They are now faced with calls to operate on a broader scale, either through partnerships or mergers, but that is easier said than done. The municipalities themselves are not exactly bursting with enthusiasm and no more than 15 municipalities in Flanders will have merged voluntarily by 2019. Given the paltry number of volunteers the Flemish Government might decide to make the merger process compulsory later on. And where does that leave the six Flemish Rand municipalities with language facilities, which, because of their separate status, are currently unable to merge with other municipalities?