One-third of de Rand residents can’t speak Dutch

Weyts (N-VA) is the minister responsible for issues concerning de Rand, an area that includes cities popular with both French-speaking Belgians and expats such as Tervuren (pictured), Drogenbos and Sint-Genesius-Rode.

Weyts was presenting the latest findings of the Taalbarometer, a survey that measures language competence in the region. He described the current situation as “disturbing”, saying that it was about more than just language. “The basic problem is a social one,” he said. “It goes to the heart of the social fabric in de Rand.”

The report found that Dutch was the language most spoken at home, with 45% of people using it, but that French was understood by the largest percentage of people. The survey also showed that 67% of those who spoke French at home sent their children to a French-speaking school, while just 19% went to a Dutch-language school.

Weyts was also concerned by the report’s findings that 82% of French speakers wanted de Rand, which is geographically located in Flanders and officially Dutch-speaking, to become a bilingual entity.