4.

So far there is no sign of a will to embark in a cross-border cooperation between Flanders and Wallonia. The country first has to acknowledge the existence of an internal border. This should not be too difficult in a country where even political parties are organized along regional lines, where national elections are in fact regional elections.

It will not be easy to identify complimentarities between the two regions. The economic disparities dominate. It is clearly a strong-weak constellation in favor of Flanders (while once upon a time it has been the other way round). Adopting an other measure of wealth and a long-term perspective, however, may help to identify complementarities. The foremost indicator of per capita GDP tends to both underestimate and overestimate the real wealth of regions. It neglects social or non-market benefits or goods. Wallonia has more space and nature to offer with major settlements being situated in the valleys. Social costs, on the other hand - also not included in the measurement - tend to overestimate wealth. As the social costs of production, consumption and distribution are linked to population density, they can be expected to reach a higher level in Flanders (and Brussels). Wallonia, however, has to rid itself from the environmental damage it has inherited from its industrial past. These are just a few reflections on how to establish complimentarities between the two Belgian regions. This may also include cultural, social and intellectual complimentarities [1].