Periphery of Brussels

The periphery of Brussels (in Dutch, “ of Rand ” where Rand is a word meaning edge, borders, limit, margin, edge…) is the left external of the agglomeration of Brussels, located in Flanders (the central part of the agglomeration is formed by the Area of Brussels-Capital). It is consisted of the communes surrounding Brussels-Capital, which belong to the Flemish Région or the area of language Dutchwoman (these two concepts do not mean the same thing, but relate to the same territory well). According to the point of view one speaks in Flanders about Brusselse Rand or Vlaamse Rand .

Problems of the 6 common Flemish to linguistic facilities for the French-speaking people

The periphery of Brussels, mainly Dutch-speaking (contrary to the Area of Brussels-Capital located at the center of the agglomeration) comprises nevertheless 6 communes having a mode of linguistic Facilités for the French-speaking people who are majority there: Wemmel, Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem, Linkebeek, Drogenbos and Rhode-Saint-Genesis.

These 6 communes represent only one small minority of the Flemish communes of the Periphery.

They are legally subjected to same the linguistic mode Dutch official that the remainder of the Flanders, but the French-speaking inhabitants profit there from services in their language. The Town council, even if the great majority of its members are French-speaking, on the other hand is held to express itself only in Dutch during the meeting.

The commune of Rhode-Saint-Genesis has the effect of being located between the Walloon region and Brussels-Capital, i.e. it is bordering on the two areas with French-speaking majority of the country.

The Circular Peeters, of the name of a new policy of the Flemish Government with regard to the French-speaking people, envisages a more restrictive interpretation of the linguistic facilitated .

Indeed, the Flemings estimate that these facilitated was initially envisaged in 1963 to be provisional; while the French-speaking people have a different design of it: they consider rather than they are permanent linguistic rights, since they are registered in the constitution.

The problem currently comes owing to the fact that the French-speaking people are majority in these 6 communes, sometimes even very clearly (as in Drogenbos). Several among them would wish that the 6 communes are attached to the Area of Brussels-Capital, which is officially bilingual, in order to guarantee their linguistic rights. For the Flemish Government, it is not question, it would be a cutback of the Flemish territory and the dedication of the principle of the " stain huile" French-speaking person of Brussels.

The dilemma is all the more exacerbated that the law provides that a solution is found with the problem of the district of Brussels-Hall-Vilvorde, which is a bilingual district of which a part encroaches on the unilingual Flemish area. This is why the Flemings wish to divide the district into two and to limit the linguistic facilities in the 6 communes concerned.

On the geographical level, one can distinguish the northern periphery, is, southern and western.

4 geographical sectors of the Rand

Northern periphery (the Noordrand )

One can define the Noordrand like the Bassin pouring Maalbeek and Tangebeek. It includes/understands the following localities then: (Dutch charts):

The periphery is (the Oostrand )

One can define the Oostrand like the catchment area of the Woluwe. It includes/understands the following localities then: (Dutch charts):

Southern periphery (the Zuidrand )

One can define the Zuidrand like the catchment area of the Linkebeek and the Molenbeek. It includes/understands the following localities then: (Dutch charts):

Western periphery (the Westrand )

One can define the Westrand like the catchment area of the Neerpedebeek, the Vogelzangbeek and of the Molenbeek (Western). It includes/understands the following localities then: (Dutch charts):

Westrand is also the name of the arts center of Dilbeek.

See too

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