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Home , Flemish Community, Flemish Government, Flemish Parliament

THE

Foreword

On December 7th 1971, the Cultural Council for the Dutch-speaking Cultural Community held its first meeting. Over the last thirty years, the period following this meeting, has de- veloped into a separate state within the federa- lised . Flemish emancipation in Belgium has been a slow but peaceful process.

Since the first direct elections in 1995, the has become a standing value in our political landscape. In 1996 it pro- filed its individual character with the renovated Flemish Parliament Building. The adjacent House of the Flemish representatives, the former Postal Cheque building with the pro- tected counter room "the Loketten", had its of- ficial opening ceremony on 11 July 2002 as the administrative and logistic centre of the Flemish Parliament.

For the past few years, the Flemish Parliament has been the scene of a quick succession of re- forms and changes. In spite of thirty years of intense activity, the Flemish institutions are not yet sufficiently known. This revised and up- dated brochure about the tasks and the proce- dures of the Flemish Parliament remains a ne- cessary publication amongst many other initia- tives. Indeed, democracy also means : to inform the people correctly.

The Flemish Parliament sees itself as open and welcoming. The present brochure is your first guide, inviting you to become better acquainted with this institution.

I am convinced you will be pleasantly surprised.

Norbert de Batselier Speaker of the Flemish Parliament. 1 2 CONTENTS page

Foreword 1

1 Parliament, the heart of democracy 4

2 Belgium, a federal state 5

3 The institutions 10

4 Who are the Members of the Flemish Parliament? 12

5 What does the Flemish Parliament do?

- The Flemish Parliament approves decrees 14

- The Flemish Parliament appoints and supervises the Flemish government 20

- The Flemish Parliament approves the budget of the Flemish federal state 22

6 Find out yourself about the work of the Flemish representatives 24

7 A whole range of possibilities regarding information about the Flemish Parliament 25

8 The Commissioner’s Office of Children’s Rights, the Flemish Ombudsservice and the viWTA 26

3 1 Parliament, the heart of democracy

Our modern democracies are of relatively recent date. While some can boast a history of perhaps two hundred years, the majority have only come into being in the last few decades.

In the past, national political structures were uncomplicated. Kings or emperors wielded supreme power. They issued laws, governed the country and levied taxes. They acted as military commanders in chief and even assumed the role of judges. Their power was ab- solute. All the common people could do was to accept whatever was decided at the top. They were subjects rather than citizens.

Gradually the realisation dawned that the government of a country could not be left in the hands of a single individual. Universal suf- frage became the basis of democratic rule. In modern democracies, authority and the exercise of power are divided between three se- parate powers: parliament, government and the judiciary. Each has its own particular task, and acts as a check on the others. The di- vision of powers prevents arbitrariness.

Parliament is the assembly of elected representatives of the people. Parliament lays down universally binding rules in the form of le- gislation, it approves the annual budget and supervises the day to day workings of government.

The government implements the laws that have been approved and runs the country with the assistance of civil servants. The govern- ment's powers, though undoubtedly extensive, are limited by the general principles established and the financial resources granted by parliament.

The courts of law pass judgement wholly independently, whatever the nature of the dispute, and will sentence if necessary. They guarantee a just society and individual freedom.

the Dome-shaped Room

4 In other words, legislative power lies primarily with parliament, executive power with the government, and judicial power with the law courts.

In Flanders too, the Flemish Parliament represents the heart of de- mocracy. Although the government ministers who run Flanders from day to day often receive more public attention, and although their direct power is indeed greater, in the final analysis it is par- liament which has the first and the last word.

2 Belgium, a federal state

From 1830 until 1970 Belgium was a unitary state with a single parliament and a single government. The laws issued by Par- liament applied to all Belgians, and government ministers exer- cised authority across the width and breadth of the country.

