Flemish Parliament
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The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: Vlaams Parlement, and 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 a cultural and linguistic community of Belgium. It approves decrees, which are Flemish laws applicable exclusively to the Flemish population. The Flemish Parliament meets in the Flemish Parliament building in central Brussels.
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Competencies
Competencies for the entire Flemish Community
- Culture: The Flemish parliament is competent for all cultural matters, except This includs protection of the cultural heritage (e.g. literature, fine arts), tourism and the media. A current debate is about the status of the official Flemish Radio & television, the VRT.
- Language use: including language use in schools and universities, in the flemish and local administrations, and in relations between employers and employees in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, with the exception of the communes enjoying ‘language facilities’ (exception limited to the extent of the facilities itself).
- All ‘matters relating to the person’: youth protection, family policy and childcare, together with policy regarding the handicapped, old age pensioners, equal opportunities and the integration of migrants.
- Education: from kindergarten to university incl. scholarships, except for the establishment the period of com-pulsory education, minimum conditions for awarding degrees and pension schemes for teachers (remaining at the federal level)
- Health care: including preventive health care, home care, institutions for mental health care, but excluding health insurance, financing of hospitals and most other competencies that remained federal.
Competencies for the Flemish Region only
- Economy, employment and energy policy: includes government support for business, employment policy, agriculture and fisheries, the distribution of electricity and natural gas, the exploitation of new energy sources and the promotion of responsible use of energy
- Town and country planning, housing, land development & nature conservation : including regional planning, building permits, housing policy, social housing, urban renewal, preservation of monuments and natural sites, land consolidation and nature conservation
- Environment and water policy: including the reduction of air, land and water pollution, noise control, the purification of waste water, the production and distribution of drinking water and waste disposal policy
- Scientific research: this field is the full responsibility of the regional authorities, except for aerospace and military research (that remained federal).
Members of the Flemish Parliament
| Antwerp | Limburg | East-Fl. | Fl-Brabant | West-Fl. | Brussels | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD&V/N-VA | 9 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 35 |
| Vlaams Belang | 10 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 32 |
| SP.A-Spirit | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 25 |
| VLD-Vivant | 6 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| Groen! | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| UF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 33 | 16 | 27 | 20 | 22 | 6 | 124 |
From the 35 seats for CD&V/N-VA, six are taken by the N-VA and 29 by the CD&V. From the 25 from the SP.A-Spirit list, five went to Spirit and 20 to the socialists.
History
After their creation, the Flemish regional and community institutions were united to form the unified Flemish legislative council, the Vlaamse Raad, now called Vlaams Parlement, after it was officially renamed on June 13, 1995. Members are called "Vlaams Volksvertegenwoordiger".
Currently, many voices in the Flemish Movement would like the Flemish Parliament to acquire certain sovereign powers as those over language, culture and education. In addition, a consensus is emerging that the Flemish Parliament should also acquire much larger financial and fiscal autonomy.
See also
External links
- Official webpage (http://www.vlaamsparlement.be/p3app/htmlpages/vp/AndereTalen/Engels/English.html)
- Milestones in the history of the Flemish Parliament (http://www.vlaamsparlement.be/vpWeb/p3app/htmlpages/vp/HoeWerktHetVlaamsParlement/AlgemeneSituering/OntstaanEnGroeiVlaamsParlement/Mijlpalen.html) (in Dutch)nl:Vlaams Parlement