The Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (or VGC, or, 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 ...
, the Flemish Community Commission) is the local representative of the
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; ...
authorities 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 ...
, one of the three regions 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 ...
. The VGC depends on the
Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament ( Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural commu ...
, and its council is made up by the members of the Dutch linguistic group of the
Brussels Parliament, whereas its executive is made up of the two Flemish ministers and the Flemish secretary of the Brussels-Capital Government.
The VGC was established by the special (constitutional) law of 12 January 1989.
The VGC has competencies for cultural, educational, well-being and health for
Flemings in Brussels. It reaches an estimated 200,000 inhabitants of Brussels with its services, mostly Dutch-speakers, and a significant number of
migrants. However, several of these competencies are rather limited in practice, e.g. it has not the slightest authority for hospitals.
Strictly legally speaking, the VGC is only competent for institutions depending on the Flemish government, and not for individual citizens. This was a consequence of the fact that no formal Flemish citizenship was established.
The VGC is the successor of the ''Nederlandse Commissie voor de Cultuur van de Brusselse agglomeratie (NCC)'' (in Dutch), established in 1971. The VGC also assumed all Flemish community-specific responsibilities in Brussels of the former province of
Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to:
Place names in Europe
* London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany
Belgium
* Province of Bra ...
when it was split up.
It does not have legislative power contrary to the other two community commissions. The French equivalent may adopt
decrees and the Common Community Commission may adopt
ordinances, which both have force of law.
See also
*
Brussels Parliament
*
Common Community Commission
*
French Community Commission
The ''Commission communautaire française'' (COCOF) or the French Community Commission is the local representative of the French-speaking authorities in the Brussels-Capital Region, one of the three regions of Belgium.
On 3 December 2001, the '' ...
(COCOF)
External links
Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (VGC)TV-Brusselwebsite Vlaamse overheidVlaams ParlementVlaamse regering Vlaamse radio en Televisie
{{Authority control
Community Commissions in Belgium
Politics of Brussels