DFKB – 2: Current state of affairs

1. The country

The federal Kingdom of Belgium currently has a population of about 10.6 million. It is divided in four languages areas: the Dutch-speaking Flanders (6.1 million inhabitants), the French-speaking area (3.4 million people), the small German-speaking area consisting of 9 municipalities in Eastern Belgium (73 000 inhabitants), and finally the bilingual (French-Dutch) area of Brussels Capital (a little more than 1 million people). Dutch, French, and German are official languages.

The Belgian federalism is two-fold and territorial. First, there are the three regions: Flanders, Wallonia (combining the French- and German speaking areas) and Brussels Capital Region. The regions deal with land-related stuff, such as economy, foreign trade, agriculture, environment, research, public works, regional planning, and urban development. On the other hand, Belgium is divided in three language communities, the German-speaking Community of Belgium, the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community. The latter two each take care of respectively the French-speaking and the Dutch-speaking citizens of Brussels. The communities are competent for person-related issues, such as education, health care, media, and culture. Each region and each community has a parliament and a government, headed by a minister-president. The Dutch-speakers merged their regional and community institutions in a Flemish government and parliament. The federal government is still competent for defence, justice, monetary policy, police, immigration, nuclear power, work regulation, and social security, although some of these competences have been devolved to supranational institutions (European Union). In Brussels, some community competences have been devolved to a Flemish (VGC) and a French-speaking Community Commission (Cocof), and both of them work together for so-called bicommunity institutions, like public hospitals in the capital. The German-speaking community also took over a few regional competence of the Walloon region, like work policy and the supervision of municipalities. All of these governments and parliaments have their seats in Brussels, except for the Walloon regional government (Namur) and the German-speaking Community (Eupen).

Although the language communities are in principle homogeneous, there are so-called facilités for minorities. Inhabitants of municipalities with facilités can get official documents in another language. There are facilités for French-speakers in the Flemish municipalities of Drogenbos, Kraainem, Linkebeek, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Wemmel, and Wezembeek-Oppem around Brussels and Bever, Herstappe, Mesen, Ronse, Spiere-Helkijn, and Voeren at the language frontier. Likewise, there are facilités for Dutch-speakers in the Walloon municipalities of Comines-Warneton, Enghien, Flobecq, and Mouscron and facilités for German-speakers in Malmédy and Waimes. All German-speaking municipalities have facilités for French-speakers.

Furthermore, a lot of the bigger cities, like Brussels and Antwerp, have huge Muslim minorities, which consists of neither Dutch- nor French-speakers. Their home languages are usually Arabic, Turkish or a Berber dialect.

2. Political parties

There are no country-wide political parties. In the past, all national parties split in separate Flemish and French-speaking parties. The German-speaking parties are usually part of a French-speaking party, as their language area is part of the Walloon region.

The Flemish parties are:

• CD&V: Christian Democrat, centrist, ethically more conservative, rather regionalist (formerly CVP).


• Open VLD: liberal, centrist, ethically progressive (formerly PVV and VLD).


• SP.a: socialist, leftish, ethically progressive (formerly BSP and SP).


• Vlaams Belang: right-wing, conservative, Flemish nationalist (formely Vlaams Blok).


• Groen!: ecologist, left-wing, ethically progressive (formerly Agalev).


• N-VA: centre-right, more conservative, Flemish nationalist (formerly the conservative part of the now split-up Volksunie). In an electoral cartel with CD&V.


• Spirit: left-wing, ethically progressive, Flemish nationalist (formerly the progressive part of the now split-up Volksunie). In a electoral cartel with SP.a.


• LDD: liberal, right-wing, Flemish nationalist split-off of the Open VLD.

An electoral cartel means that the parties hand in common election lists and usually form a parliamentary fraction together.
The French-speaking parties are:

• MR: liberal, centrist, Belgicist (merger of the liberal PRL, the Belgian-nationalist French-speaking FDF, and the Christian Democrat split-off MCC).


• PS: socialist, left-wing, ethically progressive (formerly PSB).


• cdH: leftish, ethically progressive, Belgicist (formerly the Christian Democrat PSC).


• Ecolo: ecologist, left-wing, ethically progressive.


• FN: xenophobic, Belgicist.

The German-speaking parties are:

• CSP: Christian Democrat, centrist, ethically more conservative (part of cdH).


• PFF: liberal, ethically more progressive (part of MR).


• SP: socialist, leftish, ethically progressive (part of PS).


• PJU-PDB: regionalist.


• Ecolo: ecologist, left-wing, ethically progressive (part of Ecolo).


• Vivant: libertarian.

The regional governments consist of coalitions:

• Flanders: CD&V - N-VA - SP.a - Spirit - Open VLD


• French Community: PS - cdH


• Walloon Region: PS - cdH


• Brussels Capital Region: PS - cdH - Ecolo - CD&V - VLD - SP.a


• German-speaking Community: SP - PFF - PJU-PDB

3. The federal parliament and government

The federal state has a bicameral system. It consists of a House of Representatives (where the main political power lies) of 150 directly elected MPs and a Senate of 71 members. The country is divided in 11 electoral districts: East Flanders, West Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg, and Leuven (Dutch-speaking), Hainault, Namur, Walloon Brabant, Luxembourg (French-speaking), Liège (French-speaking, but including the German-speaking Community), and last but certainly not least Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, which consists of the Brussels Capital region and the western part of the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant. For the Senate, there are just two electoral districts: a Dutch-speaking district and a French/German-speaking one. 40 Senators (25 Dutch speakers and 15 French speakers) are elected directly. 10 Senators are appointed by the Flemish Community parliament, 10 by the French Community parliament and 1 by the German-speaking Community parliament. 10 Senators (6 Dutch speakers and 4 French speakers) are 'co-opted' by their parties. The parliaments are elected for periods of 4 years.

The Belgian federal government consists of 7 Dutch-speaking ministers, 7 French-speaking ministers and a prime minister. There is no limit on the number of secretaries of state. The previous Belgian government (before the June 10 elections) consisted of a coalition of Open VLD, SP.a, Spirit, MR, and PS, with Guy Verhofstadt (Open VLD) as prime minister. This government is still dealing with current affairs, as there is no new government yet.