DOCSLIB.ORG

Historical Development

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Historical Development Published on Eurydice (https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice) After the declaration of independence in October 1830, Belgium was founded in 1831 as a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. The first constitution provided for a unitary state: Political decisions were based on the principle of uniform legislation and central government. Certain powers were transferred very early to the subordinate bodies: the provinces and the local authorities, the municipalities, whose activities were subject to the supervision of the central state. The Flemish Movement (1840), a cultural movement that sought the recognition of the Flemish language and culture, was born very quickly. The aim of this political movement was to introduce bilingualism in Belgium. In fact, the young country was officially monolingual: French was the only official language. Not only the Walloons, but also the Flemish upper middle classes were French- speaking, and Flemish was considered a dialect. A few decades later, the Walloon Movement (1880) emerged. This movement had economic demands: Heavy industry, which made Belgium a leading economic power in Europe, stood in Wallonia. However, the Flemish electorate accounted for a larger share of the electorate: Most political decision-makers therefore came from the Flemish upper middle classes. The Walloon movement demanded greater autonomy for the region in order to manage heavy industry and thus economic development itself. Because of the First World War, the two German districts of Eupen-Malmedy came to Belgium in 1920. The nine German-speaking communities of the area now form the German-speaking Community. The cultural demands of the Flemish movement finally led in 1962 to the definition of the language borders or four language regions: - the Flemish language area, - the territory of the French language, - the area of German language and - the bilingual Brussels-Capital area (French / Dutch). For the linguistic areas, the principle of territorial monolingualism has been established (except for Brussels and some special cases). These linguistic areas formed the basis of the (cultural) communities created in the process of federalisation (1970). The demands of the Walloon movement led to the creation of the regions in the process of federalisation. In 1993, the Constitution was amended and since then it has started with the paragraph: "Belgium is a federal state composed of communities and regions". The former unitary state is thus history. The three Communities: - French Community, - Flemish Community, - German-speaking Community are responsible for personal competences: - Culture, - Education, - Health, - Social. The three regions: - Flemish region, - Walloon Region, - Brussels Region Capital are responsible for territorial competences: - Economy, - Spatial planning, - Housing, - Environment, - Energy, - Agriculture. The territory of the comparatively small German-speaking Community (846.1 km² , 77,185 inhabitants, 91.2 inhabitants/km² on 1 January 2018) in the east of the country comprises the territory of the nine German-speaking municipalities, but is itself part of the territory of the Walloon Region. Belgium is a founding member of the European Union. DID YOU FIND WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR? YES NO Contact * Message * Leave this field blank Source URL: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/belgium-german-speaking-community/historical-development_hu.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Landslides in Belgium—Two Case Studies in the Flemish Ardennes and the Pays De 20 Herve
    Landslides in Belgium—Two Case Studies in the Flemish Ardennes and the Pays de 20 Herve Olivier Dewitte, Miet Van Den Eeckhaut, Jean Poesen and Alain Demoulin Abstract Most landslides in Belgium, and especially the largest features, do not occur in the Ardenne, where the relief energy and the climate conditions seem most favourable. They appear in regions located mainly north of them where the lithology consists primarily of unconsolidated material. They develop on slopes that are relatively smooth, and their magnitude is pretty large with regard to that context. An inventory of more than 300 pre-Holocene to recent landslides has been mapped. Twenty-seven percent of all inventoried landslides are shallow complex landslides that show signs of recent activity. The remaining landslides are deep-seated features and rotational earth slides dominate (n > 200). For such landslides, the average area is 3.9 ha, but affected areas vary from 0.2 to 40.4 ha. The exact age of the deep-seated landslides is unknown, but it is certain that during the last century no such landslides were initiated. Both climatic and seismic conditions during the Quaternary may have triggered landslides. The produced landslide inventory is a historical inventory containing landslides of different ages and triggering events. Currently, only new shallow landslides or reactivations within existing deep-seated landslides occur. The focus on the Hekkebrugstraat landslide in the Flemish Ardennes allows us to understand the recent dynamics of a large reactivated landslide. It shows the complexity of the interactions between natural and human-induced processes. The focus on the Pays the Herve allows for a deeper understanding of landslide mechanisms and the cause of their origin in natural environmental conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Executive and Legislative Bodies
    Published on Eurydice (https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice) Legislative and executive powers at the various levels Belgium is a federal state, composed of the Communities and the Regions. In the following, the federal state structure is outlined and the Government of Flanders and the Flemish Parliament are discussed. The federal level The legislative power at federal level is with the Chamber of Representatives, which acts as political chamber for holding government policy to account. The Senate is the meeting place between regions and communities of the federal Belgium. Together they form the federal parliament. Elections are held every five years. The last federal elections took place in 2014. The executive power is with the federal government. This government consists of a maximum of 15 ministers. With the possible exception of the Prime Minister, the federal government is composed of an equal number of Dutch and French speakers. This can be supplemented with state secretaries. The federal legislative power is exercised by means of acts. The Government issues Royal Orders based on these. It is the King who promulgates federal laws and ratifies them. The federal government is competent for all matters relating to the general interests of all Belgians such as finance, defence, justice, social security (pensions, sickness and invalidity insurance), foreign affairs, sections of health care and domestic affairs (the federal police, oversight on the police, state security). The federal government is also responsible for nuclear energy, public-sector companies (railways, post) and federal scientific and cultural institutions. The federal government is also responsible for all things that do not expressly come under the powers of the communities and the regions.
