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The Flemish Parliament (
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the
legislative power A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known a ...
in
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural community of
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
(unlike the French Community and
Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...
, which each have separate legislatures: the
Parliament of the French Community The Parliament of the French Community (french: Parlement de la Communauté française or PCF) is the legislative assembly of the French Community of Belgium based in the Quartier Royal. It consists of all 75 members of the Walloon Parliament exc ...
and the
Parliament of Wallonia The Parliament of Wallonia (french: Parlement de Wallonie) (Walloon Parliament (french: Parlement wallon) in the decrees) is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium (the other two being Flanders and t ...
). The Flemish Parliament approves
decrees A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
, which are Flemish
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
s, applicable to all persons in the Flemish Region, and to Flemish institutions in Brussels; it appoints and supervises the
Flemish Government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, ...
; and it approves the Flemish budget. The Flemish Parliament meets in the Flemish Parliament building in central
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, and its members and staff are housed in the House of the Flemish Representatives.


History

From 1830 until 1970 Belgium was a unitary state with a single government and a bicameral national parliament. The laws issued by Parliament applied to all Belgians, and government ministers exercised their authority across the length and breadth of the country. Between 1970 and 2001 the Belgian Parliament approved five successive constitutional reforms. Slowly they changed Belgium from a unitary into a federal state. Part of this was to give the communities and later the regions, their own parliaments. On 7 December 1971 the Cultural Council for the Dutch-speaking Cultural Community held its first meeting; later followed a parliament for the Flemish Region. Flanders decided as early as 1980 to merge the Flemish Community with the Flemish Region. As a result, Flanders now has a single parliament and a single government with competence over community as well as over regional matters. This Parliament was called the ''Vlaamse Raad'' until it was officially renamed ''Vlaams Parlement'' (Flemish Parliament) on 13 June 1995. Over the last thirty years, Flanders has thus developed into a separate state within the federalised Belgium. Members are called "''Vlaamse Volksvertegenwoordigers''". In
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, they are referred to as "Members of the Flemish Parliament" (MFPs), like the MSPs in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and the MEPs in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
. The title "Flemish Representative" is also used in English. Since 1995 members of the Flemish Parliament have been directly elected. Currently, many voices in the Flemish Movement would like the Flemish Parliament to acquire certain sovereign powers in addition to those concerning language, culture and education. Furthermore, among the broader Flemish population a consensus has emerged that the Flemish Parliament should also acquire much larger financial and fiscal autonomy.


Competencies (Jurisdiction)

The Flemish Parliament enacts
decrees A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
, which are Flemish
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
s, either as a decree of the Flemish Community or as a decree of the Flemish Region (or often as a decree combining provisions for both entities). Regional legislation is only applicable to all persons in the Flemish Region whereas community legislation also applies to Flemish institutions or services in Brussels (and thus to persons in Brussels who choose to make use of these institutions or services, such as schools). No hierarchy exists between (federal) laws and Flemish decrees, as each level is supposed to have clearly defined subject-matter jurisdiction. The basis for the community subject-matter jurisdiction is defined in the Belgian Constitution, but the
Special Law A special law is a type of legislation. Belgium A special law, or qualified majority law, is a type of legislation in Belgium which requires a qualified majority in both chambers of the bicameral Belgian Federal Parliament to be adopted, amended ...
on Institutional Reform defines all matters in high detail. They can be summarised as follows:


Competencies for the entire Flemish Community

# Culture: The Flemish parliament is competent for all cultural matters. This includes protection of the cultural heritage (e.g. literature, fine arts), tourism and the media. The public Flemish radio and television broadcasting company is the VRT. # Language use: including language use in schools and universities, in the Flemish and local administrations, and in relations between employers and employees in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, with exception of the 'language facilities' enjoyed in some municipalities. # All ‘matters relating to the person’: youth protection, family policy and childcare, together with policy regarding the handicapped, old age pensioners, equal opportunities and the integration of migrants. #
Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
: from kindergarten to university including scholarships, though the establishment of the period of compulsory education, requirements for awarding degrees, and pension schemes for teachers remain at the federal level. # Health care: including preventive health care, home care, institutions for mental health care, but excluding health insurance, financing of hospitals and most other competencies that remained federal.


