Language boundary

In politically calm moments, Voeren remains an oasis of tranquility. But that was not always the case. In 1977, the six Voer villages were merged into the municipality of Voeren. Prior to that, they had already been assigned to the northern part of the language border in 1962. The fuse was lit in 1979-1980, when members of the Flemish Language Action Committee (TAK) came to demonstrate their Flemish presence right while walking. The ball started rolling: a café owner from Liège in 's-Gravenvoeren opened fire on several Flemish Voer locals.
In 1982, José "Retour à Liège" Happart woke up: during the municipal elections, he received 869 of the 2082 valid votes. The following year, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nothomb nominated Happart as mayor. However, Happart refused to take the Dutch exam and had to resign. In the same year, Happart achieved a remarkable score in the European elections, and although he was no longer mayor of Voeren, he kept the strings in his hands behind the scenes. On October 15, 1987, the Martens VI government fell over Voeren. In the 1994 municipal elections, the Flemish obtained one seat fewer than the Francophones. Happart set demands for compensation for his non-appointment as mayor. The government conjured a compromise: a new Dutch-speaking mayor would be appointed, and the Francophone Voer locals would receive antennas, support points from the Walloon Region and the French Community.

Lannoo