When Belgians Are the Migrants: An Overview of Narratives, Public Policies and Actors Framing the Question of Emigration in Belgium

Abstract

Between its independence in 1830 and the beginning of the twentieth century, Belgium has experienced more emigration than immigration. Today emigration remains a secondary topic in the political debate, and thus related (state) public policies are still underdeveloped. Thus most of the emigration policies and programmes actually rely on a variety of actors. In other words, it seems difficult to give an account of the opportunities and obstacles that shape the international mobility of Belgian citizens by referring only to state-level policies. In addition, in the context of the federal organisation of the Belgian state, regional international institutions appear to have found an interest in strengthening ties with Belgian people abroad. In this chapter the ramifications of this multilevel approach for emigration and diaspora policies in Belgium are explored.