Re: Is Dutch the predominate language in Flanders?
Better than that: Dutch is the ONLY official language in Flanders. That is to say, it's mandatory for municipal clerks, post office tellers, utilities, etc. to talk, write, reply, in Dutch only. I know French-speaking people living in Vlaams Brabant who must be accompanied by a Dutch-speaking helper when going to their town hall because --even if they are fluent in French-- town hall officials are legally bound to use only Dutch....
Re: Why is the standard of living so high......its the highest in Europe right?
Flanders got a monopoly in the car assembling industry: Ford/Genk, Volvo/Gent, Opel/Antwerpen, and even Audi/Brussels where 70% of the workforce is Flemish (Brussels is 90% Francophone). Another big wealth creator is Antwerp, one of Europe's biggest harbor (containers and petrochemicals). Antwerp is also a world leader in the diamond trade, even though the cutting business is increasingly outsourced to cheaper locales (India, Israel). Even Belgian tourism is mainly a Flemish business since Belgium's 60-km coastal strip belongs to Flanders and the cultural/historical cities are mostly Flemish (Brugge, Antwerp)
Re: Are signs in French and Dutch?
A few months ago, the Flemish government passed a law requiring all roadsigns to mention Flemish cities only with their Dutch names:
7sur7.be
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