Entrepreneurs sound alarm over stalled canal project, seek charter to revive it

Two entrepreneurs in Southwest Flanders are raising urgent concerns about the delayed completion of the final 1,500 meters of the Bossuit-Kortrijk Canal (KBK). Baudewijn Vancoillie and Dominiek Callewier argue that the region must actively fight for its economic interests after the Flemish government postponed the project last year.

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Southwest Flanders must fight for its economic interests, after the project was sidelined by the Flemish government last year.

The canal is intended to be a vital link between the Leie and Scheldt rivers. However, the final stretch leading to the Leie is too narrow for modern cargo ships. Although a preferred route was chosen in 2024 for a new canal section along the R8, from Kortrijk's Visserskaai to the 'Den Hert' intersection, the Flemish government's 2025-27 investment plan indicates the connection will not be realized in the coming years.

Vancoillie, a board member of De Vlaamse Waterweg and managing director of a water-based company on the canal, and Callewier, former regional chairman of VOKA Kortrijk, emphasize the negative consequences for water-bound businesses and the regional economy. They have been discussing the realization of the preferred route for 16 years, which they believe is essential for the region to become a major European inland port.

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This has negative consequences for the many water-bound companies and the Southwest Flanders economy.

Calling it "D-Day" for the region's economic future, the entrepreneurs signed a charter and launched the website eurohinterport.be on June 6. They aim to bring the project back into focus through personal actions and by securing support from all regional stakeholders for the "Euro Hinterhaven Leie-Schelde" charter.

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It is D-Day.