FEDERALİZM VE AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ (AB) BÖLGESEL POLİTİKASI BELÇİKA'DA ETNİK MİLLİYETÇİLİĞİ NASIL ETKİLEDİ?

The study aims to deal with historically existing Flemish-Walloon divide which is the expression of ethnic nationalism in Belgium, within the scope of Belgium's transition to federal state system co-processing with its EU integration and EU Regional Policy implementation. In this sense, the roles of federalism and EU Regional Policy in Belgium playing in this ethnic divide are interpreted. Transition to federalism, showing the official recognition of the Flemish-Walloon divide, covers all the state reforms from 1970 to 2011. In consequence of those reforms, Belgium recognised lingual, ethnic and political rights of the Flemish and Walloon communities and granted extensive autonomies to their regions. The EU Regional Policy, consisting of several structural funds and financial aids, were implemented for the objective of lessening of socioeconomic development differences between the Flemish and Walloon regions. In the study, first of all, the relations between the Flemish and Walloon communities are given in its historical adventure. Then, Belgium's transition to federal state structure is clarified and the implementation of the EU Regional Policy in Belgium is addressed. In the conclusion part, the effects of federalism and the implementation of the EU Regional Policy in Belgium on the Flemish-Walloon divide and ethnic nationalism are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]