Towards a compulsory citizen service in Belgium?
Three young people in civic service © Belga Image
Many countries, European or not, offer similar programs. In France, for example, more than 140,000 young people participate in this famous citizen service. Among our German-speaking neighbors, 40,000 young people are concerned. But what do we mean by civic service?
What is citizen service?
Citizen service is distinguished from civil service, which is the counterpart of compulsory military service, and from civic service, which is the result of institutions. Because citizen service is the product of associative initiatives. This is a program for young people aged 18 to 25 who are ready to commit, for 6 months, to the solidarity project of their choice.
Last October, the citizen service platform in Belgium, in a press release called for the establishment of a universal civic service. “This Universal Citizen Service offered to every young person aged 18 to 25 residing in Belgium to be able to engage, implemented, between six months and a year, full time, in projects of public interest. The success of these programs abroad – more than 300,000 young people engaged each year in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Luxembourg – has very clearly shown the relevance of this type of program in terms of self-esteem, emancipation, spirit of “entrepreneurship, socio-cultural mixing, social cohesion and the strengthening of living – and doing! – together.” can we read in this press release.
The Reform Movement in favor of such a project
Several episodes of violence punctuated the end of 2022. As the riots that exploded in the center of Brussels following Morocco’s victory in the World Cup. Or theviolence against the police force which only increased at the end of the year. And faced with these increases and this repetition of violent episodes, the liberals are turning to compulsory citizen service, especially in Brussels.
In the columns of La LibreDavid Leisterh, leader of the MR group in the Brussels Parliament spoke on the subject. “There is already a citizens’ service in Belgium, but it is little known and underfunded, he laments. In the Brussels Region, the budget offered there has not changed for seven years and only allows it to be offered to 118 young people per year. By comparison, it concerns 140,000 young people a year in France, 40,000 in Germany, 40,000 in Italy…”
To find one’s way
In 2022, nearly 120 young people from Brussels have chosen to engage in civic service. Thanks to the granting of a subsidy of 40,000 euros, they were able, for six months, “to engage in projects useful to the community”.
This is the case of Abdul in particular, who testifies in a press release published by the Brussels government: “My objective was to create a network, to integrate myself, to better understand Belgian society, to improve my Dutch. I have all achieved these goals. And on top of that, I found my way and a job. “
Same story on Chadi’s side: “I haven’t had any revelations or career changes. But it really got me going, after school where you stay with your buttocks resting on your chair all day. It feels good to move on to something concrete for six months, to accomplish something. It was good for morale.
Brussels as a laboratory
For the MR group leader, setting up such a service in Brussels first makes sense and would serve as an example. “Brussels remains a laboratory for Belgium because of its status as a big city, he analyzes. Automatically, there is a magnifying effect, a magnifying effect on certain issues. There is an erosion of respect for authority in the broad sense, whether vis-à-vis the police, emergency services, firefighters, justice… The events, miscellaneous facts and burning news in Brussels that we have known in recent unfortunately, there is an increasing difficulty in coming to terms with a common base of values that underpins social cohesion.
This desire to strengthen social cohesion but also to put all young people on an equal footing are the main reasons cited by the MR for putting the idea of such a service back on the front stage.
Many personalities in favor of the project
If the Reform Movement puts back the idea of a compulsory citizen service for all young people between 18 and 25 years old, the idea is not new. And several personalities from the Belgian intellectual, economic and artistic landscapes have already shown their support for the project.
In an open letter by the citizen service platform, written in September 2020 and published in the columns of Echo, we discover that almost all the rectors and rectors of Belgian universities are in favor of setting up this service. The list can be found right here.
So are we heading towards the establishment of a mandatory citizen service in the near future? Little opposition has been shown to such a project for the moment, and if on the merits everyone seems to agree, the form is still subject to debate. To be continued.