Answer

The recognition of Dutch as an official language in Belgium, equal to French, ensured that the old notion of Belgium as a monolingual and a uniformly French-speaking country was shattered. This idea could only be maintained provided Dutch remained a second-class language – that is, a language officially recognized only in the Flemish part of the country and, even then, only alongside French; and a language without any official status in Belgium´s national institutions (Parliament, central government, legislation, etc.

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