And here we are again… Belgium, the heart of Europe, as they so proudly proclaim when you enter Brussels International Airport, suffered another setback.

The political crisis that has been going on for at least one year now continues on, and this time the King accepted the resignation of Yves Leterme.
The problem now was not only political, but there were allegations of interference from the government in the rescue of the Belgian bank Fortis.

I’ve always regarded the Belgians as being good at compromise, good at negotiations and at coming to agreements. Making sure that every one at the table got a fair deal. That is the way most of us (Europeans) saw them, and were happy that most of the European decisions were made in Brussels. But this has been going on for too long now, it does nothing to benefit the image of Belgium abroad, in fact it does taint it in my opinion. On the other hand, everyday life continues, the Belgians got used to life without a government and the whole country did not stop as some were quick to predict.
Still, recent moves by radicals to try to break-up the country in two have left foreign residents baffled with this issue. And if the EU wants to have any success in getting peace and stability in the whole Balkan region, it must address it’s own division struggles and deal with these issues. The EU as a project of unity can not live with a divided Belgium.

For a good review on the whole political crisis in Belgium, head to wikipedia’s article on the issue.

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