Belgium: suspension of reform talks - timeline
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- September 2008. The Flanders regional government on Sept. 22 announces that it is prepared to enter into dialogue with French-speaking representatives from Wallonia, and politicians from the bilingual Brussels region, in an attempt to resolve the deadlock over constitutional reform.
- July 2008. Four months after his appointment as Prime Minister, Yves Leterme tenders his resignation to King Albert II after failing to resolve the differences over constitutional reform.
- May 2008. The new five-party government is "saved for now" after a vote on the boundaries of the bilingual electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (BHV) is postponed.
- March 2008. Nine months after legislative elections held in June 2007, King Albert accepts the resignation of outgoing caretaker Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who has led the country since 1999, and formally appoints a new permanent five-party coalition government.
- February 2008. The parties reach agreement on limited constitutional reform.
- December 2007. Prime Minister-designate Yves Leterme abandons his second attempt to form a government. Subsequently, King Albert invites caretaker Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt to form an interim government to deal with urgent matters.
- November 2007. Coalition talks collapse when the Flemish (Dutch)-speaking parties of the proposed government alliance anger their French-speaking partners by voting for the break-up of a bilingual electoral district of Brussels.
- September 2007. The French-language newspaper Le Soir in a headline on Sept. 10 asks: "Shall we divide?", as much of the Belgian media debate whether the country has a future as a federal state. King Albert asks Leterme for the second time to form a government, a role from which he had resigned in August.
- August 2007. Talks to form a new coalition government, following legislative elections collapse.
- June 2007. In a general election, the outgoing centre-left liberal and socialist coalition suffers a crushing defeat, ending its eight-year rule.
- December 2006. A hoax television programme alarms thousands of Belgians when, in what seems to be a live news report, it is announced that the northern Flemish-speaking region of Flanders has declared independence.
- November 2004. The far-right nationalist party Flemish Bloc (VB--Vlaams Blok) disbands itself, adopting a new declaration of principles and changing its name to Flemish Interest (VB-Vlaams Belang) after a court finds it guilty of racism.
- June 2004. In a humiliating defeat in Flanders regional elections, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) come fourth after the far-right Flemish Bloc (VBVlaams Bloc) wins a quarter of the vote. The result sparks speculation over Verhofstadt's future as leader of the four-party coalition government.
- April 2004. An appeals court in Ghent finds the far-right nationalist Flemish Bloc (VB) party guilty of breaking anti-racism laws.
- October 2000. The far-right nationalist Flemish Bloc (VB) registers major gains in local elections. Flanders and Wallonia are given greater autonomy over taxation.
- January 1995. Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene defuses a political crisis over the appointment of the mayor of Voeren (Les Fourons), which since 1963 had been part of the Flemish-speaking province of Limburg but has a majority francophone population.
- February 1993. In major revisions to the constitution, the legislature approves a new article stating that Belgium is a federal state consisting of the regions of Flanders, Wallonia, and the bilingual capital Brussels.
- September 1992. The government agrees on constitutional changes devolving further powers to the regions. Flanders and Wallonia are to have their own directly elected legislatures.
- November 1991. An early general election is held after Flemish and Walloon differences twice undermine the coalition government. The traditional parties lose votes to the extremist anti-immigrant Flemish Bloc (VB) in Flanders and to the environmentalist Ecolo party in Wallonia.
- July and August 1980. The two Houses of the legislature reach agreement during July and early August 1980 on a number of reforms which establish the devolution of numerous governmental powers to the Flemish and Walloon regions.
- April 1980. The government of Prime Minister Wilfried Martens resigns after failing to secure the approval of the Senate (the upper house of the bicameral legislature) for the government's proposals to devolve certain powers to a regional parliamentary assembly in Brussels.
- May 1979. The Flemish nationalist Vlaams Blok, which had contested the general elections of December 1978 as an alliance and had gained one seat is formally constituted as a political party in Antwerp at the end of May.
