Dec 28, 2023 at 7:00 PM Update: 6 hours ago
Taxi drivers at Brussels airport will stop work for 2.5 hours on Friday. They protest against the Flemish government’s intention to make it mandatory to take a Dutch language exam next year.
Despite the name – Brussels Airport – the airport is not located in the Brussels Region, but in Flanders. And the Flemish government believes that drivers should be able to speak Dutch with their customers at at least B1 level. This means that someone can speak “simple Dutch”.
If the government’s plans go ahead, taxi drivers will have to take a Dutch exam from July 1, 2024. Belgian unions are afraid that three quarters of taxi drivers will lose their license. According to the unions, most drivers do not speak the Dutch language sufficiently.
Most drivers come from predominantly French-speaking Brussels. Although the city is officially bilingual, a large part hardly speaks Dutch.
The taxi drivers say that they find the measure “disproportionate” and that they can now communicate well with their customers.
Beeld: Getty Images
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BelgiumEconomyForeign
2023-12-28 18:00:56
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