parliament for the Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...
party in June 2007 and resigned as chairwoman of the VVB.