one parliament one government

5 Why a federal state ?

The transformation of Belgium from a unitary into a federal state was the result of repeated conflicts Between 1970 and 2001 the Belgian Parliament approved five successive between the country’s two major communities, the constitutional reforms. Slowly but surely they changed Belgium from a Flemings and the Walloons. In the second half of unitary into a federal state. In a federal state political decision-making the nineteenth century, the struggle for Flemish is decentralised. The parliament and government of the central or federal emancipation began to gain momentum. The state retain responsibility for certain matters such as defence, while the campaigned for the recognition parliament and government of the individual member states have res- of Dutch as a national language on a par with ponsibility for other matters such as education. French, which had been the only official language in Belgium since the country’s independence in The laws issued by the federal parliament apply equally to all Belgians. 1830. With successive language laws passed from The laws issued by the of the member states are called de- 1873 onwards, the Flemish Movement made very crees and apply exclusively to the inhabitants of that particular state. considerable headway. Even in the period after the The ministers of the federal government exercise authority over the Second World War however, language problems entire national territory. The ministers of the government of a member surfaced time and again. Tensions between the state only exercise authority within their particular state. northern and the southern part of the country even increased after 1945. Slowly but surely, the reali- The Belgian federal state has two different kinds of member states: com- sation grew that Flemings and Walloons should be munities and regions. A community is a population group speaking one allowed to make their own decisions regarding and the same language. A region is a well-defined geographical area. certain sensitive matters such as language use. It was the only way to prevent the disintegration of the Belgian state. The constitutional reforms of 1970, 1980, 1988, 1993 and 2001 gave more political autonomy to Flanders and . Step by step, Belgium was transformed into a federal state.

parquet floor of the Frans Masereel Room

6 The communities In 1980, the , the French Community and the German Community were set up. The Flemish Community comprises all inhabitants of the Dutch-language area of Belgium as well as the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the bilingual area -Capital. The French Community is made up of all inhabitants of the French-language area together with the Francophone inhabitants of Brussels. The German Community comprises all inhabitants of the German- speaking area. Each community has its own parliament, which in designated areas of competence can approve decrees possessing force of law, and its own government, which is charged with the implementation and application of these decrees. Flemish Community French Community Flemish and French Community German Community

The regions Belgium is also divided into three regions : the , the Walloon Region and the Brussels Region. The Flemish Region consists of the Dutch-language area of Belgium. The Walloon Region comprises both the French-speaking and the German-spea- king areas, while the Brussels-Capital Region is made up of the nineteen communes of the bilingual capital Brussels. Brussels is a separate region but not a separate community. The Dutch- speaking inhabitants of Brussels form part of the Flemish Community, but not of the Flemish Region. The Flemish and the French Region each have their own parliament which can issue decrees within its particular sphere of competence, and their own government, responsible for the implementation and application of these de- Flanders crees. The Brussels-Capital Region also has its separate parliament and government but their powers are not quite comparable with those of the Wallonia other two regions. Brussels

7

The division of Belgium into three communities and three regions is complicated. In fact, Belgium should have no fewer than seven parlia- ments and seven governments: a national or federal parliament and government, and separate parliaments and governments for each of the three regions and for each of the three communities. Dutch-speaking area French-speaking area Fortunately, Flanders decided as early as 1980 to merge the Flemish Community with the Flemish Region. As a result, we now have a single bilingual area parliament and a single government with competence over community German-speaking area as well as over regional matters. Political decision-making is therefore commune with ‘language facilities’ more straightforward in Flanders than it is in Wallonia, which has a par- liament and government for the French-language Community, a par- The language areas liament and government for the Walloon Region, and a parliament and government for the German-speaking Community. The definition of the boundaries between communities and regions is closely linked with the division of Belgium into different language areas. The language boundary, which was fixed in 1963, divides Belgium into four linguistic areas. The Dutch-speaking area comprises the provinces of , , Flemish-Brabant and East and . The Flanders French-speaking area consists of the provinces of Brussels Liège, Hainaut, Namur, and Walloon- Brabant. The German-speaking area comprises nine

communes in the east of the country. In the nineteen communes of the bilingual area of Brussels-Capital, The Flemish State : both Dutch and French are spoken. In certain mixed one parliament, one government language communes, such as (French: Fourons) and Commines (Dutch: Komen) together with six communes in the , so- called ‘language facilities’ were granted to speakers of the minority language, allowing them to use their own language at the counters in the town hall or in their dealings with the local authority.

