The Flemish Government (Dutch: Vlaamse regering [ˌvlaːmsə rəˈɣeːrɪŋ] ) 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.
| Flemish Government | |
|---|---|
| Vlaamse Regering | |
 Emblem of the Flemish administration (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid) | |
| Overview | |
| Established | 22 December 1981 |
| Polity | Flanders (Community & Region) |
| Leader | Minister-President |
| Appointed by | Flemish Parliament |
| Responsible to | Flemish Parliament |
| Annual budget | € 44.7 billion (2018) |
| Headquarters | Place des Martyrs / Martelaarsplein 1000 City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium |
| Website | www.flanders.be |
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).
Cabinet composition
editDiependaele (2024-current)
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The coalition replaced the Jambon Government following the 2024 Belgian federal election and again consisted of three parties, together having a narrow majority of 65 seats out of 124 seats total. The N-VA (31 seats) and CD&V (16 seats) were already part of the outgoing coalition, with Vooruit (18 seats) now replacing the Open Vld.
| Party | Name | Function | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-VA | Matthias Diependaele | Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation en Industry, External Affairs, Digitalisation, and Facility Management | |
| N-VA | Ben Weyts | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Budget and Finance, Vlaamse Rand, Real Estate Heritage, and Animal Welfare | |
| Vooruit | Melissa Depraetere | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Housing, Energy and Climate, Tourism, and Youth | |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister of the Interior, Urban and Rural Policy, Society, Integration and Inclusion, Administration, Social Economy, and Marine Fishing | |
| N-VA | Zuhal Demir | Flemish Minister for Education, Justice, and Employment | |
| N-VA | Annick De Ridder | Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports, and Sport | |
| N-VA | Cieltje Van Achter | Flemish Minister for Brussels, and Media | |
| Vooruit | Caroline Gennez | Flemish minister for Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, Culture, and Equal Opportunities | |
| CD&V | Jo Brouns | Flemish Minister for Agriculture and Environment | |
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| Party | Name | Function | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N-VA | Jan Jambon | Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Culture, Foreign Policy and Development Cooperation | |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits (until 17 May 2022) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Employment, Social Economy, Innovation and Agriculture | |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits (from 18 May 2022) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Welfare, Health and Family | |
| Open Vld | Bart Somers (until 6 November 2023) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for the Interior, Administrative Affairs, Integration, and Equal Opportunities | |
| Open Vld | Gwendolyn Rutten (from 7 November 2023 until 2 August 2024) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for the Interior, Administrative Affairs, Integration, and Equal Opportunities | |
| N-VA | Ben Weyts | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Education, Animal Welfare, Brussels Periphery and Sport | |
| N-VA | Zuhal Demir | Flemish Minister for Justice and Enforcement, Environment, Energy and Tourism | |
| CD&V | Wouter Beke (until 12 May 2022) | Flemish Minister for Welfare, Health, Family and Poverty Reduction | |
| CD&V | Jo Brouns (from 18 May 2022) | Flemish Minister for Economy, Employment, Social Economy, Innovation and Agriculture | |
| N-VA | Matthias Diependaele | Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget, Housing and Immovable Heritage | |
| Open Vld | Lydia Peeters (until 2 August 2024) | Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works | |
| Open Vld | Lydia Peeters (from 3 August 2024) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for the Interior, Administrative Affairs, Integration, Equal Opportunities, Mobility and Public Works | |
| CD&V | Benjamin Dalle | Flemish Minister for Brussels, Media, Youth and Poverty Reduction (Poverty Reduction from 18 May 2022) | |
| Flemish Government - Homans 2019 (Jul-Oct) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Name | Function | |
| N-VA | Liesbeth Homans | Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Public Governance, Civic Integration, Housing, Equal Opportunities and Poverty Reduction | |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Education | |
| Open Vld | Sven Gatz (until 18 July 2019) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Media, Culture, Youth and Brussels | |
| Open Vld | Lydia Peeters (from 18 July 2019) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget, Energy, Media, Culture and Youth | |
| N-VA | Ben Weyts | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, the Brussels Periphery, Tourism, Animal Welfare, Foreign Policy and Immovable Heritage | |
| CD&V | Jo Vandeurzen | Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health and Family | |
| Open Vld | Lydia Peeters (until 18 July 2019) | Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget and Energy | |
| Open Vld | Sven Gatz (from 18 July 2019) | Flemish Minister for Brussels | |
| N-VA | Philippe Muyters | Flemish Minister for Work, Economy, Innovation, Scientific Policy and Sport | |
| CD&V | Koen Van den Heuvel | Flemish Minister for Town and Country Planning, Environment and Nature | |
| Flemish Government - Bourgeois 2014-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Name | Function | |
| N-VA | Geert Bourgeois | Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy and Immovable Heritage | |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Education | |
| Open Vld | Annemie Turtelboom (until 29 April 2016) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget and Energy | |
| Open Vld | Bart Tommelein (from 29 April 2016 until 30 November 2018) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget and Energy | |
| Open Vld | Lydia Peeters (from 30 November 2018) | Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget and Energy | |
| N-VA | Liesbeth Homans | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Public Governance, Civic Integration, Housing, Equal Opportunities and Poverty Reduction | |
| CD&V | Jo Vandeurzen | Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health and Family | |
| Open Vld | Sven Gatz (until 30 November 2018) | Flemish Minister for Media, Culture, Youth and Brussels | |
| Open Vld | Sven Gatz (from 30 November 2018) | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Media, Culture, Youth and Brussels | |
| N-VA | Ben Weyts | Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, the Brussels Periphery, Tourism and Animal Welfare | |
| CD&V | Joke Schauvliege (until 5 February 2019) | Flemish Minister for Town and Country Planning, Environment and Nature | |
| CD&V | Koen Van den Heuvel (from 6 February 2019) | Flemish Minister for Town and Country Planning, Environment and Nature | |
| N-VA | Philippe Muyters | Flemish Minister for Work, Economy, Innovation, Scientific Policy and Sport | |
Peeters II (2009–2014)
editFollowing the 7 June 2009 election, CD&V (31 seats), N-VA (16 seats) and SP.A (19 seats) parties formed a coalition.
| Flemish Government - Peeters II 2009-2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Name | Function | |
| CD&V | Kris Peeters | Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Foreign Policy, Agriculture and Rural Policy | |
| SP.A | Ingrid Lieten | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Innovation, Public Investment, Media and Poverty Reduction | |
| N-VA | Geert Bourgeois | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Public Governance, Local and Provincial Government, Civic Integration, Tourism and the Brussels Periphery | |
| CD&V | Jo Vandeurzen | Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health and Family | |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits | Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works | |
| SP.A | Freya Van den Bossche | Flemish Minister for Energy, Housing, Cities and Social Economy | |
| N-VA | Philippe Muyters | Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget, Work, Town and Country Planning and Sport | |
| CD&V | Joke Schauvliege | Flemish Minister for Environment, Nature and Culture | |
| SP.A | Pascal Smet | Flemish Minister for Education, Youth, Equal Opportunities and Brussels Affairs | |
Leterme I/Peeters I (2004–2009)
edit
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 28 June 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 portfolios of Administrative Affairs, Foreign Policy, Media and Tourism were taken over by minister-president Peeters.
- On 30 December 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:
| Peeters I Flemish Government (2007-2009) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Name | Function | |
| CD&V | Kris Peeters | Minister-President; Minister for Institutional Reform, Ports, Agriculture, Sea Fisheries and Rural Policy | |
| SP.A | Frank Vandenbroucke | Vice-Minister-President; Minister for Work, Education and Training | |
| VLD | Dirk van Mechelen | Vice-Minister-President; Minister for Finance and Budget and Town and Country Planning | |
| SP.A | Bert Anciaux | Minister for Culture, Youth, Sport and Brussels Affairs | |
| VLD | Marino Keulen | Minister for Home Affairs, Urban Policy, Housing and Civic Integration | |
| SP.A | Kathleen Van Brempt | Minister for Mobility, Social Economy and Equal Opportunities | |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits | Minister for Public Works, Energy, the Environment and Nature | |
| VLD | Patricia Ceysens | Minister for Economy, Enterprise, Science, Innovation and Foreign Trade | |
| CD&V | Veerle Heeren | Minister for Welfare, Public Health and Family | |
Dewael I (1999–2003)/Somers I (2003–2004)
edit
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)
edit
After the regional elections of 1995 (which were the first direct elections for the Flemish Parliament), a coalition of CVP and SP was formed.
| Minister | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minister-President, Foreign Policy, European Affairs, Science and Technology | Luc Van den Brande | CVP | |
| Vice-Minister-President, Education and Public Administration | Luc Van den Bossche | SP | |
| Environment and Labour | Theo Kelchtermans | CVP | |
| Finance, Budget and Health Policy | Wivina Demeester | CVP | |
| Public Works, Transport and Spatial Planning | Eddy Baldewijns | SP | |
| Economy, SME, Agriculture and Media | Eric Van Rompuy | CVP | |
| Home Affairs, Urban Policy and Housing | Leo Peeters | SP | |
| Culture, Family Policy and Welfare | Luc Martens | CVP | |
| Brussels Affairs and Equal en Equal Opportunities Policy | Anne Van Asbroeck | SP |
List of Flemish Minister-Presidents
edit| Name | Period | Party | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rika De Backer | 1974 – 1981 | CVP | Only of Flemish Community |
| Gaston Geens | 22 December 1981 – 21 January 1992 | CVP | |
| Luc Van den Brande | 21 February 1992 – 1999 | CVP | |
| Patrick Dewael | 13 July 1999 – 5 June 2003 | VLD | |
| Bart Somers | 11 June 2003 – 20 July 2004 | VLD | |
| Yves Leterme | 20 July 2004 – 28 June 2007 | CD&V | |
| Kris Peeters | 28 June 2007 – 25 July 2014 | CD&V | |
| Geert Bourgeois | 25 July 2014 – 2 July 2019 | N-VA | |
| Liesbeth Homans | 2 July 2019 – 2 October 2019 | N-VA | |
| Jan Jambon | 2 October 2019 – present | N-VA |
Administration
edit
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 11 policy areas are:
- Public Governance and the Chancellery (KB)
- 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)
- Culture, Youth, Sport and Media (CJSM)
- Welfare, Public Health and Family (WVG)
- Agriculture and Fisheries (LV)
- Work and Social Economy (WSE)
- Mobility and Public Works (MOW)
- Environment (OMG)
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.
Budget
edit2018 Flemish budget
The below figures use the 2018 budget as example, which had €44.7 billion in expenses and €42.3 billion in revenue.[1]
The revenue comes from the following sources:
- 56% – Special financing law: the so-called "shared taxes" and "merged taxes" which the federal government raises through income taxes and VAT and partially transfers to the communities and regions based on a complex formula
- 34% – Fiscal autonomy
- 18% – Opcentiemen: additional "centimes" to the federal income tax (the height of which can be set by the Flemish Government)
- 16% – Regional taxes (taxes under the proper authority of the Flemish Government), such as the traffic tax and inheritance tax
- 10% – Other revenues
The expenses are as follows per policy area:
| €13.2 billion | Education and Training | Mostly wages of education personnel |
| €12.1 billion | Welfare, Public Health and Family | E.g. child benefits |
| €3.96 billion | Chancellery and Governance | Mostly funds for local governments (provinces, cities and other municipalities) |
| €3.69 billion | Work and Social Economy | Mostly service vouchers |
| €3.67 billion | Mobility and Public Works | Mostly the public transportation company De Lijn and road infrastructure and road safety |
| €2.52 billion | Finances and Budget | Mostly financial incentives for private property |
| €2.04 billion | Spatial | E.g. management of immovable heritage and sustainable energy |
| €1.66 billion | Economy, Science and Innovation | Supporting entrepreneurship, scientific research and innovation |
| €1.29 billion | Culture, Youth, Sports and Media | Mostly the public broadcaster VRT and sports |
| €0.19 billion | Agriculture and Fisheries | Mostly the Agriculture Investment Fund |
| €0.17 billion | international Flanders | Tourism, international entrepreneurship, development aid and international relations |
| €0.13 billion | Higher Entities | Operating costs of the ministerial cabinets and the Flemish Parliament |
Projects
editThe Flemish Government owns the rights to Flanders Today, an English-speaking online and print newspaper focused on current affairs in Flanders and Brussels. The project was launched in 2007 by Geert Bourgeois – then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism -, for three main reasons:[2]
- Facilitating the integration of expats living in the region by informing them of the region's current events.
- Informing international journalists about the region, as most foreign correspondents based in Brussels get their news from the French-speaking press because the majority cannot read Dutch. Flanders Today would act as a counterweight to that side of every story.
- Informing diplomats, investors, potential tourists and others outside of Belgium's borders about the region.
In May 2017, the Flemish Government announced it would not be rebidding the Flanders Today project. Both the print and the online version of the paper are to be shut down in October 2017.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "De Vlaamse begroting in cijfers". Flemish government. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- ^ "Save Flanders Today!". Save Flanders Today!. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ "UPDATE: Flanders Today contract cancelled | Flanders Today". www.flanderstoday.eu. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
External links
edit- Flemish government (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid), in English
- Flemish government (Dutch: Vlaamse overheid), in Dutch
- Flemish Parliament (Dutch: Vlaams Parlement)
- Flemish Government (Dutch: Vlaamse Regering)