Flemish Government

Flemish Government

Emblem of the Flemish government
Government overview
Jurisdiction Flanders (Community / Region)
Headquarters Martyrs' Square, Brussels, Belgium
Annual budget € 39.5 billion (2015)[1]
Website www.flanders.be

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.

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

Bourgeois (current)

Government coalition 2014-present

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

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 April 29, 2016) Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget and Energy
Open Vld Bart Tommelein (from April 29, 2016) Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and 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 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 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)

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

Government coalition 2009-2014
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)

Government coalition 2007-2009
Government coalition 2004-2007

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:

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)

Government coalition 1999-2003
Government coalition 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)

Government coalition 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.

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

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 – present N-VA

Administration

The Flemish Government cabinet offices are located at the Martyrs' Square in Brussels

2015 Flemish budget[1]

  Education (27.8%)
  Well-being, Health, Family (26.6%)
  Employment and Social Economy (10%)
  Mobility and Public Works (7.6%)
  Public Governance (7.6%)
  Other domains (20.4%)

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. Finance and Budget (FB)
  5. Education and Training (OV)
  6. Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI)
  7. Culture, Youth, Sport and Media (CJSM)
  8. Welfare, Public Health and Family (WVG)
  9. Agriculture and Fisheries (LV)
  10. Work and Social Economy (WSE)
  11. Mobility and Public Works (MOW)
  12. Environment, Nature and Energy (LNE)
  13. Town and Country Planning, Housing Policy and Immovable Heritage (RWO)

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.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 DE VLAAMSE BEGROTING 2015, vlaamsparlement.be
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