Flemish Community
Flemish Community
Vlaamse Gemeenschap ( Community of Belgium | |
---|---|
Open Vld | |
• Minister-President | Jan Jambon (N-VA) |
• Legislature | Flemish Parliament |
• Speaker | Liesbeth Homans (N-VA) |
Population | |
• Total | ±6,900,000[1] |
Day of the Flemish Community | July 11 |
Language | Dutch |
Website | Vlaanderen.be |
The Flemish Community (
History
State reforms in Belgium turned the country from a unitary state into a federal one. Cultural communities were the first type of decentralisation in 1970, forming the Dutch, French and German Cultural Community. Later on, in 1980, these became responsible for more cultural matters and were renamed to simply "Community", the Dutch (Cultural) Community also being renamed to the Flemish Community. In the same state reform of 1980, the Flemish and Walloon Region were set up (the Brussels-Capital Region would be formed later on). In Flanders it was decided that the institutions of the Flemish Community would take up the tasks of the Flemish Region, so there is only one Flemish Parliament and one Flemish Government.
Legal authority
Under the Belgian constitution, the Flemish Community has legal responsibility for the following:
- education (except for degree requirements, the minimum and maximum age of compulsory education, and teachers' pensions);
- culture;
- language legislation in monolingual Dutch-speaking municipalities;
- certain aspects of welfare, health care and child allowances;
- international cooperation in all areas of the competency of the Community.
As the Flemish Community's institutions (parliament, government and ministry) absorbed all competencies of the Flemish region, they became also competent for all regional policy areas, including:
- agriculture (although the bulk of this policy is determined by the European Union);
- public works and regional economic development;
- local authorities;
- environment;
- mobility;
- energy (although nuclear energy remains on the federal level).
Members of the Flemish Parliament elected in the Brussels-Capital Region have no right to vote on Flemish regional affairs, only on community affairs, since affairs concerning their region are governed by the
Language
Compared with most areas in the Netherlands, the historical dialects of Flemish people still tend to be strong and particular to locality. Since the
In Brussels, the local dialect is heavily influenced by French, both in pronunciation and in vocabulary. Nowadays, most Flemings in Brussels do not speak the local dialect. This is due in part to the relatively large numbers of young Flemings coming to Brussels, after a long period of many more others moving out while
In certain municipalities along the border with the Walloon and the Brussels-Capital regions, French-speakers enjoy "language facilities". These cover rights such as to receive official documentation in their own tongue. Similar facilities are enjoyed by Dutch-speakers in some Walloon municipalities bordering the Flemish Region, by German-speakers in two municipalities in the French language area of the Walloon Region, and by French-speakers in the territory of the German-speaking community. The geographical limitations of the communities require the French Community to ensure Dutch basic education in its municipalities with facilities for speakers of Dutch, and the Flemish Community to finance French schools in its municipalities with facilities.
Flemish institutions in Brussels
Where responsibilities of the Flemish Region can be devolved to the provincial level, no such equivalent exists in the
Media
Flanders has an official radio and television broadcasting company, the Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroep or
References
- ^ Since the Brussels-Capital Region is part of both the Flemish and French Community of Belgium, it is not possible to give a definitive population figure. The Brussels-Capital Region has 1,208,542 inhabitants (as of 2019-1-1), of which some 10-20% could be seen as being part of the Flemish Community. Together with the Flemish Region which has 6,589,069 inhabitants (as of 2019-1-1), this gives an estimated 6.5 to 7 million inhabitants.
- Walloon Parliament; this is more obvious for the parliament of the German-speaking Communitybecause its much smaller territory is within the latter region.
External links
- (in English) Flemish authorities (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid)
- (in Dutch) Flemish authorities (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid)
- Flemish Parliament (Dutch: Vlaams Parlement)
- Flemish government (Dutch: Vlaamse regering)
- Flemish Community Council in Brussels (Dutch: Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (VGC))
- Public radio & television (Dutch: Vlaamse radio en Televisie)
- VRT online news in English, French and German
- Flanders Today, weekly paper about Flanders (actual information in English)
- Study opportunities in Flanders (accredited non Dutch-language courses)
- Touristic information about Flanders (Dutch: Toerisme Vlaanderen)
- Flanders Investment and Trade - Information for foreign investors