Competencies for the Flemish Region only

# Economy, employment and energy policy: includes government support for business, employment policy, agriculture and fisheries, the distribution of electricity and natural gas, the exploitation of new energy sources and the promotion of responsible use of energy # Town and country planning, housing, land development & nature conservation: including regional planning, building permits, housing policy, social housing, urban renewal, preservation of monuments and natural sites, land consolidation and nature conservation # Environment and water policy: including the reduction of air, land and water pollution, noise control, the purification of waste water, the production and distribution of drinking water and waste disposal policy # Scientific research: this field is the full responsibility of the regional authorities, except for aerospace and military research (that remained federal). #Public works and transport: includes roads, ports (the
Port of Antwerp The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port of the City of Antwerp. It is located in Flanders (Belgium), mainly in the province of Antwerp but also partially in the province of East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to ...
,
Port of Bruges-Zeebrugge The Port of Zeebrugge (also referred to as the Port of Bruges or Bruges Seaport) is a large container, bulk cargo, new vehicles and passenger ferry terminal port on the North Sea. The port is located in the municipality of Bruges, West Flanders ...
,
Port of Ghent The Port of Ghent is the third busiest seaport in Belgium, located in Ghent, East Flanders in the Flemish Region. The first port of Ghent was situated at the river Scheldt and later on at the Leie. Since the Middle Ages Ghent has sought for a con ...
and the
Port of Ostend The Port of Ostend (Dutch: ''Oostende'') is situated in Ostend, West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The port services freight transport between Ostend and Ramsgate, Ipswich and North Killingholme Haven. Passenger transport between Oste ...
), the regional airports (including
Antwerp International Airport Antwerp International Airport, french: Aéroport International d'Anvers, german: Flughafen Antwerpen is a small international airport serving the City of Antwerp in the Province of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Located south of t ...
and Ostend-Bruges International Airport), and urban and regional transport. #
Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
: includes the Agricultural Investment Fund, the agricultural education, the development of rural regions, the sale of agricultural and horticultural products and the fisheries policy. By the stipulations of the Lambermont Agreement (2001), the regions are competent for almost the complete agricultural policy but a few security aspects like food security and animal welfare which remained under the competence of the federal government. #Local government: includes the allocating of financial resources to the 300 Flemish municipalities and to the five Flemish provinces, and administrative supervision of these communes and provinces and their laws.


International affairs

For all areas within its sphere of competence (both vis-à-vis community or regional competences), the Flemish region can conclude international treaties with other states, whether they are national states or member states of a federation. This competence includes development cooperation and foreign trade.


Procedure

A regular legislative session starts in September, when the Government presents its "September Declaration" (''Septemberverklaring''), a kind of State of the Union.
Plenary session A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference which all members of all parties are to attend. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily related to a specific st ...
s are usually held on Wednesdays. The Flemish Parliament largely functions like its federal, community and regional counterparts, ''
mutatis mutandis ''Mutatis mutandis'' is a Medieval Latin phrase meaning "with things changed that should be changed" or "once the necessary changes have been made". It remains unnaturalized in English and is therefore usually italicized in writing. It is used ...
''. Bills are usually introduced by the Government (''ontwerp van decreet''), but members of parliament can also propose bills (''voorstel van decreet'' or private member's bill). Bills are first considered in committee, after which they are put to a vote in the plenary. Votes are usually recorded electronically. For example during the 2009–14 legislature, 407 government bills were adopted, while only 102 private member's bills were made law.