    [Show full text]
  • Belgian Identity Politics: at a Crossroad Between Nationalism and Regionalism
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-2014 Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism Jose Manuel Izquierdo University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Human Geography Commons Recommended Citation Izquierdo, Jose Manuel, "Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2014. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2871 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Jose Manuel Izquierdo entitled "Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Geography. Micheline van Riemsdijk, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Derek H. Alderman, Monica Black Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism A Thesis Presented for the Master of Science Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Jose Manuel Izquierdo August 2014 Copyright © 2014 by Jose Manuel Izquierdo All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • The Parliaments of Belgium and Their International
    THE PARLIAMENTS OF BELGIUM AND THEIR INTERNATIONAL POWERS This brochure aims to provide readers with a bird’s eye per- spective of the distribution of power in Federal Belgium in plain language. Particular emphasis goes out to the role of the Parliamentary assemblies in international affairs. Federal Belgium as we now know it today is the result of a peaceful and gradual political development seeking to give the country’s various Communities and Regions wide-ranging self-rule. This enables them to run their own policies in a way that is closely geared to the needs and wishes of their own citizens. In amongst other elements, the diversity and self-rule of the Regions and Communities manifest themselves in their own Parliaments and Govern- ments. Same as the Federal Parliament, each of these Regional Parliamentary assemblies has its own powers, is able to autonomously adopt laws and regulations for its territory and population and ratify international treaties in respect of its own powers. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Belgium became an independent state in 1830 with a bicam- eral Parliament (Chamber of Representatives and Senate) and a Government. The only administrative language at the time was French. Dutch and German were only gradually recognised as administrative languages. The four linguistic regions (Dutch, French, German and the bilingual Region of Brussels-Capital) were established in 1962. Over the course of the second half of the twentieth century came the growing awareness that the best way forward was for the various Communities to be given the widest possi- ble level of self-rule, enabling them to make their own deci- sions in matters such as culture and language.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Development
    Published on Eurydice (https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice) After the declaration of independence in October 1830, Belgium was founded in 1831 as a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. The first constitution provided for a unitary state: Political decisions were based on the principle of uniform legislation and central government. Certain powers were transferred very early to the subordinate bodies: the provinces and the local authorities, the municipalities, whose activities were subject to the supervision of the central state. The Flemish Movement (1840), a cultural movement that sought the recognition of the Flemish language and culture, was born very quickly. The aim of this political movement was to introduce bilingualism in Belgium. In fact, the young country was officially monolingual: French was the only official language. Not only the Walloons, but also the Flemish upper middle classes were French- speaking, and Flemish was considered a dialect. A few decades later, the Walloon Movement (1880) emerged. This movement had economic demands: Heavy industry, which made Belgium a leading economic power in Europe, stood in Wallonia. However, the Flemish electorate accounted for a larger share of the electorate: Most political decision-makers therefore came from the Flemish upper middle classes. The Walloon movement demanded greater autonomy for the region in order to manage heavy industry and thus economic development itself. Because of the First World War, the two German districts of Eupen-Malmedy came to Belgium in 1920. The nine German-speaking communities of the area now form the German-speaking Community. The cultural demands of the Flemish movement finally led in 1962 to the definition of the language borders or four language regions: - the Flemish language area, - the territory of the French language, - the area of German language and - the bilingual Brussels-Capital area (French / Dutch).
