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Home page » An A-to-Z of Belgian Politics

An A-to-Z of Belgian Politics

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

ABVV/FGTB

The Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond (the General Federation of Belgian Labour) is known as the FGTB (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique) in the French-speaking part of the country. Its current chairman is Rudy De Leeuw. This is the socialist trade union, which has 1.2 million members in Belgium, is traditionally stronger in Wallonia than in Flanders. The union is divided into three inter-regional bodies for Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. It is closely associated with the PS in Wallonia and Brussels and with the sp.a in Flanders, and to a lesser extent with ‘small left-wing’ groups.

ACLVB/CGSLB

The Algemene Centrale van Liberale Vakbonden van België/Centrale Générale des Syndicats Libéraux de Belgique (General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium) is the smallest of the three so-called representative trade unions. The Liberal Trade Union has around 210,000 members in Belgium. Its current chairman is Jan Vercamst. The ACLVB upholds a social-liberal philosophy. This small trade union plays a fairly important role in public services with the VSOA (SLFP), the Free Trade Union of Civil Servants.

ACV/CSC

The Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond/Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens (Confederation of Christian Trade Unions) is the largest trade union in Belgium, with over 1.6 million members. It upholds a Christian Democratic philosophy. Its current chairman is Luc Cortebeeck. The trade union is traditionally stronger in Flanders than in French-speaking parts of the country. The ACV works closely but no longer exclusively with Christian Democratic politicians in the CD&V. In recent years the Christian and Socialist trade unions adopted a pro-Belgian position.

Alarm bell procedure

A typical Belgian procedure that was recorded in the Constitution in the course of the first State reform (1970). The alarm bell procedure serves to prevent one language group from forcing through a proposal or draft law. One language group can postpone a legislative procedure for 30 days with a three quarters majority. In practice this 'exception procedure' is designed to obstruct proposals of the Flemish majority. To date the alarm bell procedure has only been applied on two occasions, namely with regard to the integration of the Economische Hogeschool Limburg (Limburg Institute of Economics) into the Limburgs Universitair Centrum (Limburg University Centre) in 1985 and on 29 April 2010 in the context of the vote for split of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde constituency.

B

BHV

BHV stands for Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, which is an electoral as well as judicial district. BHV brings together the bilingual area that isthe Brussels-Capital Region and the monolingual Flemish district Halle-Vilvoorde in the province of Flemish Brabant. The Flemish have been demanding the division of BHV since 1961. In 2003 the Constitutional Court ruled that the country’s division into provincial constituencies made the BHV constituency unconstitutional. Nevertheless BHV wasn’t divided either for the elections in 2007 or for those in 2010.

The ‘bolt and lock’ constitution

The first State reform of 1970 resulted in what was called a ‘bolt and lock’ constitution. The Belgian Constitution can only be modified with a two-thirds majority in Parliament and a straightforward majority in each language group. This means that the Flemish Community, that makes up about 60 % of the Belgian population, can’t simply exercise its majority. Other ‘bolt and locks’ are the alarm bell procedure and the submission of conflicts of interest.

C

cdH

The ‘Centre Démocrate Humaniste’ (abbreviated to cdH) is the Christian Democratic party in French-speaking Belgium. The cdH was founded in 2002 as a successor to the Parti Social Chrétien (PSC). The party has a more left-wing image than that of the Flemish CD&V, with which they do no longer have any real ties. Since 2002 the cdH has been led by its chairwoman Joëlle Milquet. In 2011 she was succeeded by Benoit Lutgen.

CLA

A collective labour agreement (CLA or CAO - collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst in Dutch) is a package of agreements reached between employer and employee representatives. The CLA is an addition to the individual employment contract signed between an employer and an employee. In Belgium we differentiate between a national CLA (for the entire economy), sector CLAs and company CLAs. A CLA is agreed for a certain period of time.

CD&V

The Flemish Christian Democratic party CD&V (Christian-Democratic and Flemish) was founded in 2001 as a successor to the CVP, the Christian People’s Party. For many decades this party was the largest party in Flanders but it lost the lead to the N-VA in the elections on 13 June 2010. Today the party is led by Wouter Beke. The party has a centre-right wing fraction and a more left-wing trade union faction.

Civic integration

Flanders has a policy for civic integration. This is a guided and targeted form of social integration for people of foreign origin. The intention is that the newcomers are provided with a valuable place in society by including them instead of excluding them. Civic integration, which includes language lessons and civic integration courses, was brought about by the participation of the N-VA in the Flemish Government since 2004. Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) has been the Minister for Civic Integration since 2004.

