Record number of new Belgians: The N-VA wants tighter conditions for acquiring nationality

During the first seven months of this year, 29,000 people have already become Belgian. That is 12% more than last year and also a record since 2012, when the N-VA succeeded in tightening Verhofstadt’s fast-track Belgian law. “A new tightening is in order,” say MPs Theo Francken, Darya Safai and Tomas Roggeman, who are introducing a bill for this purpose. 

The key points of the proposal are a nationality exam with a test of the language of the region of residence and basic knowledge about our society. Furthermore, both MPs want a ban on becoming Belgian for those who have tax debts and/or a criminal record, as is also the case in other countries. Darya Safai and Tomas Roggeman defended that proposal in the Parliamentary Committee on the Interior.

The icing on the cake of the integration process

Darya Safai: “I am very grateful that I was able to acquire Belgian nationality, but it could really be stricter. Nationality is not a trivial matter after all. It is the icing on the cake of an entire integration process. As far as we are concerned, this requires a knowledge of our language and our traditions, norms and values. That is the least a newcomer can do to become a member of the community that welcomes him or her. At the same time, this is a prerequisite for seizing opportunities and anticipating them yourself. You can’t do that if you distance yourself from the Flemish community.”

Fallacies

Tomas Roggeman: “We drew inspiration for this proposal from our neighbouring countries. For example, the nationality exam we propose is already law today in France, the Netherlands and Germany. This implies that the majority parties cannot hide behind the fallacy that our proposal is “legally not possible” or “not allowed by Europe”, which are the two arguments with which they systematically try to dodge the political debate on stricter migration legislation.

Defend the proposal vigorously

“All the left-wing parties continue to view acquiring nationality as a stepping stone to integration rather than as a reward for its completion. We will certainly defend this proposal vigorously in the Chamber and in the upcoming coalition negotiations,” the MPs say.