Flemish minister for Brussels Van Achter has exciting plans for Dutch in Brussels

In addition, the woman tipped to become a minister in the new Brussels regional government too, also wants knowledge of Dutch to improve across Brussels services, e.g. in hospitals and at municipal authorities. "I want to be able to guarantee Dutch-language services everywhere in Brussels", says a determined Ms Van Achter.

"Dutch is a common thread across the Flemish government agreement. That pleases me enormously, because I also want to make it a priority in Brussels", says the minister.

Her comprehensive plan will also focus on the promotion of the language among the people of Brussels. "It is important to make the language more accessible, through education, through parents and for non-native speakers who want to learn and speak the language."

To achieve her aims Ms Van Achter intends to work closely with the Dutch Language House in Brussels.

Better Dutch from public-facing civil servants  

Ms Van Achter also wants to improve Dutch in the various Brussels services, in the police, at municipal counters, but especially in hospitals. "In this way, I want to avoid distressing situations in future like when people arrive at hospital and cannot be helped in Dutch," the minister says. Last year, Baby Cisse, whose parents live in Roosdaal (Flemish Brabant), died in a Brussels hospital, but neither the ambulancemen nor the hospital staff at the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht were able to speak with the parents in Dutch.

What Ms Van Achter’s plan will look like in concrete terms is being discussed in coming months. "Now it is important to enter into a dialogue with the various players and evaluate where we are, where we want to be and how we can best achieve our objectives. The intention is to have the plan ready by 2025," Ms Van Achter concluded.