8 Why are Belgium’s constitutional structures so complex?

The division of Belgium into two different types of constituent state was necessary because Flemings and Walloons approached the issue of federalisation in different ways. The Flemings were motivated primarily by the wish to obtain cultural autonomy for all Dutch-speakers in Belgium, including the Dutch-speakers living in Brussels. This striving underpins the division of Belgium into three communities. The Walloons, on the other hand, wanted to be able to pursue their own social and economic policies in the Walloon area, and did not regard the cultural ties with the francophone population of Brussels as a first priority. This is why they put the emphasis on the concept of regions. The compromise between the two views resulted in the creation of two different kinds of member states. By merging the Flemish Community with the Flemish Region, the Flemish side emphatically confirmed that the Flemish inhabitants of Brussels are an integral part of the Flemish state.

the Shell (under the Dome-shaped Room) 9 3 The Flemish government institutions

The Flemish government institutions consist of the Flemish Parliament, the Flemish government, the Mi- nistry of the Flemish Community and the Flemish public institutions. This government apparatus is a recent creation: it dates from 1980.

The Flemish Parliament constitutes the legislative power in the Flemish state. 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.

The Flemish government is the executive power of the Flemish state. It is responsible for the implementation of the decrees issued by the Flemish Parliament and for the day to day administration of the Flemish state. The Flemish government is the driving force behind Flemish policy. It currently consists of ten ministers and has its seat near the Martelaarsplein in Brussels.

the Flemish Parliament building in Hertogstraat in Brussels

the Flemish ministerial offices on the Martelaarsplein in Brussels

10 The Flemish government is assisted in its task by the Ministry of the Flemish Community with its 13,000 civil servants (this figure does not include teachers). In addition, certain public tasks have been entrusted to specialised public institutions. The best-known of these are: the VRT (Vlaamse Radio en Televisie), the Vlaamse Vervoermaatschappij (Flemish Public Transport Company ‘The Line’), Kind en Gezin (Child and Family), the Openbare Afvalstoffenmaatschappij (OVAM: Public Waste Disposal Company) and the Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Beroeps- opleiding (VDAB: Flemish Employment and Vocational Training Office).

The Flemish population is governed not only by the Flemish Parliament, the Flemish government and Flemish civil service, but also by Belgian federal insti- tutions. For matters such as justice and social security, which are still managed jointly by Flemings and Wal- loons and which therefore form part of the competence of the federal state, the Flemings have to observe the laws of the Federal Parliament and are governed from the centre.

the Ministry of the Flemish Community's Marquis building the Ministry of the Flemish Community's Boudewijn building

11 4 Who are the Members of the Flemish Parliament?

The Flemish Parliament consists of 124 Flemish representa- tives. Of these, 118 are directly elected by the po-pulation of the Flemish Region, while 6 are elected by the inhabitants of the Brussels-Capital Region. In this way the Flemings living in Brussels are guaranteed representation in the Flemish Par- liament. Thanks to the state reform of 2001, the Flemish in- habitants of Brussels can elect directly their six representatives for the Flemish Parliament as from 2004.

The first direct election for the Flemish Parliament took place on May 21st 1995 and the following one on June 13th 1999. From then on, elections for the Flemish Parliament would be held every five years. The Flemish Parliament cannot be dis- solved before the end of its parliamentary term or . The Flemish Parliament is therefore known as a ‘legislature parliament’.

In principle, the 124 Flemish representatives are members of political parties. At present, eight parties are represented in the Flemish Parliament: the VB (""- Flemish natio- nalists), CD&V ("Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams"- christian-democratic and Flemish), the sp.a ("Socialistische Partij Anders"- renewed socialist party), Spirit, the VLD ("Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten"- liberal), ! (Green! – environmental party), the N-VA ("Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie" Distribution of seats by political party in the Flemish Parliament – ), and finally the UF ("Union des Fran- cophones"- Frenchspeakers). VB: 32 CD&V: 29 Three members of the same party form a political group. Each sp.a-spirit: 25 political group chooses its chairman, who acts as the party's VLD: 25 spokesperson. A political group gains ‘recognition’ if it has a Groen!: 6 minimum of five members. An officially recognised political N-VA: 6 group is awarded resources to establish a secretariat with its UF: 1 own staff.

124

12 At the beginning of each parliamentary year, on the fourth Monday in September, the Flemish Parliament elects a Speaker and a Bureau.

The Speaker chairs the plenary sessions of the Flemish Parliament and acts as its official representative. He or she also determines whether a certain initiative is ad- missible, i.e. whether it can be put to parliament at all. A proposal or a bill which is not compatible with the Belgian Constitution, for example, cannot be dealt with by the Flemish Parliament.

