The provincial authorities in Flemish Brabant hope to encourage residents with a mother-tongue other than Dutch to learn the language, if they haven’t already done so. They also wish to make it clear to non-Dutch speakers that they have to speak Dutch when they visit the town hall and if they can’t they need to take someone with them that can act as an interpreter.
24 Flemish Brabant municipalities to display welcome signs that promote the use of Dutch
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To this end signs that read “Welcome in our Flemish municipality” will be put up in 24 Flemish Brabant municipalities. The campaign was launched in Dilbeek, a Flemish Brabant municipality around 8km west of Brussels, on Tuesday. There, one of the new signs was hung up in the local Town Hall.
The provincial cabinet member Gunther Coppens (Flemish nationalist) told VRT News that “Non-Dutch speakers that come and live in the municipalities peripheral to Brussels or in other municipalities often don't know which language is spoken there. Many languages are spoken in Brussels, and when they go to the baker in a Flemish municipality, they are sometimes served in French or English. Whereas at the Town Hall, you can only be served in Dutch. We want to create clarity with this sign.”
The sign invites non-Dutch-speakers to learn Dutch. "There is a QR code on the sign that you can scan in order to receive more information about where you can learn our language. A knowledge of Dutch is the key to a good future. This is the case for the breadwinners in the family, but also for the successful integration of their children at school and in their social lives.”
24 of the province’s 63 municipalities have taken up the provincial authorities' offer to install the signs. They are Beersel, Bekkevoort, Bertem, Dilbeek, Geetbets, Halle, Holsbeek, Kapelle-op-den-Bos, Linter, Lubbeek, Machelen, Meise, Merchtem, Opwijk, Oud-Heverlee, Overijse, Pepingen, Roosdaal, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Steenokkerzeel, Ternat, Tielt-Winge, Zaventem and Zoutleeuw.