Elections and membership

118 members are directly elected in the Flemish Region. They have voting rights for both regional and community competencies. 6 members are directly elected in the
Brussels-Capital Region Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
by those voters who voted for a Dutch-speaking party in the Brussels regional elections. They have no voting rights for the regional competencies.'Reflections on the Belgian federal state', Patrick Peeters, ''Multinational Federations''
eds. Michael Burgess, John Pinder, Routledge, April 2007, pages 39-40 The elections take place every five years, simultaneously with the elections for the other regional and community parliaments and for the European Parliament. Thus, de facto the European decision-makers determine when the Flemish Parliament elections occur. This table shows the distribution of seats following the 2019 regional election:


Previous legislative terms

The following table lists each legislative term since 1995, when the Flemish Parliament was first directly elected following the fourth state reform. The parties are ordered by size in the respective term. Green coloured parties indicate the government majority, whereas red parties form the opposition. 1995–1999 1999–2004 2004–2009 2009–2014 2014–2019 2019–present


Officers

At the beginning of each parliamentary year, on the fourth Monday in September, the Flemish Parliament elects its
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...
. The Speaker chairs the plenary sessions of the Flemish Parliament and acts as its official representative. The speker determines whether a certain initiative is admissible and thus can be put to parliament at all. The Flemish Ministers take the oath before the Speaker of the Flemish Parliament. Only the head of the Flemish government, the Flemish Minister-President, takes the oath before the
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
. The current Speaker of the Flemish Parliament is
Liesbeth Homans Liesbeth Homans (born 17 February 1973 in Antwerp) is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA, New Flemish Alliance). She was elected as a member of the Flemish Parliament in 2009 and as a member of the Belgian S ...
of the
New Flemish Alliance The New Flemish Alliance ( nl, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist and conservative political party in Belgium. The party was founded in 2001 by the right-leaning fraction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU). ...
(N-VA). The Speaker of the Flemish Parliament is assisted by the Bureau, which consists of the Speaker, four Deputy Speakers and three Secretaries. The Bureau is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Flemish Parliament and meets at least once every two weeks. The Extended Bureau, which consists of the Bureau and the floor leaders of the recognised political fractions in the Flemish Parliament coordinates the political activities of the Flemish Parliament and sets the agenda for the plenary session. It usually meets every week on Monday.


Speakers

;Cultural Council for the Dutch Cultural Community (''Cultuurraad voor de Nederlandse Cultuurgemeenschap'') * 1971-1974: Robert Vandekerckhove ( CVP) * 1974-1977: Jan Bascour ( PVV) * 1977-1979: Maurits Coppieters ( VU) * 1979-1980: Rik Boel ( BSP) ;Flemish Council (''Vlaamse Raad'') * 1980-1981: Rik Boel (BSP) * 1981-1985: Jean Pede (PVV) * 1985-1988:
Frans Grootjans Frans Edward Elisabeth Grootjans (24 January 1922 – 20 February 1999), was a Belgian politician and minister for the PVV. Grootjans was born at Wilrijk. He became a licentiate in the trade and consular sciences and was chief editor and dir ...
(PVV) * 1988: Jean Pede (PVV) * 1988-1994: Louis Vanvelthoven ( SP) * 1994-1995: Eddy Baldewijns (SP) ;Flemish Parliament (''Vlaams Parlement'') * 1995–2006: Norbert De Batselier ( sp.a) * 2006–2009: Marleen Vanderpoorten (
Open Vld french: Libéraux et démocrates flamands ouverts , abbreviation = Open Vld , logo = , leader1_title = President , leader1_name = Egbert Lachaert , foundation = 1992 (VLD)2007 (Open Vld) , predecessor = ...
) * 2009–2019: Jan Peumans ( N-VA) * 2019: Kris Van Dijck (N-VA) * 2019: Wilfried Vandaele (N-VA) * 2019–present:
Liesbeth Homans Liesbeth Homans (born 17 February 1973 in Antwerp) is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA, New Flemish Alliance). She was elected as a member of the Flemish Parliament in 2009 and as a member of the Belgian S ...
(N-VA)


Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:15 PlotArea = top:5 bottom:20 right:120 left:10 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1970 till:10/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:01/01/1970 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1970 Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) Backgroundcolors = canvas:white BarData = barset:Rulers PlotData= width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-5) anchor:till barset:Rulers from: 07/12/1971 till: 09/05/1974 color:Orange text:"Robert Vandekerckhove" from: 09/05/1974 till: 14/06/1977 color:Blue text: "Jan Bascour" from: 14/06/1977 till: 24/04/1979 color:Yellow text: "Maurits Coppieters" from: 24/04/1979 till: 22/12/1981 color:Red text: "Rik Boel" from: 22/12/1981 till: 03/12/1985 color:Blue text: "Jean Pede" from: 03/12/1985 till: 02/02/1988 color:Blue text: "Frans Grootjans" from: 02/02/1988 till: 18/10/1988 color:Blue text: "Jean Pede" from: 18/10/1988 till: 13/01/1994 color:Red text: "Louis Vanvelthoven" from: 13/01/1994 till: 13/06/1995 color:Red text: "Eddy Baldewijns" from: 13/06/1995 till: 12/07/2006 color:Red text: "Norbert De Batselier" from: 13/07/2006 till: 13/07/2009 color:Blue text: "Marleen Vanderpoorten" from: 13/07/2009 till: 26/05/2019 color:Yellow text: "Jan Peumans" from: 18/06/2019 till: 11/07/2019 color:Yellow text: "Kris Van Dijck" from: 13/07/2019 till: 02/10/2019 color:Yellow text: "Wilfried Vandaele" from: 02/10/2019 till: end color:Yellow text: "Liesbeth Homans" barset:skip


Committees

Much of the work of the Flemish Parliament is done in committee. The Flemish Parliament currently has eleven standing committees. Each committee is specialised in a particular subject area and consists of 15 Members of the Flemish Parliament. The primary task of the committees is to examine the texts of decree proposals and organise hearings and discussions on decree proposals. There are usually also
ad hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with '' a priori''.) C ...
committees, such as the Digital Flanders Committee and the Flemish Constitution Committee.


List of standing committees

* Committee for General Affairs and Financial and Budgetary Matters ** Subcommittee on Finance and Budget * Committee for Brussels and its Flemish Periphery * Committee for Administrative Affairs, Institutional and Administrative Reform and Decree Evaluation * Committee for Housing, Urban Policy, Integration and Equal Opportunities * Committee for Foreign Policy, European Affairs, International Co-operation and Tourism * Committee for Education, Training, Science and Innovation * Committee for Culture, Youth, Sports and Media * Committee for Public Well-Being, Public Health and Family Affairs * Committee for Economic Affairs, Employment and Social Economics ** Subcommittee on Arms Trade * Committee for Environmental and Nature Conservation Issues, Agriculture, Fishery and Rural Development Policy and Town and Country Planning and Real Estate ** Subcommittee on Agriculture, Fishery and Rural Policy * Committee for Public Works, Mobility and Energy


See also

*
Flemish Community Commission The Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (or VGC, or, in English, the Flemish Community Commission) is the local representative of the Flemish authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium. The VGC depends on the Flemish ...
*
Flemish Council for Science and Innovation The Flemish Council for Science and Innovation ( nl, Vlaamse Raad voor Wetenschap en Innovatie, VRWI), previously known as the Flemish Council for Science Policy ( nl, Vlaamse Raad voor Wetenschapsbeleid, VRWB) is the advisory body of the Flemish Go ...
(VRWI) *
Flemish Institute for Technological Research The Flemish institute for technological research ( nl, Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek or VITO), is an independent Flemish research organisation that provides scientific advice and technological innovations that facilitate the transi ...
(VITO) *
Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region The Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (French: ''Parlement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale'', Dutch: ''Parlement van het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewe ...
*
Parliament of Wallonia The Parliament of Wallonia (french: Parlement de Wallonie) (Walloon Parliament (french: Parlement wallon) in the decrees) is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium (the other two being Flanders and t ...
*
Politics of Flanders Flanders is both a Flemish Community, cultural community and an Flemish Region, economic region within the Belgium, Belgian state, and has significant autonomy. Historically, the contemporary Flemish people, Flemish community (or nation, as som ...
* Resolutions of the Flemish Parliament of 1999


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1980 establishments in Belgium Flanders
Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
Belgian legislation