- October 1978. Prime Minister Leo Tindemans tenders his resignation after a government crisis over devolution proposals in the "Egmont pact", which would give Belgium four governments: a central government, and one each for Wallonia, Flanders, and Brussels. The Belgian Socialist Party divides into two French-speaking and Flemish-speaking parties.
- July 1974. Legislation on "Preparatory Regionalisation" is enacted, detailing proposals for the establishment of regional institutions.
- July 1971. Constitutional amendments proposed in December 1970 are approved in order to ease friction between the French-speaking and Flemish communities, including a law setting up cultural councils for the two main linguistic groups.
- December 1970. The government proposes constitutional amendments to define the country's linguistic regions and the rights of each language community.
- February 1970. Proposals for resolving relations between the people of the Flemish- and French-speaking regions, and the people of Brussels are put before the legislature.
- February 1968. The government of Paul Vanden Boeynants resigns over an intractable linguistic dispute relating to the university of Louvain. The Flemish-speaking faculties of the univeristy demand that the French-speaking faculties should leave Louvain and establish themselves at another site in the French-speaking area of Belgium.
- June 1966. A bill establishing a Permanent Commission for the Improvement of Relations between the Linguistic Communities is passed.
- August 1966. Police use fire-hoses to break up fighting between Flemish nationalists and French-speaking tourists outside Ostend's principal church where about 200 Flemings had staged a demonstration against the use of French in the evening service.
- May 1965. Elections for a legislature empowered to revise the Constitution are held. Approval for a forthcoming constitutional revision by the new government had been given by the outgoing legislature before its dissolution.
- October 1962. A new linguistic frontier between the Flemish-speaking and the French-speaking areas is approved by the Senate. A "march on Brussels" organised by the "Flemish Action Committee for Brussels and the Linguistic Frontier" leads to serious disorder in the capital.
- February 1962. A bill drawing a definitive linguistic frontier between the Flemish-speaking and French-speaking areas of Belgium is passed by the Chamber of Representatives (the lower house).
- October 1961. Clashes between Flemings and Walloons occur in Brussels during a protest march by over 50,000 Flemish demonstrators who call for equal treatment for the Flemish and French languages, the ending of the" invasion" of Flemish-speaking villages in the Brussels area by French-speaking people, and a legal demarcation of the Flemish-speaking and French-speaking areas of Belgium.
- November 1960. A treaty establishing an economic union between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, comes into operation.
- May 1949. Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg annex German frontier areas.
- May 1940. Nazi Germany invades Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
- October 1939. King Leopold confirms Belgium's determination to maintain neutrality in the conflict with Nazi Germany and to defend by force of arms any violation of this neutrality by another power.
- April 1939. Prime Minister Pierlot declares that one of the fundamental aims of government policy will be the removal of differences between the French- and Flemish-speaking sections of the population. A project for cultural autonomy is drawn up dividing the ministry of education into two sections: one for the Walloons and one for the Flemish-speaking population.
- January 1939. Two Flemish academiesrespectively the Royal Flemish Academy of Art, Literature, and Science and the Royal Flemish Academy of Medicineare officially opened by King Leopold. With their inauguration the importance of the Flemish contribution to Belgian cultural life receives recognition.
- March 1938. Long demanded by Flemish leaders, a Royal Flemish Academy of Science, Letters, and Fine Arts is created, giving Belgium separate Royal Academies of the French and Flemish languages.
- June 1936. Prime Minister van Zeeland announces that army officers will be given the opportunity of carrying out all their studies in the Flemish language and that a Flemish Academy of Science will be created.
- October 1931. The Commission of the Senate for Sciences and Arts establishes equality in principle between French and Flemish languages in secondary schools.
- August 1931. Due to falling attendance, the Catholic University at Louvain seeks approval of a proposal to give double courses of lectures in French and in Flemish.
- 1830. Belgium declares independence form the Belgian-Dutch union.
