Last modified: 2005-02-26 by ivan sache
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Federal State, Communities and Regions
Four successive reforms of the status of the Belgian state (1970, 1980, 1988-89, and 1993) have been necessary to establish the current federal status of the Kingdom of Belgium.
The first article of the Belgian Constitution says:
Belgium is a Federal State, which is constituted by Communities and Regions.
The concept of Community is based on the peoples who constitute a community and the links they share, i.e., language and culture. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Therefore, Belgium includes three Communities: the Flemish Community, the French Community, and the German-speaking Community, corresponding to three groups of peoples.
The concept of Region is based on the historical aspiration to more economical autonomy. There are three Regions, the Flemish Region, the Region of Brussels-Capital, and the Walloon Region, which might be compared to the American States and the German Länder.
The country is also subdivided into 10 Provinces and 589 Municipalities.
Competences of the Federal State
The Federal state keeps competences in several domains, such as
foreign affairs, national defense, justice, finances, social security
and an important part of public health and inner affairs.
However, the Communities and the Regions are competent in
establishing relations with foreign countries regarding the domains
they are in charge of.
At the federal level, the legislative power is exercized on one
hand by the Federal Parliament, which is constituted of two Chambers,
the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate, and on the other hand
by the Government, i.e. the King and the
Ministers. The King shall not exercize any
personal power. The Ministers, who countersign the law proposals
voted by the Parliament and the Royal decrees, have the
entire responsability of the power.
The 150 (formerly 212) Deputees of the Chamber of Representatives are
elected by direct universal suffrage. The Senate has 71 (formerly
184) members. Forty Senators are directly elected, 25 of them being
Dutch-speakers and 15 French-speakers. Twenty-one Senators are
appointed by the Communities, 10 by the Flemish Council, 10 by the
Council of the French Community, and 1 by the German-speaking
Community. Ten more Senators, 6 Dutch-speakers and 4 French-speakers,
are coopted by the elected and appointed Senators. There are also
ex officio Senators, i.e. certain members of the royal
family
The Federal Parliament shall vote the laws.
The Government is also exercizing the legislative power sin