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 ...

, a Royal Decree (RD) or Royal Order () ( Dutch), Arrêté Royal (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

), or Königlicher Erlass (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

) is a federal governmental decree exercising legislation, or powers the legislature has delegated to the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

as secondary legislation. Under the Constitution of Belgium, the King cannot act alone. While the monarch is vested with executive power, he is required to exercise it through his ministers. Hence, while Royal Orders are issued with the King's signature, they must be countersigned by a minister to be valid. In turn, the countersigning minister assumes political responsibility for the order. Its implementation usually begins on the date that it is published in the Belgian Official Journal.

References

Belgian legislation {{Europe-law-stub

See also

References