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Structures and Institutions of Flanders: Towards Increased Autonomy for the Regions

Explore the federal context and the structures and institutions of Flanders in Belgium, including the Flemish Community, Flemish Region, and Brussels Capital Region. Discover the consecutive state reforms and the increased autonomy for the regions in various areas.

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Structures and Institutions of Flanders: Towards Increased Autonomy for the Regions

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  1. Welcome

  2. 177 km 205 km 214 km 111 km 292 km 212 km • Northern federated state of Belgium • Capital: Brussels • Area: 13,684 km² (2007) • Population: 6,162,000 (2008) • Population density: 455 inh/km² (2008) • Official anthem: De Vlaamse Leeuw (Dutch for “the Flemish Lion”) • Currency: euro (EUR) • Flanders Day: 11 July • Language: Dutch F L A N D E R S H E A R T O F E U R O P E

  3. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 / 2 3 ) EUROPEAN UNION FLEMISH COMMUNITY FRENCH COMMUNITY GERMAN-SPEAKING COMMUNITY BELGIUM FLANDERS FLEMISH REGION WALLOON REGION BRUSSELS CAPITAL REGION GOVERNMENT PARLIAMENT ADMINISTRATION CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES PROVINCES

  4. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 2 / 2 3 ) • Federal Context • Flemish Level of Administration • Provinces and Municipalities • Brussels

  5. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 2 / 2 3 ) • Federal Context • Flemish Level of Administration • Provinces and Municipalities • Brussels

  6. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 3 / 2 3 ) • Federal Context • The Constitution • Article 1: “Belgium is a federal State, composed of the Regions and Communities.” • Article 2: “Belgium comprises three Communities: Flemish Community, French Community and German-speaking Community.” • Article 3: “Belgium comprises three Regions: Flemish Region, Walloon Region and Brussels Capital Region.”

  7. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 4 / 2 3 ) • Regions • Communities Flemish Community French Community German-speaking Community Flemish Region Walloon Region Brussels Capital Region

  8. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 5 / 2 3 ) • Community matters • So-called ‘person-related’ or ‘soft’ matters: • Education • Welfare • Health • Culture • Regional matters • So-called ‘territorial’ or ‘hard’ matters: • Economy • Infrastructure • Environment • Employment

  9. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 6 / 2 3 ) • Far-reaching autonomy for the Regions • Flemish Parliament Acts on equal footing with federal laws • Parliaments of Regions on equal footing with federal parliament • In foro interno, in foro externo principle: Regions may pursue their own foreign policy with respect to matters for which they are competent • Treaty power: • Exclusive treaties + programmes of activities • Mixed treaties • Flanders is authorised to preside European Councils of Ministers in specific areas, on behalf of Belgium

  10. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 7 / 2 3 ) • Towards increased autonomy for the Regions – consecutive state reforms • 1970: First state reform • Establishment of three cultural communities: Dutch, French and German-speaking

  11. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 7 / 2 3 ) • Towards increased autonomy for the Regions – consecutive state reforms • 1970: First state reform • 1980: Second state reform • Cultural communities become Communities with their own Parliament and Government: Flemish, French and German-speaking • Person-related competences (health, social assistance, youth, …) devolved to them in addition to cultural competences • Establishment of Flemish and Walloon Regions with Parliament and Government • In Flanders: Amalgamation of Parliament and Government of both Region and Community

  12. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 7 / 2 3 ) • Towards increased autonomy for the Regions – consecutive state reforms • 1970: First state reform • 1980: Second state reform • 1988-1989: Third state reform • Establishment of Brussels Capital Region (BCR) with Council (Parliament) and Government • Council of BCR consists of French and Dutch (Flemish) language group, which separately form the French and Flemish Community Commissions, and together form the Joint Community Commission • Flemish Community Commission is competent for ‘community matters’: culture, education, welfare and health • Communities also competent for education; Regions also competent for traffic, transport and public works