The Speaker is assisted by the Bureau. The Bureau is the Flemish Parliament's executive committee. When prac- tical arrangements have to be made regarding political issues, such as establishing the agenda of the plenary sessions, the Bureau is enlarged with the chairpersons of the political groups. This is known as the Extended Bureau.

the voting scoreboard

13 5 What does the Flemish Parliament do?

The Flemish Parliament approves decrees

The main task of the Flemish Parliament is that of 4 education approving decrees. A is a Flemish law, a ge- covering practically all aspects of education from neral rule that applies to the entire Flemish popu- the kindergarten to the university and scholar- lation. ships. The only exceptions are the establishment of the period of compulsory education, minimum The Flemish Parliament deals with important aspects conditions for awarding degrees and pension of our daily lives. It can approve decrees in the fol- schemes for teachers, which are all handled at the lowing areas: federal level

5 the economy, employment and energy policy including government support for business, em- ployment policy, the distribution of electricity and 1 culture natural gas, the exploitation of new energy including protection of the cultural heritage (e.g. sources and the promotion of responsible use of literature, music or plastic arts) as well as energy tourism and the media

2 language use 6 town and country planning, housing, including language use in schools, in the admi- land development and nature conservation nistration and in relations between employers including regional planning, building permits, and employees in the Dutch-speaking part of housing policy, urban renewal, preservation of Belgium, with the exception of the communes monuments and natural sites, land consolidation enjoying ‘language facilities’ (see page 8) and nature conservation

3 ‘matters relating to the person’ 7 environment and water policy including youth protection, family policy and including the reduction of air, land and water pol- childcare, together with policy regarding the lution, noise control, the purification of waste handicapped, old age pensioners, equal opportu- water, the production and distribution of drinking nities and the integration of migrants water and waste disposal policy

14 8 public works and transport 12 science and research policy including roads, the seaports of Antwerp, Zee- including scientific research relating to all brugge, and , the regional airports of matters above. Deurne and Ostend, and urban and regional transport The decrees of the Flemish Parliament regarding education, cultural issues and ‘matters relating to 9 agriculture the person’ apply to the Flemish institutions in including the Agricultural Investment Fund, the Brussels as well. This is not the case for decrees that agricultural education, the development of rural concern the other matters. These are regional regions, the sale of agricultural and horticultural matters, and Brussels does not form part of the products and the fisheries policy. By the stipula- Flemish Region tions of the Lambermont Agreement (2001), the regions are competent for almost the complete agricultural policy. A few security aspects like e.g. the regulations for the use of insecticides remained under the competence of the federal government

10 communes, provinces and interurban organisations including the allocating of financial resources to the 308 Flemish towns and communes and to the Flemish provinces, and administrative supervision of communes and provinces and their laws

11 international affairs including development cooperation and foreign trade. For all areas within its sphere of competence the Flemish state can conclude international treaties with other states, whether they are na- tional states or member states of a federation

15 How does a decree or Flemish law come into being? A decree comes into being as a result of an initiative taken The Flemish Parliament currently has eleven committees: either by a Flemish representative or by the Flemish government. In the first case we speak of a decree pro- Committee for General Affairs and Financial and Budgetary Matters posal, in the second case of a bill. Committee for Brussels and its Flemish Suburbs Committee for Administrative Affairs, Institutional and Administrative The Speaker of the Flemish Parliament first decides Reform and Decree Evaluation whether the proposal or bill is admissible: it must concern Committee for Housing, Urban Policy, Integration and Equal a matter within the sphere of competence of the Flemish Opportunities Parliament. Committee for Foreign Policy, European Affairs, International Co-ope- ration and Tourism The Bureau then passes the proposal or bill to a committee. Committee for Education, Training, Science and Innovation A committee consists of a restricted number of members. Committee for Culture, Youth, Sports and Media Each committee is made up of fifteen permanent and Committee for Public Well-Being, Public Health and Family Affairs fifteen acting members, distributed in accordance with Committee for Economic Affairs, Employment and Social Economics the relative size of the political groups in the Flemish Committee for Environmental and Nature Conservation Issues, Agri- Parliament. Each committee chooses its own chairperson, culture, Fishery and Rural Development Policy and Town and Country who convenes and chairs the meetings. Planning and Real Estate Committee for Public Works, Mobility and Energy The Flemish Parliament currently has eleven committees, each one specialized in a particular subject area. A pro- In addition, there are five more specific committees: posal or bill concerning education will be discussed by the Committee for Education, Training, Science and Inno- Committee for Regulations and Co-operation vation, while a proposal or bill which concerns economic Audit Board for Government Announcements affairs will be discussed in the Committee for Economic Flemish Audit Board for Electoral Expenses Affairs, Employment and Social Economics. Committee for Legal Proceedings Deontological Committee Committees scrutinise the text of the proposal or bill. During the discussion stage, this text can still be altered or amended if the majority of the committee members agree. The Deontological Committee supervises the Flemish representatives’ A committee may also organise public hearings and dis- compliance with the deontological code concerning services to the cussions so as to inform itself more fully about the con- people. The code aims at a change in mentality of both the politicians tents of the decree proposal or a bill. Committee meetings and the people are open to the public.

