Between Belgium and France, “it’s a love story” welcomes the outgoing mayor of Tournai

“Tournai and Lille, we are really two completely neighboring cities, and much more besides”believes this Wednesday on France Bleu Nord Paul-Olivier Delannois, for whom the link between France and Belgium is “truly more than a connection, it’s truly a love story”.

“The land of surrealism”

This Wednesday, for the last stage of their official visit to France, the King and Queen of Belgium spend the day in Lille, where they will visit the Opera, the EuraTechnologies district and take part in a ceremony on Place de la République.

“The function of the king is essentially a ceremonial function”explains Paul-Olivier Delannois, defeated in the last elections but who is still mayor of the city of Tournai for a few days. “But he also has a role, especially when there are elections, as a peacemaker, a conciliator, he continues. He is, not the referee, but the person who tries to put oil in the wheels. He plays this role of looking at the election results, appointing people, etc. You know all the Belgian issues with the different communities, with a whole series of very specific specificities. We are also the country of surrealism, and so when you have to make the country of surrealism work, it is sometimes a little complicated.”

“We must systematically go back to Paris”

United within a Eurometropolis, the cities of Lille, Tournai and Courtrai have strengthened their cross-border links, particularly in terms of travel and water management. But discussions are not always easy.

“For the French State, when it is necessary to make a decision, it must systematically, practically, go back to Paris before it comes back down”explains Paul-Olivier Delannois, guest this Wednesday from France Bleu Nord, who sometimes would like a little more “common sense”.

“During Covid, at one point, when we had to put concrete blocks between Belgium and France, we had the Belgian blocks and the French blocks, he remembers. When the crisis subsided, it was necessary to remove these blocks, and Belgium had decided to do so on a certain date. We removed them at the border with Germany, we removed them in Luxembourg, and then we realized that France and Belgium did not have the same dates! And so I was obliged to remove my blocks, with blocks that remained five meters further on the French side…”