Want a Big Mac in Tervuren? Then vote N-VA or Democraten Tervuren on Sunday 13 October. If you’re not so sure a McDonalds’s is a good idea along the busy Leuvensesteenweg then vote Tervuren Unie Volt or Groen. That appears to be the message given by Tervuren grandees to the newspaper De Standaard.
“We live in a free-market economy. McDonald’s is welcome in Tervuren as long as it complies with urban planning and mobility regulations. The municipality, schools, and (sports) associations can be encouraged to promote awareness about the health implications of fast food,” said Voor Tervuren, an alliance of Flemish Liberals and Catholics.
“Local governments should not dictate what people can or cannot consume. All legal commercial activities, including fast-food chains, should be permitted if they don’t violate public order or morality. The government should make decisions based on facts, not ideology,” the Flemish nationalist N-VA said.
Tervuren’s N-VA mayor, Marc Charlier, approved a Drive-Thru McDonald’s in August of last year. He dismissed health-related opposition to the fast food giant as ‘condescending’ for teenagers.
Tervuren Unie together with the local branch of the pan-European party Volt voiced concerns about mobility and environmental impacts. “Drive-Thru restaurants on the congested N3 pose a serious threat to traffic flow, not only for Tervuren residents but also for commuters traveling to and from Leuven. The project was rightly rejected due to mobility issues, though environmental and health concerns are also significant.”
Groen, allied with Flemish socialist party Vooruit, raised similar objections. “Having a McDonald’s next to two secondary schools is a bad idea. It will lead to more litter in Tervuren’s beautiful park, increased traffic on the already busy N3, and a rise in teenage obesity. We don’t want chain stores like those in Jezus-Eik. We prefer a vibrant local business scene.”
The question of whether or not McDonald’s will come to Tervuren depends on complex coalition politics after the 13 October town elections. Groen’s top candidates may well once again opt for the N-VA’s, selecting current mayor Marc Charlier for the €100,000-per-year position. Despite ideological differences, Groen and N-VA’s top politicians have mostly avoided personal conflicts.
Friction may well prompt Groen to avoid the other candidate for mayor, Flemish liberal Thomas Geyns. And there is even the possibility that Geyn’s second-placed candidate, Kristina Eyskens, a Flemish Catholic and daughter of a former prime minister, could claim the mayor’s role, if she receives more votes than Geyns. As an alderwoman for education, Eyskens voted for McDonald’s last year. But Eyskens’ future political moves in Tervuren remain uncertain as she could decide to step up to a seat in the federal parliament, under a 19th-century Belgian law.
The coalition-building process will be complex in Tervuren. Whatever happens, Groen is likely to remain a junior partner, easily outvoted over McDonald’s in meetings of Tervuren’s seven alderpersons. Traditionally, Flemish parties avoid coalitions with Tervuren Unie, which is seen as too overtly French-speaking.
This intricate political landscape positions McDonald’s for success in Tervuren, if it submits a revised application next year. The fast-food giant would need to update a mobility study carried out in the midst of Covid and other parts of its permit application. But the multinational is still eager to expand in Belgium, where it currently operates only 115 restaurants.
Take the Standaard Stemtest (Dutch only).
Please note that this article reports on local politics. Dafydd ab Iago is a professional journalist. And he is also standing for election in Tervuren as a member of European movement Volt Europa’s Tervuren branch.
© Article and photos are licensed © 2024 for Tervuren+ under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
To comment, please head over to Tervuren+ at https://facebook.com/tervurenplus. No time for Facebook? Check out Tervuren+ pure news WhatsApp News Channel at: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaH6eCYFsn0pXGVLF22r.
