A nationalistic separatist party has emerged as the largest political group in Belgium - the heart of Europe and the home of the European Union.
The NVA party favors outright separation of the Flemish region from the poorer French-speaking part of the country. This result in the early parliamentary elections highlights the deep divide between the nation's linguistically distinct communities.
But as Marc Incherti from the Centre for European Policy Studies says, Brussels could play a key role in stopping a split.
“The NVA has the independence of Flanders as its ultimate goal, but for the moment it plans to work in a step-by-step process, so for the time being, they are rather aiming at shifting to confederalism from the federal system we have now. Only as a last resort, in a matter of a couple of years, they might reach their ultimate goal,” Incherti told RT.