16 James Ensor Room

the Bureau’s Meeting Room

Jan Van Eyck Room 17 The Interparliamentary Committee of the Dutch Committee discussions are recorded in the Language Union is a special Committee. It con- form of minutes. On the basis of these minutes sists of eleven Members of the Flemish Parliament the plenary session of the Flemish Parliament and eleven members of the States-General, the can discuss proposals or bills and vote on Dutch Parliament. In the Union, them. which was set up in 1980, Flanders and the have joined forces with a view to de- The Flemish representatives from Brussels, veloping and promoting the Dutch language and who are part of the Flemish Community but Dutch literature. The recent revision of Dutch not of the Flemish Region, vote only on spelling, for example, was discussed in the Inter- decree proposals or bills concerning com- parliamentary Committee. munity matters.

The plenary sessions of the Flemish Par- To discuss a specific matter, the Flemish Par- liament are open to the public. liament can establish a committee ‘ad hoc’. The discussions in an ‘ad hoc’-committee lead to a the- When a decree proposal or a bill has been ap- matic debate in the plenary session. In the past proved by the plenary session of the Flemish there were already thematic debates on poverty and Parliament, it must be ratified and promul- exclusion, on mobility, on special youth welfare gated by the Flemish government. The decree and on environment and health. will subsequently be published, together with its translation into French, in the Belgian Of- Anyone wishing to draw the attention of the ficial Gazette, the Belgisch Staatsblad. Once a Flemish Parliament to a particular shortcoming or decree has been published and become ope- to the undesirable effects of certain decrees or their rative, all Flemish citizens are expected to be implementation, can do so by writing a petition to: aware of it and comply with it. The Speaker of the Flemish Parliament, B-1011 Brussels. A petition will be handled by the Committee com- petent for the items in the petition. If a petition has been signed by at least 15.000 individuals, the first subscriber has the right to be heard by that Committee.

the Dome-shaped Room 18 The Flemish Parliament is one of six parlia- ments in Belgium. While the spheres of com- petence of each of these assemblies are gene- rally well defined, it is not inconceivable that one assembly might stray into another assem- bly’s domain, overstepping the boundaries of its own particular authority. Let us take two hypothetical examples. Suppose the Flemish Parliament were to approve a decree to re- gulate military service, a matter which comes under the jurisdiction of the Federal Par- liament. Or imagine that the Walloon Re- gional Council approved a decree concerning conservation of the dunes in Flanders, which is a matter for the Flemish Region. In such cases the prejudiced state, or indeed any ci- tizen, can complain to the Court of Arbitra- tion. The Court of Arbitration can nullify a parliamentary law or decree in those cases where that parliament has exceeded its authority.

the Quinten Metsijs and Hans Memling Rooms 19 The Flemish Parliament appoints and supervises the Flemish government

Apart from approving decrees, the Flemish Parliament has another im- portant task, that of appointing and supervising the Flemish government. The Flemish government is responsible for implementing the decrees of the Flemish Parliament.

The appointment of the Flemish government is an important moment for the Flemish Parliament. Flemish Ministers are appointed by, but not neces- sarily from amongst, the Flemish representatives. Ministers take the oath before the Speaker of the Flemish Parliament. Only the head of the Flemish government, the Flemish Prime Minister, takes the oath before the King.

