You do not have access to www.researchgate.net
The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site
Belgian farmer could theoretically face criminal charges for moving 200-year-old marker
</a>The boundary between France and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/belgium" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Belgium</a> is believed to have been inadvertently redrawn by a farmer who found the 200-year-old border stone marking the divide in an inconvenient location for his tractor
The Belgian farmer could theoretically face criminal charges after making Belgium bigger by moving the stone that has marked the border since after the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo
A local amateur historian taking a walk in forest near to the Belgian village of Erquelinnes discovered two weeks ago that the stone dating back to 1819 had been moved 2.29 metres (7.5ft)
The farmer’s perimeter fence had also been shifted
was formally established under the Treaty of Kortrijk of 1820
While amused by the enlargement of his town
gently pointed out that the farmer was legally obliged to move the border stone back – and that it would be best not “to create a diplomatic incident”
“We have no interest in expanding the town, or the country. He made Belgium bigger and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/france" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">France</a> smaller
It’s not a good idea,” Lavaux told the French TV channel TF1
But the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn’t agree
we will settle this issue amicably,” Lavaux added with a smile
the issue could be referred to the Belgian foreign ministry
which might have to summon a Franco-Belgian border commission
to settle the exact delimitation of the border
“We should be able to avoid a new border war,” Aurélie Welonek
 This article was amended on Wednesday 5 May 2021
A Belgian farmer accidentally redrew the country's border with France when he moved a stone that was blocking his tractor's path
The stone was moved in the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56978344" data-track-click="{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}" rel=" nofollow" target="_blank">the BBC reported.</a> It's unclear exactly when the farmer moved the stone
but the redrawn border was discovered when a local history buff noticed the stone had moved 7.5 feet
one year before the boundary between Belgium and France was officially established in the 1820 Treaty of Kortrijk
"He made Belgium bigger and France smaller
But the unexpected border swap prompted jokes
"I was happy my town was bigger," Lavaux said
"But the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn't agree."
Belgian authorities plan to ask the farmer to move the stone back to its normal place
If the farmer doesn't comply, a Franco-Belgian border commission may have to officially be summoned for the first time since 1930, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/04/farmer-moves-border-stone-for-tractor-and-makes-belgium-bigger" data-track-click="{&quot;click_type&quot;:&quot;other&quot;,&quot;element_name&quot;:&quot;body_link&quot;,&quot;event&quot;:&quot;outbound_click&quot;}" rel=" nofollow" target="_blank">according to The Guardian.</a>
You don't have permission to access the page you requested
What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed
BRUSSELS — A farmer has — perhaps unwittingly — moved Belgium&#39;s border with France.The man moved a 150-kilogram stone to enlarge his land near the Belgian village of Erquelinnes
he also modified the 200-year-old international border defined by the 1820 Treaty of Kortrijk.As a result of his actions
the border was moved approximately 2.29 meters
enlarging southern Belgian territory to the detriment of the French village of Bousignies-sur-Roc.The modified border position was discovered by a group of local historians while walking in the area.The stone in question
establishes the border between southern Belgium and northern France.It was created following Napoleon&#39;s defeat at the Belgian town of Waterloo in 1815 and before Belgium was formed as a state in 1830.&quot;The 1819 boundary marker has been moved..
and our commune has been enlarged,&quot; the Belgian mayor of Erquelinnes
wrote on Facebook.&quot;The French do not agree
We will have to put things back in place,&quot; he added.Lavaux had traveled to the contentious border between Bousignies and Montignies on Monday with a team of journalists from the French television station TF1.Speaking to local media
the mayor added that the farmer would be asked to return the stone to its border position to avoid court proceedings.&quot;But if he shows good intentions he won&#39;t have any problems
we will solve this amicably,&quot; Lavaux said.Meanwhile
the mayor of the neighboring French village
told La Voix du Nord that the countries &quot;should be able to avoid a new border war.&quot; — Euronews
The requested content cannot be loaded.Please try again later
 A farmer living in Belgium moved a stone saying that it was 'obstructing the course of the tractor'
which changed the border between France and Belgium
expanding the land of Belgium while shrinking the land of France
Le village de Bousignies-sur-Roc est plus petit depuis qu&#39;un agriculteur belge a déplacé la borne frontière 
 The stones moved by Belgian farmers set this border
An amateur historian with a vintage map was strolling near the border village of Erquelinnes in April 2021 and noticed that the stone had moved about 2.29 meters
The situation was discovered when a historian contacted the city after hearing from the landowner and feeling that the farmer had violated the Kortrijk Treaty
It seems that the farmer moved the position of the fence installed by the farmer as the stone moved
 At the time when the border was set, GPS technology did not exist, so it seems that a number of such stones were placed to set the border. <a href="https://i.gzn.jp/img/2021/05/06/farmer-moves-border-stone/02.jpg" target="_blank"></a> David Lavaux
was amused by the inadvertent expansion of his territory
but told farmers that 'it&#39;s not best to create diplomatic problems' and reposition the stones
'We are not interested in expanding the territory of the village
but this is not a good idea.' 'I am happy that the territory of the village has grown
The mayor of the village of Bousignies-sur-Rock in France wouldn&#39;t be
'Lavaux commented on the French television show TF1
 David Lavaux ha detto: 'Ora il Belgio è più grande, e la Francia più piccola e non è una buona idea. All&#39;inizio ero contento perché il villaggio era cresciuto, ma la mia collega di Bousignies-sur-Roc non la pensa allo stesso modo. Se l&#39;agricoltore è d&#39;accordo ... (2/3) <a href="https://t.co/geQeVabJnd">pic.twitter.com/geQeVabJnd</a>
<a href="/gsc_news/en/20210506-twitter-acquires-scroll/">Twitter acquires Scroll, a subscription service that hides website ads</a>
<a href="/gsc_news/en/20210506-general-motors-self-driving-vehicles-consumer/">'We will be able to launch self-driving cars for individuals within 10 years,' said GM&#39;s president.</a>
May 06, 2021  11:05:00 in  <a href="/gsc_news/en/C7/">Note</a>