Messages in the Media - University of Toronto

FINDINGS:
Assessment of Belgium’s 6-month EU presidency
EU-Belgium relations commenced in 2011 on a high note.
- 18 January 2011: Members of the European Parliament
have expressed praise for the Belgian presidency of the
EU. 23 Speaking at a plenary session of the European Parliament
in Strasbourg, several members complemented
Belgium on its stewardship of the EU during the country’s
turn at the presidency that ran from 1 July until 31 December
2010. 24
Following this success, the relationship between Belgium
and the EU concerned the following topics for the rest of
2011:
Belgium without a federal government for 541 days
- 20 March 2011: Belgium was criticized in Het Laatste
Nieuws for failing to implement the EU Framework. 25 The
deadline for implementing the EU Framework Decision in
2006 passed and with the fall of the government and the
dissolution of parliament, the draft law could not be submitted
by parliament. 26
- 30 March 2011: Belgian sets the new world record, surpassing
Iran, as the country to have experienced the longest
time period with no official government (289 days). 27
However, Belgian sentiment remains one of indifference;
the record is not mentioned and in fact is denied in local
media outlets, referring to Cambodia, which they claim
went 353 days without a government. 28
- 30 March 2011: De Standaard reiterated this fact, stating
that Bart de Wever N-VA(New Flemish Alliance) and Di
Rupo PS (Socialist Party) still have two months to form a
government before Belgium becomes the new world
record holder. 29
- 20 July 2011: King Albert indicated his frustration with
the current political impasse. 30 He points to the leading
role that Belgium played in European integration and
20