Brussels (Scotland says "Yes")

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Free City of Brussels Vrije Stad van Brussel Ville Gratuit de Bruxelles Timeline: Scotland says "Yes" OTL equivalent: Brussels
Coat of arms
Anthem:  Ode to Joy
Location of Brussels (dark green) within the former nation of Belgium (gray) and the European Union (light green).
Capital (and largest city)		Brussels
Official languages		Dutch, French
Regional languages		German
Demonym		Brussels
Government		Unitary Presidential Republic
-	President	Rudi Vervoort
Legislature		Parliament
Establishment
-	Dissolution of Belgium	2015
Area
-	Total	161.38 km2  62 sq mi
Population
-	2016 census	1,187,890
-	Density	7025/km2  18,194.7/sq mi
GDP (nominal)		2012 estimate
-	Total	€132,917 million
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Date formats		dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the		Right
Internet TLD		.bx

Brussels, officially the Free City of Brussels, is a city-state in the former nation of Belgium. It was previously the capital of Belgium and part of both language communities, but after the Flanders left it in the Partition of Belgium, and Wallonia joined France, it became an independent city state. It remains the de facto Capital of the European Union, and some have lobbied for it to be directly administered. The city has a population of 1.8 million.

Since the end of the Second World War, Brussels has been a major centre for international politics, being the base of many international organisations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants. The de facto capital of the European Union, it hosts a number of EU Institutions. The secretariat of Flenelux and NATO are also located in Brussels.

Historically a Dutch-speaking city, it saw a language shift toward and from the late 19th century, and today the majority is French speaking. However, officially it is bilingual with road signs, street names and many advertisements and services shown in both languages (as well as German in some areas).

History

Independence

Main Article: Partition of Belgium

In 2015, Flemish independence again began to be prominent after Scotland successfully secured independence. During late February, rallies, and some riots, began in Flanders, in favour of Flemish Independence. In an attempt to appease them, the devolved Flemish government promised a referendum, and on the 23rd the Belgian government announced a referendum, to be held on the 11th April, which came in favour of independence.

On the 3rd May, Belgian, Flemish and Walloon representatives met in Brussels discuss the future, with representatives from the German-Speaking Community arriving on the 18th, and EU, French and German diplomats on the 16th.

Ultimately, they decided to dissolve the Belgian state. Brussels would become an independent city-state, while the German-speaking community in far eastern Wallonia would join Germany. The Walloon province of Luxembourg would be ceded to the country of Luxembourg, whilst the rest of Wallonia, the French-speaking community, would become an integral province of France.

On the 22nd March 2016, three coordinated bombings occured in Brussels, carried out by Da'esh, prompting international outrage.

Economy

Serving as the centre of administration of the European Union, Brussels' economy is largely service-orientated, dominated by headquarters of many organisations. It has been proposed that part or the entirety be directly administered by the EU as a Capital District, or for the Brussels government to enforce a "tax" on these institutions.