The Flemish government consists of a maximum of eleven ministers. The current Flemish Government has ten ministers. At least one minister must be living in the bilingual Brussels-Capital area.

The Flemish government presents the Flemish Parliament with a policy sta- tement outlining the main points of its programme. If the government wins the support of a majority of representatives it can begin to carry out its programme.

Within 6 months after its appointment, the Flemish government presents policy documents, in which each department of the Ministry of the Flemish Community indicates its long-term points of view. In the annual policy for- mulations, presented together with the budget by the Flemish Ministers, they emphasise their concrete policy measures. In this ‘policy formulations’, the Flemish government indicates also how it will gear its policy to the di- rectives of the Flemish Parliament.

Parliament keeps a constant watch to ensure that the government does not betray the confidence placed in it. Parliament has several means of exer- cising control at its disposal.

During the weekly question time in the plenary session, the Flemish repre- sentatives can subject the minister to a topical question. In the committees we call it a call for explanation. The questions usually concern current issues and specific problems.

20 Representatives can also put a written question to a minister. The minister then has twenty days to answer. Questions and answers are published in the ‘Bulletin of Questions and Answers’ of the Flemish Parliament which appears every other week.

A representative who wants a discussion on a more comprehensive problem can choose to make an interpellation in the competent committee. If the interpellation has general implications or is of a major political in- terest, it will be remitted to the plenary session.

If the interpellator or another representative is not satisfied with the minister’s answer, he or she can propose a motion of no-confidence. This is a motion expressing disapproval of the policies of a minister or of the government. If such a motion is accepted by the majority of representa- tives, the minister concerned or the entire government resigns. The mi- nister or the government then needs to be replaced.

Interpellators or other representatives may restrict themselves to offering recommendations. In that case, they can propose a substantiated motion. If such a motion is accepted by the majority of representatives, it consti- tutes a significant political signal. The government is expected to heed the recommendations of the Flemish Parliament.

The Flemish Parliament also has the right to set up inquiries. It can in- stitute a parliamentary committee of inquiry with judicial force. In 1993, such a committee scrutinised the use of government subsidies for the coalmines in the Kempen area. In 2000, a committee of inquiry investi- gated the allocation and the use of ship building credits.

The annual debates on the budget are another major aspect of political control. If a political group does not approve the budget, this means it also rejects the policy being proposed with it.

21 The Flemish Parliament approves the budget of the Flemish state

Expenditure: € 18.840 million (2005)

education 8.475 million (45%) social expenditure 2.533 million (13%) culture 838 million (4%) employment 1.075 million (6%) local authorities Between 1970 and 2001, the areas for 1.907 million (10%) which the state of Flanders had environment responsibility increased very signifi- 776 million (4%) cantly. Managing these responsibilities social housing and implementing distinctly Flemish 340 million (2%) public works policies requires substantial amounts 1.423 million (8%) of money. Think of the cost of edu- financial administration cation, of providing for the handi- 533 million (3%) capped and of building cultural centres governmental administration and sports complexes. 939 million (5%) Each year the Flemish Parliament de- cides how the financial resources of Today Flanders still depends in large the Flemish state will be used. To this measure on resources allocated by the end it approves budget decrees con- Federal State to finance these acti- Revenue: € 19.421 million (2005) taining full details of all revenue and vities. The Flemish State has only li- expenditure. financial resources allocated by mited possibilities for raising its own the Federal Government taxes. 15.429 million (79%) Due to the state reform of 2001, own revenue Flanders got a larger fiscal autonomy. In this sense, the reform of the Belgian 3.992 million (21%) As a result, the regions have the power state is unfinished. In a fully-fledged to make their own decisions as far as federal system, the member states nor- regional taxes are concerned. Flanders mally possess the means to generate has used this new authority to abolish their own revenue to a much larger the radio and television licence fee. extent than is currently the case in However, the federal government still Belgium. Flemish budget deficit on June 30th 2004: € 1.578 million supervises the regions’ tax policy. 22 The House of the Flemish Representatives was inaugurated as the administrative building of the Flemish Parliament on July 11th 2002. The Flemish Representatives as well as the political staff and all services of the General Secretariat are housed here. In the "Loketten", the protected counter room of the former post modernistic building of the "Postcheque", designed by Victor Bourgeois in 1937, the information centre of the Flemish Parliament as well as an exhibition room have been established

