More recently, however, the idea of closer co-operation among Dutch-speakers across national borders has been given a boost by a Dutch Christian Democratic senator and by the premier of Belgium's Flemish region.

ECONOMIST: Could Flanders be reinvented? | The

The party is now the biggest political force in Flanders, the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium.

BBC: Belgian Flemish separatists make gains at polls

Jacky (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a cattle farmer in the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium.

NEWYORKER: Big Men

The Flemish population has been seeking more control over tax policy while Walloons want greater protection and more money for the region around the capital, Brussels.

BBC: Belgian mediator resigns over government deadlock