Less than 1 in 3 newborns in Beersel grow up in a Dutch-speaking family: "In 18 years, the tide has turned"

In Beersel, less than one in three children born last year is raised in a Dutch-speaking family, marking a significant demographic shift. The percentage of Dutch-speaking families has dropped to 29.6%, the lowest since 2004, while French-speaking families now represent 48.6%. The growth of families speaking neither Dutch nor French has also increased to about 22%. Klaas Slootmans from the Vlaams Belang party highlights the need for political courage to implement measures that could reverse this trend, such as reserving housing for local residents and tightening social housing conditions. He criticizes the current municipal administration for sending multilingual letters to new residents, undermining the Flemish identity of the community. Mayor Jo Vander Meylen was unavailable for comment.