Commemoration of the Battle of the Golden Spurs

Every year on 11 July Flanders commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs of 1302, a battle between the Flemish County’s militia and the King of France’s army. The eleventh of July is the official Flemish Community Day, though it is still not a legal Bank Holiday in Belgium. At the commemoration of the Golden Spurs, not only is the famous battle remembered, but the demands of the Flemish Movement are also given attention.

Community issues

They refer to everything involving the relationships between the Regions and Communities. These relationships are regulated by comprehensive linguistic legislation from 1966 and the five State reforms between 1970 and 2001. However, linguistic-cultural conflicts are not the only issue. There are also fundamentally different visions of socio-economic policy, migration, justice etc. A democratic deficit arose along with two divided public opinions.

Community

In Belgium there are three Communities, the Flemish, French and German-speaking Communities that are competent for matters related to people such as education, welfare, sport, civic integration, preventive healthcare, family policy, media and culture in their respective language area. The Flemish and French Communities are also responsible for matters in the 19 municipalities of Brussels that are exclusively Dutch and French-speaking respectively.

Conflicts of Interest

In Belgian constitutional law, conflicts of interest are conflicts between the Federal Government, the Communities and the Regions. The Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, or a Community or Regional Parliament can temporarily halt the legislative process of a law, decree or order of another Parliament. The French-speaking side submitted successive conflicts of interest (for example against the break-up of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde constituency) via the Parliament of the French Community, the Walloon Parliament, the French Community Commission of the Brussels Parliament (the COCOF) and even the Parliament of the German-speaking Community. The Flemish can only do this in the Flemish Parliament.

Corridor

A demand from the French-speaking parties to link Brussels and the Walloon Region. This corridor would add a part (for example a part of the Sonian Forest) or the whole of Sint-Genesius-Rode, a Flemish municipality with language facilities to the Brussels-Capital Region. In this way any French-speaking apprehension would be eliminated that Brussels would remain an enclave within the borders of Flanders if the country were to divide. Flanders opposes such a conquest of Flemish territory.

E

Ecolo

A French-speaking Green left-wing party that forms a parliamentary fraction with its Flemish colleagues from Groen! in the Federal Parliament. Today the party is led by Jean-Michel Javaux and Sarah Turine. Ecolo naturally defends environmental issues but also has links with the French-speaking front. Between 1999 and 2003 Ecolo was part of the purple-green Verhofstadt I Government. The party also joined the Walloon and Brussels Regional Governments together with the PS and cdH.

Egmont pact

In 1977 the Egmont pact was agreed between the majority parties of the Tindemans II Government, a coalition of the Christian Democrats (CVP and PSC), the Socialists (BSP-PSB), the Volksunie and the FDF. The pact’s objective was to transform Belgium into a federal state. The pact was not implemented due to the fall of the Tindemans Government. The registration right of French-speakers in thirteen municipalities in the Vlaamse Rand (Flemish periphery) was a highly sensitive point that was strongly contested by the Flemish Movement.

F

Facility municipalities

A municipality in a monolingual area where municipal services are offered in a different language if the citizens demand it. In total there are 27 such municipalities, 12 Flemish, 6 French and 9 German. The focus is mainly on the six Flemish facility municipalities in the Brussels periphery: Wemmel, Kraainem, Wezembeek-Oppem, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Linkebeek and Drogenbos, where French-speakers benefit from certain facilities. In the French-speaking municipalities, advantages for Dutch-speakers soon disappeared but conversely this was not the case.

FDF

The FDF, which has stood for ‘Fédéralistes Democrates Francophones’, (Francophone Democratic Federalists) since 2010, was founded in 1964 as a radical French-speaking Brussels party. Between 2002 and 2011 it was part of the Liberal MR Party. The party reacted against the language laws of 1962-1963. The FDF, led at present by Olivier Maingain, does not recognise the language borders and strongly advocates for extending Brussels. It is calling for the annexation of the six Flemish facility municipalities and for the provision of language facilities in other Flemish municipalities.

FEB

The Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB) (Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen,VBO/Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique, FEB) is an umbrella organisation of Belgian employers from different company sectors. It represents more than 30,000 businesses and is one of the main interlocutors in social dialogue in Belgium. Its chairman is Thomas Leysen.

Financing law

The Belgian financing law– officially the Special Financing Law of 16 January 1989 – establishes how money is distributed between the Federal State and the Regions and Communities in Belgium. During negotiations in 2010-2011 the Flemish want a review of the existing legislation. They want to partly replace the grant system by individual income to give the federated entities more responsibility. The French-speakers fear increasing poverty if the federated entities are given more fiscal autonomy.

Flemish Lion

The Vlaamse Leeuw/Flemish Lion is the official anthem and the flag of the Flemish Community. The song dates back to 1847; the lyrics were written by the playwright Hyppoliet van Peene, set to music by Karel Miry and based on ‘De leeuw van Vlaanderen’, the novel by Hendrik Conscience. The Flemish Lion already existed as the official flag of Flanders in the 12th century. The Flemish Lion is a symbol for the Flemish nation, just like other nations have their symbols that deserve respect.

