Tom Van Grieken is the leader of the Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party, a nationalist, anti-globalist, anti-immigration party which strives for Flemish independence from Belgium. Its popularity has been growing for the past few years, and is set to become the largest party in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders with 26-27% of the votes. Belgium holds federal and regional parliamentary elections on June 9th, the same day of the European Parliament elections. There is a cordon sanitaire imposed on the party, with mainstream forces refusing to cooperate with Vlaams Belang. The region’s largest party, the conservative, pro-independence New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which is currently polling at 21-22% in Flanders, has also ruled out such cooperation, and opted instead to govern together with centre-right and liberal parties after the 2019 regional elections. On a federal level, neither the N-VA nor Vlaams Belang is part of the seven-party Belgian government. We talked to Tom Van Grieken on the sidelines of the CPAC Hungary conference in Budapest about his party’s chances and whether the cordon sanitaire can be lifted.
Vlaams Belang is riding high in opinion polls. Is Flanders one step closer to independence?
The first point of our election programme is Flemish independence. The so-called conservative N-VA also wants Flemish independence, so I think it’s a topic that will be on the negotiating table after the elections. We are fed up that we, the Flemish people, represent 60% of Belgium’s population, pay 70% of the taxes, provide 80% of all exports—in other words we finance the country—yet we don’t have the ability to change the system. Each time we get socialist, communist and green federal governments. I now see an opportunity for ending this Belgian construction, and putting independence on the agenda. If we get a right-wing nationalist government in Flanders, why should we stick together with the rest of Belgium?
Is your party the most popular party in Flanders because there is such a desire for independence, or is it due to other issues, like Vlaams Belang’s anti-migration stance?
We have to be honest: migration is the main reason why people vote for us. But when we talk about migration, we talk about identity. Mass immigration has an impact not only on our economy but also on our identity. According to a recent opinion poll 40% of the Flemish people are in favour of independence. In previous polls it was lower. But let’s reverse the question: if you love Belgium, if you love the King, would you vote for Vlaams Belang or N-VA? Of course not. In other words: I think the majority of Flemish people do not care about Flemish independence, but they are not opposed to it. But by voting for Vlaams Belang, they know what they get: the possibility of independence.
And also if they vote for N-VA?
Yes. But N-VA prefers a confederate system. When we ask them what they would keep on a Belgian level, they say the Belgian army. Well, I must say, the Belgian army is not a reason to stay with the rest of Belgium.
There is a cordon sanitaire around Vlaams Belang. Would the other parties be forced to cooperate with your party if you get an impressive result at the elections?
The left-wing, the socialists and the liberals will refuse to cooperate with us but the N-VA will have to answer this question: will they turn to the socialists, and deny what they promised their voters, which is a more right-wing, more Flemish-orientated government focused on lowering taxes? Or will they work with us? Thus, the cordon sanitaire becomes N-VA’s problem.
What can your party do to tear down the cordon sanitaire?
Win elections. Nothing else matters. I couldn’t care less about people telling us to be more polite. The bigger we are, the more pressure we put on the cordon sanitaire to be lifted. Five years ago we negotiated with the N-VA, and we were only six seats short of a majority in the Flemish parliament. Let’s hope we can win those six seats, and then we can start governing.
Nationalist forces all around Europe are hoping for a breakthrough as well at the European elections.
Winning opinion polls is easy, winning elections is different. It’s important for right-wing, patriotic, nationalist parties to gain as many seats as possible in the European Parliament, and to put pressure on the European Commission, in order to change the course of Europe. But I believe national elections are even more important because the European Council is the key decision-making body where we need nationalist leaders to jointly oppose the globalist agenda.
You recently said in an interview that Europe is on the brink of a patriotic wave. Do you maintain that?
Yes, I do. I am not sure it will happen during these elections, but in the long-run you can see that our parties are on the rise. I don’t do politics with a small ‘p’—gaining seats, winning elections, getting mentioned in newspaper articles. I do politics with a capital ‘P’ which means truly changing the future, shaping our society. In the long term we have to reform our countries.
What has to be changed in Europe?
We have to bring back the European Union to its primary objective which is economic cooperation, not a political union. We shouldn’t interfere with national sovereignty. We have to make sure that Europe is an economic bloc, focused on trade and less on political interference in member states’ affairs. The EU shouldn’t be dealing with what the length of a cucumber should be or how loud our lawnmowers are allowed to be. Stick to your core function, stick to economy! And let’s be honest: when did our continent face its most terrible times? When certain actors tried to force Europe into one structure. It was Napoleon’s goal, it was Hitler’s goal, now it’s the EU’s goal. And when did Europe flourish? When there was economic competition between proud nation states.
So you think the EU can continue to exist in its current form?
At this point in time we have to draw a line and say there cannot be more EU, but we have to have less of it. Flanders is an open economy and cannot function outside of the European Union, we have to be realistic about that.