    [Show full text]
  • At a Glance General Information NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES POPULATION CAPITAL Brussels 11.099.554 Inhabitants
    at a glance General information NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES POPULATION CAPITAL Brussels 11.099.554 inhabitants POPULATION DENSITY OFFICIAL LANGUAGES France Dutch Germany The Netherlands 363 inhab./km² Luxembourg French SURFACE AREA CURRENCY German 30.528 km² € Euro 1 3 4 6 1. St. Peter’s Church, Leuven 2. Citadel of Dinant 3. Bruges 4. Belfry, Tournai 5. Bouillon 6. Rue des Bouchers, Brussels 2 5 Belgium - a country of regions 1 2 Belgium is a federal state made up of three Communities (the Flemish Community, the French Community and the German- speaking Community) and three regions (the Brussels-Capital Region, the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region). The main federal institutions are the federal government and 3 the federal parliament, and the Communities and Regions also have their own legislative and executive bodies. The principal powers of the three Communities in Belgium, which are delimited on linguistic grounds, relate to education, culture, youth support and certain aspects of health policy. The three Regions have powers for ‘territorial issues’, such as public works, agriculture, employment, town and country 4 planning and the environment. 6 5 1. Flemish Region 2. Brussels-Capital Region 3. Walloon Region 4. Flemish Community 5. French Community 6. German-speaking Community The Belgian monarchy Belgium is a constitutional monarchy. King Philippe, the current monarch, is the seventh King of the Belgians. In the political sphere the King does not wield power of his own but acts in consultation with government ministers. In performing his duties, the King comes into contact with many representatives of Belgian society. The King and Queen and the other members of the Royal Family also represent Belgium abroad (state visits, eco- nomic missions and international meetings), while at home fostering close relations with their citizens and promoting public and private initiatives that make a contribution to improving society.
    [Show full text]
  • Planning Tools in the Flemish Region. a Socio-Political Perspective
    Pieter Van den Broeck - Planning tools in the Flemish region - 43rd ISOCARP congress 2007 Planning tools in the Flemish region. A socio-political perspective 1. Introduction - a crisis in Flemish spatial planning? During the 1990s the Flemish region experienced a heyday in the field of spatial planning. Attempts since the early 1980s to develop a strategic spatial plan for Flanders finally resulted in the approval of a ‘spatial structure plan for Flanders’ (1997). Moreover, the existing legislation regarding spatial planning was replaced, first by the planning decree of 1997, later followed by the spatial planning decree of 18 May 1999. This decree renewed the existing zoning system and added a strategic planning system to the equation. Moreover, it forced all public authorities to invest in spatial planning by obliging all municipalities, provinces and the Flemish Government to draw up a spatial structure plan. This created a large amount of work for spatial planners. But while the planning community was still in a state of euphoria, the context changed rather swiftly and thoroughly from 1999 onwards. The slow transformation of the welfare state since the mid-1970s led to a neo-liberal reversal, which focused on totally different themes: a more flexible approach to spatial planning and offering more possibilities for departures from the rules, granting legal security to dwellings and company buildings established in areas that did not conform to the zoning regulation, the release of areas for residential expansion, the creation of new industrial estates, preferably along motorways. At the same time the planning system became increasingly bureaucratic; as a result it lost its strategic character.
    [Show full text]
  • Flemish Students' Historical Reference Knowledge and Narratives of The
    London Review of Education DOI:https://doi.org/10.18546/LRE.15.2.10 Volume15,Number2,July2017 Flemish students’ historical reference knowledge and narratives of the Belgian national past at the end of secondary education TimoVanHavere,KaatWils,FienDepaepe,LievenVerschaffelandKarelVanNieuwenhuyse* University of Leuven Abstract Sincetheearlynineteenthcentury,westerngovernmentshaveexpectedhistoryeducationto playavitalroleintheformationofanationalidentityandthepursuitofnationalcohesion,by fosteringsharedknowledgeandashared(master)narrativeofthenationalpast.Thisarticle reportsonaqualitativestudythatexamineswhichnarrativesyoungadultsconstructabout their national past, to what extent those narratives are underpinned by existing narrative templates,whethertheyreflectonthefactthatthenationalpastcanbenarratedindifferent ways,andtowhatextenttheyshareacommonreferenceknowledge.Thestudyaddresses theFlemishregionofBelgium,acasecharacterizedbyaspecificcontextofanationstatein decline,whereindiverseandoftenconflictinghistoricalnarrativescoexistinpopularhistorical cultureandwherethenationalpastisalmostabsentfromhistoryeducation.Atotalof107 first-year undergraduate history students were asked to write an essay on how they saw thenationalpast.Theinfluenceofbothhistoryeducationandpopularhistoricalculturewas reflectedinthereferenceknowledgeaswellasinthe(absenceof)templatesthatstudents used to build their essays. Templates were not critically deconstructed, although some studentsneverthelesswereabletodiscernandcriticizeexisting‘myths’inthenationalpast. Keywords:
    [Show full text]
  • Flanders Summary
    Flanders Summary Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern part of the Kingdom of Belgium. It is inhabited by two-thirds of the citizens of that country. The capital of Flanders is the city of Brussels, which is also the capital of the state of, the seat of the king and the authorities of the Kingdom of Belgium, as well as the North Atlantic Alliance and most of the institutions forming the European Union. Flanders draws the attention of world during the spectacular and lengthy negotiations in forming coalition governments after every parliamentary election in the Kingdom of Belgium. Mostly, however, what surprises outsiders is the sharpness of the confl icts between the two nations inhabiting the country. The disputes about the municipalities surrounding the capital city of Brussels and the government crises in this affl uent country are full of emotions. To understand their source, it is necessary to return to the most important historical events in the lands stretching from the Dover Strait to the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. Flanders has a long and turbulent history. Its name comes from the County of Flanders, of the 9th century. As a result of many administrative divisions over the centuries, caused mainly by the succession wars of neighboring states, the lands of the former Flanders county now form part of the French Republic, the Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The western part of the historic county of Flanders is part of France, until recently the name Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie (now Hauts- 552 Summary -de-France).