23 6 Check the work of the Flemish representatives yourself

If you want to know exactly what the Flemish representatives do, just visit the website of the Flemish Parliament: www.vlaamsparlement.be. Under the heading Parliamentary meetings, you can consult the agenda of the plenary sessions and the committees. This information can also be found on VRT teletext, both on Eén and on Ketnet/Canvas. On page 721 you will find the agenda of the plenary sessions and on page 722 the agenda of the committees. The Summary Report of the plenary sessions is put on the website during the meeting.

If you want to see the Flemish representatives on the The Flemish Parliament building has an open door policy. Whe- job, you can attend one of the plenary sessions or com- never a meeting is held, you can simply report to the visitors’ mittee meetings. desk, Leuvenseweg no.27 (see map on page 27).

If you want to know what opinion a Flemish represen- You can take out an annual subscription to any of these publica- tative has taken on a certain topic, you can read the pu- tions. The Summary Report costs 12.50 euros per year. The Pro- blications of the Flemish Parliament. As soon as a ceedings, as well as the Questions and Answers Bulletin, amount meeting has been concluded, the Summary Report of the to 25 euros per year. plenary sessions provides a lucid account of the debates. This amount must be paid into account number 000-0724244- The full written text is published later on in the Procee- 42 of the Flemish Parliament, Abonnementenbeheer (Subscription dings. In the Questions and Answers Bulletin, all written Management), B-1011 Brussels. We request you to clearly questions to the Flemish ministers are included. mention which issues you wish to purchase. You can also consult these publications on the website.

If you wish to take a guided tour of the Flemish Par- In order to get a free group visit, you can obtain an application liament building, you can apply for a group visit. form at the External Relations department of the Flemish Par- During such a guided tour, you will receive detailed in- liament, tel. (+32) (0)2 552 11 11, fax (+32) (0)2 552 45 90, formation on our democracy and on how the Flemish e-mail: [email protected]. Please take into Parliament functions. account that a group visit should be applied for two months in advance.

24 7 A whole range of information possibilities about the Flemish Parliament

Books If you want to know more about the history of the created by Martine Goossens. Flemish Parliament, you can read the book Dertig jaar The first one is a publication of the Flemish Parliament Vlaams Parlement ("Thirty years of Flemish Par- in cooperation with publishing house Pelckmans. The liament"). In addition, there is also the sumptuous pic- pictorial book, with photographs by Marnix Van Es- torial book Het Vlaams Parlement ("The Flemish Par- broeck, is published by Lannoo. Both of these books are liament"). Both of these richly illustrated works were for sale at the bookshop. Double cd-rom/DVD-rom Disc one of the double cd-rom offers information, richly also contains a well-organized compilation of video illustrated with sound and video fragments, about the fragments of the Flemish Parliament taken from the assignments, the functions and the history of the VRT news broadcasts: 48 fragments with a combined Flemish Parliament. You can even take a virtual walk running time of 90 minutes. An informative video (see inside the parliament building, do quizzes, and so on. below) is on the DVD as well. The cd-rom and the DVD- Disc two consists of the entire parliamentary text pro- rom can be played both on PC and on Mac. The video duction from 1995 onwards, including the annual re- fragments can also be played on a DVD-player of a te- ports and the illustrated history book. A search option levision set. The double cd-rom and the DVD can be or- brings the user directly to the topics of his choice. The dered by transferring 7.50 euros (forwarding included) hybrid dvd is both a DVD-rom and a DVD-video. In ad- to account number 000-0107777-10, mentioning the dition to the entire contents of the double cd-rom, it words "cd-rom" or "DVD" respectively. Annual report Each year the Flemish Parliament draws up an annual until 1999 and of 1999 until 2004, a legislative report report. This richly illustrated report offers an elaborate has been published. An annual report, as well as the le- view on the political activities and innovations, the gislative reports, cost 10 euros and can be ordered by composition and the people and the resources of the transferring this amount to account number 000- Flemish Parliament. From the legislative period of 1995 0107777-10 of the Flemish Parliament (including shipping costs). Video In cooperation with the VRT, the Flemish Parliament You can order the video by transferring 4 euros to ac- created an informative video of approximately fifteen count number 000-010777710 of the Flemish Parliament minutes. (including shipping costs). Website The Flemish Parliament has its own website, You can also find information about the buildings, how www.vlaamsparlement.be, where you can find all the Flemish Parliament functions and the Flemish re- current information: meeting agendas, press reports, presentatives, amongst other things. parliamentary documents...

