Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Flemish Government

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Annual budget
  
€ 39.5 billion (2015)

Website
  
www.flanders.be

Flemish Government

Jurisdiction
  
Flanders (Community / Region)

Headquarters
  
Martyrs' Square, Brussels, Belgium

The Flemish Government (Dutch:  Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, and the public administration (civil service) divided into 13 policy areas, each with an executive department and multiple agencies.

Contents

The Flemish Government cabinet consists of up to a maximum of eleven ministers, chosen by the Flemish Parliament. At least one minister must come from Brussels. The ministers are drawn from the political parties which, in practice, form the governing coalition. The Government is chaired by the Flemish Minister-President. Ministers head executive departments of the government administration. Ministers must defend their policies and performance in person before the Flemish Parliament. The Flemish Government must receive and keep the confidence of the Flemish Parliament. Until 1993 the Flemish Government was called the Flemish Executive (Vlaamse Executieve).

Bourgeois (current)

Following the 25 May 2014 election,   N-VA (43 seats),   CD&V (27 seats) and   Open Vld (19 seats) parties formed a coalition.

Peeters II (2009-2014)

Following the 7 June 2009 election,     CD&V (31 seats),     N-VA (16 seats) and     SP.A (19 seats) parties formed a coalition.

Leterme I/Peeters I (2004-2009)

Following the 2004 election,    CD&V (29 seats)/   N-VA (6 seats),    SP.A/   Sociaal-Liberale Partij (25 seats) and    Open VLD (19 seats) parties formed a coalition.

  • From 19 July 2004 to 26 June 2007, the Minister-President of Flanders was Yves Leterme (CD&V), leading a coalition of CD&V-N-VA, VLD-Vivant, and SP.A-Vl.Pro.
  • On 26 June 2007, in the aftermath of the 2007 Belgian general elections, Yves Leterme and Inge Vervotte resigned as minister-president and minister in the Flemish Government to take their seats in the Belgian Parliament. On June 28, Kris Peeters was sworn in as new minister-president, taking over the responsibilities of Leterme, and Vanackere and Crevits replaced Vervotte and Peeters as Flemish ministers.
  • On 10 October 2007 Fientje Moerman resigned due to the fallout of a hiring scandal; she was replaced as vice-minister-president by Dirk Van Mechelen and as minister by Patricia Ceysens.
  • On 22 September 2008 Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) was forced to resign due to pressure by the SP.A-Vl.Pro and Open VLD coalition partners because of his party's no confidence vote in the federal government of Leterme and their lack of trust in further negotiations by the Regions regarding the state reform. His portfolio's of Administrative Affairs, Foreign Policy, Media and Tourism were taken over by minister-president Peeters.
  • On December 30, 2008 Steven Vanackere resigned to become federal Minister of Civil Service and Public Enterprises. He was replaced in the Flemish Government by Veerle Heeren.

    • The composition at the end of the legislature:

    Dewael I (1999-2003)/Somers I (2003-2004)

    After the regional elections of 1999, a coalition of VLD, SP, Agalev and the VU was formed with Patrick Dewael (VLD) as Minister-President.

    After the federal elections of June 2003, Patrick Dewael resigned as Minister-President and went to the federal political level. He was succeeded by Bart Somers as Flemish Minister-President until the end of term in 2004. Due to changes in political parties, the coalition was different:

  • Volksunie (VU) fell apart. Instead, Spirit entered the coalition
  • the SP was renamed to SP.a
  • Agalev was renamed to Groen!

    • Van den Brande IV (1995-1999)

    After the regional elections of 1995 (which were the first direct elections for the Flemish Parliament), a coalition of CVP and SP was formed.

    Administration

    The Flemish administration (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid) denotes the Flemish civil service. With the 2006 reform program Better Administrative Policy (Dutch: Beter Bestuurlijk Beleid), the Flemish civil service is designed to make the Flemish public administration more efficient and transparent.

    The tasks of the Flemish public administration are now organised in 13 policy areas. Each policy area comprises a department and a number of (semi-) independent government agencies. Only those with their own article are mentioned below.

    The 13 policy areas are:

    1. Services for the General Government Policy (DAR)
    2. Administrative Affairs (BZ)
    3. Foreign Affairs (iV)
    4. Liaison Agency Flanders-Europe (vleva)
    5. Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT)
    6. Finance and Budget (FB)
    7. Education and Training (OV)
    8. Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI)
    9. Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT)
    10. Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV)
    11. National Botanic Garden of Belgium
    12. Culture, Youth, Sport and Media (CJSM)
    13. Agency for the Promotion of Physical Development, Sport and the Outdoor Recreation (Bloso)
    14. Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA)
    15. Welfare, Public Health and Family (WVG)
    16. Agriculture and Fisheries (LV)
    17. Work and Social Economy (WSE)
    18. Mobility and Public Works (MOW)
    19. Flemish Transport Company "De Lijn"
    20. Environment, Nature and Energy (LNE)
    21. Flemish Energy Agency (VEA)
    22. Town and Country Planning, Housing Policy and Immovable Heritage (RWO)
    23. Immovable Heritage

    Several other institutes, such as the Flemish Opera and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), were not incorporated into the above structure.

    Every year, the Minister-President presents the current state of affairs in Flanders and the Government's plans for next year during the September Declaration on the fourth Monday in September.

    References

    Flemish Government Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA