‘There Is a Certain Radicalism in Flanders’: Dutch-Only Signs on Brussels Ring Road in Wemmel Are Illegal

At the entrance to the Brussels Ring in Wemmel, drivers encounter highway signs bearing only Dutch names such as “Bergen,” “Brussel,” “Gent,” “Luik” and “Namen.” French has no place on the signs, a situation the Gerfa administrative reform group calls unacceptable.

Michel Legrand, Gerfa’s president, said signage in the municipalities with language facilities around Brussels should be bilingual. “There is a certain radicalism in Flanders in favour of abolishing the facilities,” he said, arguing that using “Bergen” instead of Mons creates unnecessary confusion for drivers.

“

There is a certain radicalism in Flanders in favour of abolishing the facilities.

Gerfa filed a complaint with Belgium’s Permanent Linguistic Control Commission, known by its French initials CPCL. The commission upheld the complaint and said the signs should be written in Dutch and French because of their importance to local residents. Cédric Dartois, the Gerfa member who filed the complaint, called the conclusion common sense. “A sign serves to inform motorists. It is logical that it should be in the languages of the country,” he said. He added that Flemish identity tensions run against the goals of the mobility ministry, turning it into a “ministry of immobility.”

“

Bergen instead of Mons... For the driver, this creates unnecessary confusion.

The dispute concerns signs installed by the Flemish Region, not the municipality of Wemmel. The municipality’s own signs, including street names, are bilingual. The regional agency Wegen en Verkeer defended the Dutch-only highway signs before the CPCL, saying they serve a general public beyond Wemmel and that the Flemish government has always considered monolingual signage necessary.

The CPCL has given Wegen en Verkeer three months to respond. The Flemish administration did not answer requests for comment. It remains unclear whether the decision will set a precedent in the other municipalities with language facilities around Brussels: Kraainem, Drogenbos, Linkebeek, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Wemmel and Wezembeek-Oppem. If it does, a significant number of road signs could require removal and translation. Gerfa said it may consider legal action if Flanders does not soon begin regularising the signs.

“

A sign serves to inform motorists. It is logical that it should be in the languages of the country.