Flemish Movement

The Vlaamse Beweging (Flemish Movement) is a collective term for very diverse associations and people who have played a role in the Flemish fight for emancipation. The Flemish movement evolved from a battle for equality for the Flemish language and culture into a more political and economical independence for Flanders. Today a few large Flemish organisations outside of party politics are often referred to as ‘the Flemish Movement’.

Frenchification

Frenchification in Belgium already began in the 18th century and accelerated after Belgian independence in 1830 because the Dutch were treated as inferior. Frenchification first took hold in Brussels and the surrounding municipalities, often as a result of social pressure. In the 19th century the cultural elite in Flanders were entirely French-speaking but that changed significantly in the 20th century as a result of the Flemish battle for emancipation. Today Frenchification is still a point of concern in the Vlaamse Rand (Flemish periphery).

G

Groen

The Green party in Flanders and successor to the Agalev political party (Anders gaan leven (live differently)) founded in 1979 participated in givernments between 1999 and 2004. The name Groen was chosen in 2003. The fairly small party positions itself to the left. The Flemish Greens form a coalition in the Federal Parliament with the French-speaking Ecolo party. The current chairman is Wouter Van Besien.

I

Identity

Just like in France – where it was launched by President Sarkozy – the identity debate is also being conducted in Flanders. In a purely cosmopolitan vision a Flemish identity is a myth or even a danger. The N-VA has a different opinion. We view the Flemish Community as a Community in which six million people share their destinies. Together they form a democracy, a civil community on a cultural basis that doesn’t exclude anyone that wants to be a part of it.

IPA

An Inter-Professional Agreement (IPA) is a cross-sectoral agreement between Belgian employers and trade unions. The most important part concerns the agreement on salaries. In Belgium standard salary levels must be ratified by the Government. In January 2011 an agreement was reached for 2011 and 2012 between unions and employers but it was then rejected by the members of the socialist and liberal trade unions.

L

Lambermont Agreement

The Lambermont agreement actually refers to three political agreements that laid down the fifth State reform in 2000-2001. The Lambermont agreement mainly meant extra money for education in the French Community. Furthermore a number of cempetences such as foreign trade, provincial and municipal legislation and parts of the development cooperation was handed to the Regions. The agreements were signed between the Flemish and French-speaking liberals, socialists, greens and the Volksunie, which was however divided.

Language border

The language border between a Flemish and a French-speaking area was permanently established in 1963. The Brussels-Capital district with 19 municipalities became officially bilingual. The language border was not a Flemish invention. Since the beginning of the 20th century French-speakers and certainly the socialists have strongly advocated for monolingual areas in Belgium and a fixed language border. Today Flemings want respect for the language border. On the other hand, the Brussels FDF wants to shift the language border, and even the former cdH chairwoman, Joëlle Milquet, has called it a historic mistake.

LDD

Libertarian, Direct, Democratic (LDD) is a Flemish political party with a neo-liberal and libertarian view of society. It was founded by ex-Open Vld senator Jean-Marie Dedecker on 19 January 2007 under the name of LDD or Lijst Dedecker. The party recorded a modest success in the elections in 2007 and 2009 but in 2010 only Jean-Marie Dedecker was left in the Chamber. Following his resignation he once again became the party’s chairman.

M

MR

The Mouvement Réformateur (Reformist Movement) is the liberal party in French-speaking Belgium. The party was founded in 2002 from an association of four parties: the traditional liberal party PRL, the Brussels radical francophone FDF, Gérard Deprez’s MCC (that had split from the French-speaking Christian Democrats) and the German-speaking liberals from the PFF. The MR takes a predominantly centre-right wing stance. The present chairman is Charles Michel, who succeeded Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders.

N

NBB

The National Bank of Belgium (NBB) is the Belgian central bank. Since the introduction of the euro, the NBB is one of the participants in the euro system in which the European Central Bank, with headquarters in Frankfurt, plays a central role. The National Bank of Belgium is currently a limited liability company. Half of the shares belong to the Belgian State. In 2011 Luc Coene succeeded Guy Quaden as Governor of the NBB.

NEO (RVA/ONEM)

The National Employment Office (rijksdienst voor Arbeidsvoorziening (RVA)/ Office National de l'Emploi (ONEM) / Landesamt für Arbeitsbeschaffung (LfA)) is a federal public agency that primarily protects the rights to unemployment insurance in Belgium. The NEO is the largest public social security agency in Belgium. The NEO’s key missions include determining the right to and the amount of unemployment benefits for involuntary unemployment. Since 1989 job placement and job training are the competences of the Regions and Communities.