    [Show full text]
  • Investor Presentation May 2018 2 I
    Investor Presentation May 2018 2 I. Main Facts & Figures II. Key Strengths III. Public Finances IV. Consolidated Debt V. Flanders in a nutshell 3 Main Facts & Figures Key Data Capital Brussels Language Dutch Surface 13 684 km² Population 6 509 894 (1/1/2017) Density 485 hab./km² (2016) Currency Euro N° of Companies 509,660 (subject to VAT) Nominal GDP (PPS) EUR 228 bn (2016) GDP/Capita (PPS) EUR 35 100 (2016) Real GDP growth rate 1.4% (2016) Unemployment rate 4.4% (2017) PPS = purchasing power standards 4 Main Facts & Figures High GDP per Capita (2016) 40.000 35.000 30.000 25.000 20.000 15.000 10.000 5.000 0 Flanders EU-28 Belgium Germany France Netherlands United Kingdom Source: Eurostat 5 Main Facts & Figures Strong Economic Fundamentals Flanders benefits from very strong economic fundamentals. Flanders France Germany Netherlands EU - 28 Unemployment Rate (2017) 4.4% 9.4% 3.8% 4.9% 7.6% Real GDP Growth Rate (average 1.3% 1.0% 1.6% 1.0% 1.2% 2011 – 2016) • In 2016 the real GDP growth rate was 1.4% in Flanders which was much higher compared to the other regions (Walloon Region 1.1% and Brussels Region 0.8%) Source: Eurostat - Labour Force Survey, Study Office of the Governement of Flanders 6 I. Main Facts & Figures II. Key Strengths III. Public Finances IV. Consolidated Debt V. Flanders in a nutshell 7 Key Strengths Located in the Heart of Europe . Flanders lies at the center of the EU’s wealthiest and most populated area; .
    [Show full text]
  • Flanders – Foster Social Connections and Improve Accessibility of Different Areas in a Sustainable Way (Making Links Between Commons)
    SHARING Stocktaking and assessment of typologies of Urban Circular Collaborative Economy Initiatives Case Study Flanders – foster social connections and improve accessibility of different areas in a sustainable way (making links between Commons) 1 Contents 1 Executive summary .......................................................................................................................... 3 2 Overview of the territorial context .................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Profile of the area .................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Status quo, needs and objectives of Urban Circular Collaborative Economy Initiatives in the region 8 2.3 Policies and regulatory framework affecting the Urban Circular Collaborative Economy ..... 13 3 Presence and usage of Urban Circular Collaborative Economy initiatives ................................... 16 3.1 Main stakeholders in the Urban Circular Collaborative Economy arena .............................. 16 3.2 Presence of Urban Circular Collaborative Economy initiatives ............................................. 16 3.3 Usage of the initiatives .......................................................................................................... 20 3.4 Compliance with SDG indicators ........................................................................................... 21 4 Assessment of impacts .................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Constitution of the Kingdom of Belgium
    THE BELGIAN CONSTITUTION This publication contains the text of the Belgian Con- stitution as updated following the constitutional revi- sion of 24 October 2017 (Belgian Official Gazette of 29 November 2017) JULY 2018 BELGIAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Documentation Department of the Belgian House of Representatives D/2018/4686/11 2 CONTENTS Title I On federal Belgium, its components and its territory 5 Title Ibis On general political objectives of federal Belgium, the Communities and the Regions 6 Title II On Belgians and their rights 6 Title III On powers 13 Chapter I – On the federal Houses 16 Section I – On the House of Representatives 22 Section II – On the Senate 24 Chapter II – On federal legislative power 30 Chapter III – On the King and the Federal Government 35 Section I – On the King 35 Section II – On the Federal Government 37 Section III – On responsibilities 40 Chapter IV – On Communities and Regions 42 Section I – On bodies 42 Sub-section I – On Community and Regional Parliaments 42 Sub-section II – On Community and Regional Governments 44 Section II – On responsibilities 47 Sub-section I – On the responsibilities of the Communities 47 Sub-section II – On the competences of the Regions 50 Sub-section III – Special provisions 50 Chapter V – On the Constitutional Court, and the prevention and resolution of conflicts 52 Section I – On the prevention of conflicts of competence 52 Section II – On the Constitutional Court 52 Section III – On the prevention and the settlement of conflicts of interest
    [Show full text]