Belgium

Contents
1.General information about the policy process

2.Main national actors

2.1.National actors involved

2.2.Regional or local actors involved

3.The relationship between actors

4.See also

4.1.Regional Parliaments' Participation in the Early Warning Mechanism

4.2.Air policy

5.References

 1.General information about the policy process 

Belgium is a federal state, composed of communities and regions. (Article 1 of the Belgian Constitution).

Through a series of national reforms that aimed at giving more power to the region, the power to make decisions is no longer the exclusive preserve of the federal government and the federal parliament. The leadership of the country is now in the hands of various partners, who independently exercise their authority within their domains.

https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/country/history/belgium_from_1830/formation_federal_state

 2.Main national actors 

 2.1.National actors involved 

(http://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/federale_staat)

The Federal Government: The Federal  Government  retains important powers, for example in the area of foreign affairs, national defence, justice, finance, social security, important parts of national health and domestic affairs. However, the communities and the regions also have the power to establish and maintain foreign relations.

Reconciling regional and cultural identities within a federal structure is easier said than done. Yet, it has the advantage of taking the decision process closer to the population. The result is a more sharply defined political structure with a greater emphasis on the quality of life.

 2.2.Regional or local actors involved 

(http://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/federale_staat)

The Communities: The redistribution of power occurred along two lines. The first line relates to language and, in a broader sense, to everything related to culture. The result was several communities. The concept of 'community' refers to persons that make up a community and the bond that unifies them, namely their language and culture. Belgium sits across the fault line that separates German and Latin cultures. This explains why the country has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. As a result, Belgium today, has three communities: the Flemish Community, the French Community and the German-speaking Community. These communities therefore correspond with the population groups.

The Regions: The second line of state reform was historically inspired by economic interests. The regions, which aspired to more economic autonomy, conveyed these interests. The establishment of the three regions was the result: the Flemish Region, the Brussels Capital Region and the Walloon Region. Up to a certain level they can be compared with the American states or the German 'Länder'.

The country is further divided into 10 provinces and 589 municipal councils with their own respective powers.



 3.The relationship between actors 

http://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/federale_staat/structure

Under the reform of the state, the pyramid of the unitarian state made way for a more complex three-level structure.

At the top level, we now find the Federal State, the Communities and the Regions, all three of which are equal from the legal viewpoint. They are on an equal footing but have powers and responsibilities for different fields.

The next level down is still occupied by the provinces. Before the state reform of 1993, the provinces were only under the supervision of the central state. Now they are supervised by all the higher government authorities, in the context of the federal, community or regional powers.

At the bottom of the pyramid, we find the communes, which is the level of administration that is closest to the people. Like the provinces, they are under the supervision of the higher authorities. Depending on the powers exercised, they are supervised by the Federal State, the Community or the Region. In general, they are financed and audited by the Regions. Each commune is also allowed to raise a communal income tax for its own financing.

 4. See also 

 4.1.Regional Parliaments' Participation in the Early Warning Mechanism 

(https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2016/580913/EPRS_IDA(2016)580913_EN.pdf )

Although EWM protocol allocates votes only to national parliaments and their chambers, but in the case of Belgium, regional parliaments are assimilated into national parliaments which allows regional parliaments to vote. A vote for early warning purposes can be cast at the federal level by the two chambers of the Belgian federal parliament and at the regional/community level by the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon Parliament, the Brussels-Capital Region Parliament, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Parliament and the German-speaking community parliament. The parliaments of the Communities and the Regions act as components of the national parliamentary system or chambers of the national Parliament.

 4.2.Air policy 

Air policy has been decided on a regional level in Belgium since 1994 with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs having a coordinating role.

5.References

Belgium: official information and services. Formation of the federal state. Available at:

https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/country/history/belgium_from_1830/formation_federal_state

Belgium: official information and services. Understanding the federal state. Available at:

https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/federale_staat

Belgium: official information and services. Structure. Available at:

https://www.belgium.be/en/about_belgium/government/federale_staat/structure

European Parliament. Regional participation in EU decision-making

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2016/580913/EPRS_IDA(2016)580913_EN.pdf