On May 8, 1945, Belgium celebrated. Nazi Germany is defeated and Europe wins World War II. The country celebrates this day of victory with a holiday… until 1973. This year, the social-democratic coalition with the liberals limits the number of public holidays in Belgium to ten. May 8 is not one of them.
In 2003, the Brussels government again chose this day as the official date for the celebration of the Brussels-Capital Region, the “Fête de l’Iris”, thus offering a day off to civil servants. A day off which will probably be generalized to all Brussels residents.
“I am part of the generation that still heard, at family meal time, the stories of the war and its consequences, particularly on Brussels. My parents and grandparents told me how they had to hide in the cellars , sometimes for a long time. When I see the images of Ukraine, it all comes back to me. (…) It is only by knowing its history that we can make good decisions for the future”, confides Guy Vanhengel (Open-VLD), who is preparing to leave the political scene by the end of the legislature. The liberal claims to be supported in this process by researchers, academics and associations.
Chance of the calendar, on May 9, the next day, it is no longer the victory of democracy over Nazism that is celebrated, but the European institutions created following Schuman’s declaration on May 9, 1950. “These are two elements that are very symbolic and historic. We are currently seeing it in Europe: the war against fascism is very topical.”
A maneuver made possible by Vivaldi which, in its majority agreement, stipulates that “the federated entities will have the possibility of transforming their public holiday into paid leave. This will have to be done without additional budgetary cost.” The proposal therefore begins its parliamentary journey, supported by the PS, Ecolo, Groen, one.brussels, Défi and Open-VLD. A majority which should make it possible, from 2023, to mark a day off to commemorate the consequences of fascism on Europe and its capital, Brussels. And Guy Vanhengel to add, you never know, that it is not impossible to extend this leave to the federal level.