Now that Europe has formally recognised the importance of transnational railway lines, I should like to express my hope, as a Fleming and a Sinjoor , that a breakthrough – one that offers a satisfactory solution for all parties – be sought at European level in the Iron Rhine dossier that is so important to Flanders.

Until that opinion is available, the rapporteur has draw inspiration from the hearings already organised by the committee and his working meetings in Barcelona with the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, in Alden Biesem with the Presidents of Flanders and Wallonia, in Edinburgh, at the invitation of the European affairs committee of the Scottish Parliament, in Florence with the Conference of peripheral maritime regions, in Porto with the cities of the Atlantic arc, as well as meetings with the President of the Autonomous Community of the Balearic islands and with the European affairs ministers of the Länder of Bavaria and Hessen.

[57] Because two separate reports were sent, the channels of the French Community and those of the Flemish Community have been assessed separately.

The Commission received two reports, one from Belgium's French Community (Communauté française de Belgique, CFB) and one from the Flemish Community (Vlaamse Gemeenschap, VLG).

[19] Because two separate reports were sent in, a distinction has been made in the assessment between the channels of the French Community and those of the Flemish Community.

In 1999 the Flemish Community created a databank of women qualified to take part in consultative committees in Flemish public organisations.