ABSTRACT
In Belgium, the Federal Round Tables on Interculturalism (FRI), initiated by the federal Minister of Equal Opportunity Christian Dupont in 2008 and continued by his successor Joelle Milquet, were presented as a final governmental attempt to settle a number of controversial issues that were derived from what many perceived as a multicultural "crisis" in the country. A steering committee of initially 30 members was convened, and chaired by Marie-Claire Foblets and Christine Kulakowski. The dialogues were organised in two stages. This chapter offers an account of the conversations that took place during this final retreat and that would result in the 69 measures proposed by the FRI. The FRI were part of an international trend of similar initiatives in Western Europe and Canada at the turn of the twenty-first century. Several dialogue-initiatives were set up around that period that revolved around the experienced "challenges" of the multicultural composition of these societies.
