The Taalunie is the only organisation of its kind in the world. It was established in 1980 by a treaty signed by Belgium and the Netherlands, with the goal of “the integration of the Netherlands and the Dutch community in Belgium, in the field of Dutch language and letters in the broadest sense”.

Its policy is defined by a ministerial committee comprising the Dutch and Flemish ministers of education and culture: Pascal Smet and Joke Schauvliege for Flanders, and, since 5 November and a new Dutch government, Jef Bussemaker and Sander Dekker for the Netherlands. Their meetings are also attended by an associate from Suriname – either the education minister or an embassy representative. The South American country has been an associate member of the Taalunie since 2005. The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba joined as associates in 2007 and 2011 respectively.

The tasks of the organisation cover several related language fields: spelling, education, literature and literacy, the position of Dutch in Europe and the world and the digitalisation of Dutch language patrimony.

“The Language Union is facing a crucial period, not least in demonstrating why, in economically difficult times, we together contribute €11 million a year for our common language,” commented Pascal Smet, who currently chairs the ministerial committee.

Smet describes Joris as “the man with the experience, the expertise and the skill to implement the policy laid out, and to take advantage of new opportunities. We consciously chose someone who does not shy away from public debate because we believe that position only strengthens our language.”

Upcoming key goals

Joris, 52, studied moral sciences at Ghent University, followed by management at the Vlerick Business School. Before his present job with Boek.be, he worked in the graphics business, set up an early e-learning company and worked as a roving manager. He lives in Ghent but will move to the Hague to take up his new post next month.

“There is a multi-year programme that was set up by my predecessor, but that leaves me sufficient room to take some initiatives of my own,” says Joris, “and that’s what I’m going to do.” That of course will happen in cooperation with, among others, the Council for Dutch Language and Letters and the interparliamentary commission.

“Two important issues have lately come to the fore: the place of Dutch in an increasingly globalised world and in a world that’s becoming more and more digital, and target groups that are, for the time being, not being reached, or only with difficulty. This includes newcomers to Flanders and the Netherlands who don’t speak Dutch, but who nevertheless need to find jobs in a Dutch-speaking environment.”

He also points to second- and third-generation people of immigrant origin “who don’t speak sufficient Dutch, but for whom a command of the language is an indispensable tool for finding a good position in society.”

Boek.be, meanwhile, organises various activities for the promotion of the book trade, the most important of which is the annual Antwerp Boekenbeurs, or book fair, which this year attracted more than 170,000 people, a result that exceeded expectations. Boek.be also administers the Herman de Coninck prizes for poetry and the Debut Prize for first novels.

“It was hard sometimes,” admits Joris, “but I knew what I was getting myself into with Boek.be: bringing together the interests of large and small players, who each in turn represented various genres. It wasn’t always easy, but I look back on all that happened with a smile.”

Joris’ successor as director-general of boek.be will be named at a later date.

www.taalunie.org