25 8 The Commissioner’s Office of the Child’s Rights, the Flemish Ombudsservice and the viWTA

The Commissioner’s Office of the Child’s Rights The Commissioner’s Office of the Child’s Rights was established by the decree of July 15th 1997. It supervises in a totally independent way the observance of the UN Treaty concerning the child’s rights. It defends and serves the inte- rests of the child and advises the Flemish Parliament. On the basis of these re- commendations, the Flemish Parliament can develop a policy favourable to children in the different domains of its competence. The Commissioner’s Office of the Child’s Rights, Leuvenseweg 86, 1000 Brussels Tel. (+32) (0)2 552 98 00. Fax (+32) (0)2 552 98 01 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.kinderrechtencommissariaat.be The Flemish Ombudsservice The Flemish Ombudsservice, established by the decree of July 7th 1998 is sub- sumed under the Flemish Parliament. The Flemish Ombudsservice examines complaints about the procedures and the activities of the Flemish Administ- ration and formulates proposals and recommendations on the basis of its fin- dings. Furthermore, it is its responsibility to report violations of the deonto- logical code of the Flemish representatives to the Speaker of the Flemish Par- liament. The Flemish Ombudsservice, Leuvenseweg 86, 1000 Brussels Tel. (+32) (0)2 552 98 98 or 0800 240 50 (free of charge). Fax (+32) (0)2 552 98 50 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] Website: www.vlaamseombudsdienst.be viWTA ("Vlaams Instituut voor Wetenschappelijk en Technologisch Aspec- tenonderzoek"/ Flemish Institute for Science and Technology Assessment) Vic Gentils (°1919 - +1997) The viWTA ( Flemish Institute for Science and Technology Assessment) was Metamorphosis II (1986) established by decree on July 17th 2000 as an autonomous institution asso- Wood on socle, polychromic ciated with the Flemish Parliament. Its task is to investigate the different as- pects and effects of scientific and technological development. The viWTA also The Flemish Parliament owns a comprehensive informs the Flemish Parliament about the social debate and the controversies collection of contemporary Flemish artists on science and technology. viWTA, Flemish Parliament, 1011 Brussels Tel. (+32) (0)2 552 40 50. Fax (+32) (0)2 552 44 50 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.viWTA.be 26 CONGRESS COLUMN Madouplein

99

Drukpersstraat entrance

"The Loketten"HOUSE OF 27 THE FLEMISH

REPRESENTATIVES FLEMISH PARLIAMENT IJzeren Kruisstraat

Koningsstraat

Leuvense Weg Leuvense Plein ’s Church Beyaert- Innercourt St Michael

CHAMBER OF Hertogstraat REPRESENTATIVES Minister Federal Prime Wetstraat Wetstraat Kunstlaan Regentlaan nstraat (inner ring) ë

Koloni Hertogstraat Koningsstraat De Warande (Park of Brussels) Central Station

27 Contact address

External Relations Department Flemish Parliament B-1011 Brussels

Tel. (+32) (0)2 552 11 11 Fax (+32) (0)2 552 45 90 E-mail : [email protected]

Colofon

This brochure was initiated by the Bureau of the Flemish Parliament and produced by the External Relations Department

Editors : Kris Van Esbroeck, coordinator Geert Craps Martine Goossens Marc Lemaitre Pieter Pletinckx John Thielemans Marianne van Scherpenzeel Wilfried Van Vinckenroye

Translation: XL&Translations Alterations & revision: Sibilant Taaltrainingen & Vertaalwerk Layout : Compane, Printing: Arte-Print, Brussels Fourth edition (January 2005) 28 ISBN - 90-74302-05-X

www.vlaamsparlement.be

Flanders is a member state of the federal state of Belgium. Flanders is a parliamentary democracy. The Flemish Parliament is the basis of Flemish democracy.

THE FLEMISH PARLIAMENT