Communities of Belgium:
Flemish & French Community / bilingual language area
The
French Community and the
Flemish Community exercise their powers in Brussels through two community-specific public authorities: the
French Community Commission (French:
Commission communautaire française or
COCOF) and the
Flemish Community Commission (Dutch:
Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie or
VGC). These two bodies each have an assembly composed of the members of each linguistic group of the
Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.
They also have a board composed of the ministers and secretaries of
state of each linguistic group in the Government of the Brussels-Capital
Region.
The French Community Commission has also another capacity: some
legislative powers of the French Community have been devolved to the
Walloon Region (for the French language area of Belgium) and to the
French Community Commission (for the bilingual language area).
[38] The Flemish Community, however, did the opposite; it merged the Flemish Region into the Flemish Community.
[39]
This is related to different conceptions in the two communities, one
focusing more on the Communities and the other more on the Regions,
causing an asymmetrical federalism. Because of this devolution, the
French Community Commission can enact
decrees, which are legislative acts.
A bi-communitarian public authority, the
Common Community Commission (French:
Commission communautaire commune, COCOM, Dutch:
Gemeenschappelijke Gemeenschapscommissie, GGC)
also exists. Its assembly is composed of the members of the regional
parliament, and its board are the ministers – not the secretaries of
state – of the region, with the minister-president not having the right
to vote. This Commission has two capacities: it is a decentralised
administrative public body, responsible for implementing cultural
policies of common interest. It can give subsidies and enact by-laws. In
another capacity it can also enact ordinances, which have equal status
as a national legislative act, in the field of the welfare powers of the
communities: in the Brussels-Capital Region, both the French Community
and the Flemish Community can exercise powers in the field of welfare,
but only in regard to institutions that are unilingual (for example, a
private French-speaking retirement home or the Dutch-speaking hospital
of the
Vrije Universiteit Brussel).
The Common Community Commission is responsible for policies aiming
directly at private persons or at bilingual institutions (for example,
the centra for social welfare of the 19 municipalities). Its ordinances
have to be enacted with a majority in both linguistic groups. Failing
such a majority, a new vote can be held, where a majority of at least
one third in each linguistic group is sufficient.
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