Annual budget € 39.5 billion (2015) | Website www.flanders.be | |
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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
- Bourgeois current
- Peeters II 2009 2014
- Leterme IPeeters I 2004 2009
- Dewael I 1999 2003Somers I 2003 2004
- Van den Brande IV 1995 1999
- Administration
- References
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.
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:
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:
- Services for the General Government Policy (DAR)
- Administrative Affairs (BZ)
- Foreign Affairs (iV)
- Liaison Agency Flanders-Europe (vleva)
- Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT)
- Finance and Budget (FB)
- Education and Training (OV)
- Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI)
- Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT)
- Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV)
- National Botanic Garden of Belgium
- Culture, Youth, Sport and Media (CJSM)
- Agency for the Promotion of Physical Development, Sport and the Outdoor Recreation (Bloso)
- Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA)
- Welfare, Public Health and Family (WVG)
- Agriculture and Fisheries (LV)
- Work and Social Economy (WSE)
- Mobility and Public Works (MOW)
- Flemish Transport Company "De Lijn"
- Environment, Nature and Energy (LNE)
- Flemish Energy Agency (VEA)
- Town and Country Planning, Housing Policy and Immovable Heritage (RWO)
- 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.