  13. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 7 / 2 3 ) • Towards increased autonomy for the Regions – consecutive state reforms • 1970: First state reform • 1980: Second state reform • 1988-1989: Third state reform • 1993: Fourth state reform (St. Michael’s Agreement) • Belgium is reformed into a federal State • Constitution is adjusted to this new structure • Competences of Regions and Communities are further extended

  14. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 7 / 2 3 ) • Towards increased autonomy for the Regions – consecutive state reforms • 1970: First state reform • 1980: Second state reform • 1988-1989: Third state reform • 1993: Fourth state reform (St. Michael’s Agreement) • 2001-2003: Fifth state reform • Lambermont Agreement: Regionalisation of Municipalities Act, Provinces Act, agriculture, sea fisheries, foreign trade, development cooperation, supervision of election expenditure and political party financing • Lombard Agreement: Adjustment of the operation of Brussels institutions

  15. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 7 / 2 3 ) • Towards increased autonomy for the Regions – consecutive state reforms • 1970: First state reform • 1980: Second state reform • 1988-1989: Third state reform • 1993: Fourth state reform (St. Michael’s Agreement) • 2001-2003: Fifth state reform • 2003: Devolution of additional competences • Flanders competent for import, export and transit of arms, arms licences and dual use goods

  16. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 8 / 2 3 ) • Recent and planned state reforms based on five resolutions of the Flemish Parliament from 1999 • Resolution 1: Coherent packages of competences and maintenance of solidarity between Regions • Resolution 2: Full competence for regional taxes and personal income tax • Resolution 3: Brussels members of FP directly elected; both language groups guaranteed representation at all policy levels; number of municipal powers devolved to Region and amalgamation of 19 Brussels municipalities • Resolution 4: Extension of competences regarding municipal and provincial policy, health and family policy, employment, science and technology, foreign trade • Resolution 5: Reminder of principle of territoriality and principle of non-intervention

  17. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 9 / 2 3 ) • Federal Context • Flemish Level of Administration • Provinces and Municipalities • Brussels

  18. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 0 / 2 3 ) • Flemish Level of Administration • Flemish Parliament • Unicameral system • 124 Members of Parliament • Elections coincide with European elections

  19. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 1 / 2 3 ) • Flemish Government • Fixed 5-year term of office • Maximum 11 ministers, of whom at least one from Brussels • Under the management of the minister-president

  20. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 2 / 2 3 ) • The Flemish administration and its Better Administrative Policy • Result of a reorganisation of the public services at central Flemish level (1999-2006) • Principles: • Decisions are taken by the Government and its ministers • Better Administrative Policy, based on the principles of openness, responsibility and integrity

  21. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 3 / 2 3 ) • Strategic goal: to make public activities more transparent, interactive customer-oriented and accessible for citizens through: • More intensive cooperation and better task description at and between different policy levels • New form of dialogue with citizens and organisations (broad social support) • Reorganisation of services on the basis of an integrated, customer-oriented approach • New form of communication with citizens (use of ICT)

  22. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 4 / 2 3 ) • Structure of public sector before 2006 • 1 ministry with 7 departments in a matrix structure • 7 scientific institutions • 32 public institutions • Flemish Public Transport Company De Lijn • Flemish Radio and Television Broadcaster (VRT) • Flemish Service for Employment and Vocational Training (VDAB) • Flemish Water Supply Company (VMW) • Ghent University Hospital

  23. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 5 / 2 3 ) • Structure with 13 homogeneous policy areas from mid-2006 onwards • Services for the General Government Policy (DAR) • Flemish Foreign Affairs (iV) • Administrative Affairs (BZ) • Finance and Budget (FB) • Education and Training (OV) • Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) • Culture, Youth, Sport and Media (CJSM) • Welfare, Public Health and Family (WVG) • Agriculture and Fisheries (LV) • Work and Social Economy (WSE) • Mobility and Public Works (MOW) • Environment, Nature and Energy (LNE) • Town and Country Planning, Housing Policy and Immovable Heritage (RWO)

  24. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 6 / 2 3 ) • Budget per policy area for 2009 (25 billion euros in total)

  25. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 7 / 2 3 ) • Division of responsibilities within the policy areas • Each policy area consists of one department and a number of agencies • Department: responsible for policy preparation, policy monitoring and policy evaluation • Agencies: Responsible for policy implementation

  26. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 8 / 2 3 ) • Federal Context • Flemish Level of Administration • Provinces and Municipalities • Brussels

  27. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 1 9 / 2 3 ) • Provinces and Municipalities • Flanders consists of 5 provinces • Provincial Council responsible for budgets, accounts and provincial interests (directly elected every six years) • Provincial Executive responsible for day-to-day management (elected from Provincial Council) • Governor is head of province and chairman of Provincial Executive (appointed by Flemish Government for unlimited duration)

  28. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 2 0 / 2 3 ) • Flanders consists of 308 cities and municipalities • Municipal Council supervises the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (elected every six years) • Board of Mayor and Aldermen is responsible for daily management of the municipality (elected by Municipal Council) • Mayor is the head of the municipality (presented by Municipal Council and appointed by Flemish Minister for Local Government for six years)

  29. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 2 1 / 2 3 ) • Oddities: 12 Flemish municipalities with facilities • Are obliged to provide municipal services in another language (French), at the citizen’s request • 6 municipalities in the Brussels periphery: Drogenbos, Kraainem, Linkebeek, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Wemmel and Wezembeek-Oppem • 6 language border municipalities: Bever, Herstappe, Mesen, Ronse, Spiere-Helkijn and Voeren

  30. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 2 2 / 2 3 ) • Federal Context • Flemish Level of Administration • Provinces and Municipalities • Brussels

  31. S T R U C T U R E S A N D I N S T I T U T I O N S ( 2 3 / 2 3 ) • Brussels • Capital of Flanders, seat of the Flemish Government and administration • Flemish minority, but equal representation with French-speakers in Government of Brussels Capital Region (in exchange for equal representation in federal Government)

  32. O P E N N E S S I N N O V A T I O N D I V E R S I T Y Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E R I C H H I S T O R Y A V A N TG A R D E Multi-faceted Flanders

  33. I N N O V A T I O N

  34. Lars Ake Ragnarsson Senior Researcher at IMEC I N N O V A T I O N

  35. “Researchers from all over the world come to IMEC” I N N O V A T I O N “Flanders gives visible attention to research and development”

  36. I N N O V A T I O N

  37. I N N O V A T I O N • Division of the Flemish science budget between scientific and technological services (S&T), education and training (E&T) and research and development (R&D)

  38. I N N O V A T I O N • Gross domestic product per inhabitant in the Flemish Region (without Brussels) and the benchmark regions in 2005, in euro PPP

  39. D I V E R S I T Y

  40. H.E.Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas Former Ambassador of Mozambique in the Benelux D I V E R S I T Y

  41. “The Flemish authorities grant direct aid to the Mozambican State” D I V E R S I T Y “When the Flemish authoritiescommit to something, they appropriate the necessary funds” “Flanders helps us to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”

  42. D I V E R S I T Y

  43. D I V E R S I T Y

  44. D I V E R S I T Y

  45. O P E N N E S S

  46. Derek Hammersley Managing Director Hapag Lloyd Belgium O P E N N E S S

  47. “Flemings are highly skilled and very efficient workers” O P E N N E S S “Most Flemings speak English almost flawlessly” “Flanders is Europe’sbest kept secret”

  48. O P E N N E S S

  49. O P E N N E S S • Goods traffic in Flemish seaports, in thousand tonnes, from 1998 to 2008

  50. O P E N N E S S • Unloading and loading operations by inland waterway vessels in the Flemish ports, in thousand tonnes, from 1998 to 2008

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