NIHDI (RIZIV/INAMI)

The National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI) is a federal public agency that organises healthcare, a part of social security. The organisation is responsible for four key services: medical care, benefits, medical assessments and verification, and the administrative supervision service. The NIHDI is made up of representatives of workers, employers, health insurance funds and healthcare providers. Different parties on the Flemish side strongly advocate for healthcare to be transferred to the Communities.

O

Open Vld

The Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten, VLD (Flemish Liberals and Democrats) were rechristened as the Open Vld in 2007. It is the liberal party in Flanders. Originally the party defended classic liberal views. However, under Guy Verhofstadt, who was Federal Prime Minister for eight years in a coalition with the socialists, the party shifted a bit more to the centre and took a more progressive view in ethical debates. It was defeated in the elections of 2007, 2009 and 2010. The current chairman is Alexander De Croo.

P

Parity

A typically Belgian invention whereby a majority can no longer play the majority card. The Belgian Federal Government, for instance, is formed on the basis of parity. Apart from the Prime Minister, legally there are just as many Flemish as French-speaking Ministers. The parity between Flemings (60% of the population) and French-speakers (40%) was established at the first State reform in 1970 as a guarantee of political equilibrium but the Flemings consider it to be an additional ‘bolt and lock’.

Periphery

The Vlaamse Rand (Flemish Periphery) comprises 19 Flemish Brabant municipalities with a total of approximately 400,000 inhabitants. There are six Flemish facility municipalities and 13 other municipalities that border the Brussels Region or one of the facility municipalities. The Flemish Periphery around Brussels has experienced a large influx of people with other mother-tongues over the last few decades. The Flemish Community strongly advocates protection for the Flemish character of the Vlaamse Rand.

Pilgrimage of the Yser

An annual gathering in memory of the Flemish soldiers who perished in the First World War which has been held every year in Diksmuide since 1920. The ideals of the Flemish pilgrims are: no more war, self-government and the peace of God which the organisers, the Pilgrimage of the Yser Committee, later redefined as peace, freedom and tolerance. The Yser Pilgrimage takes place at the foot of the Ijzertoren, the monument that became famous as the Memorial for Flemish emancipation.

Planning bureau

The Federal Planning Bureau (FPB) is a Belgian public agency which performs studies and projections about economic, socio-economic and ecological policy issues. Its scientific expertise is at the disposal of the Government, Parliament, the social partners and the national and international institutions.

PS

The Parti Socialiste/PS (Socialist Party) has been the strongest political power in Wallonia for decades. This socialist party is economically left-wing and promotes a strong role for the government. In the elections of June 2010 it further strengthened its position in Wallonia. The Prime Ministers for the Brussels, French-Community and Walloon Government all come from the PS. During chairman Elio Di Rupos tenure as Belgian Prime Minister, the party is led by caretaker-chairman Thierry Giet.

R

Region

The Regions in Belgium are responsible for local matters such as spatial planning and town-planning, the economy, employment, agriculture, public services, mobility, foreign trade and municipal and provincial legislation. There are three Regions: Flanders, Wallonia and the Brussels Capital Region.

Raising accountability

Making federated entities accountable so that they are rewarded for good policy and penalised for bad policy. Making people accountable is one of the N-VA’s demands during the governmental negotiations of 2010-2011 regarding the amendment of the financing law. The N-VA’s is calling among other things for significant fiscal autonomy for the federated entities and individual responsibility for matters related such as employment, healthcare and child allowance.

S

Social security

Social security is currently managed at the Federal level in Belgium. The most important pillars of Belgian social security are: sickness and invalidity insurance (NIDHI), pensions, unemployment insurance and child allowances. In addition, occupational illness, occupational accidents and annual holidays are dealt with at this level. Some Flemish parties have been ampaigning for years for (a large part of) social security to be transferred to the Regions and Communities.

sp.a

The sp.a or Socialistische Partij Anders (Alternative Socialist Party) with the subheading Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (Social Progressive Alternative) is the socialist party in Flanders and the SP’s successor. The name was chosen in 2001 following an expansion operation. Most observers would identify the party as being centre-left wing. The sp.a is part of the Flemish Government but is in the opposition at federal level. It is currently led by Bruno Tobback.

State reform

The Belgian State evolved into a Federal State over the course of five consecutive changes to the constitution. The first State reform dates back to 1970, and the fifth to 2001. A large sixth State reform in a more confederal sense has been the subject of talks since the elections in June 2010. The main objectives are: making the structures more democratic, making more effective policy possible and te give all governments financial responsibility .

T

Transfers

The money flows from Flanders to Brussels and Wallonia are called transfers. The transfers from the federal budget, the financing law and social security amount to between 6 and 7 billion euros a year and 11 billion euros if one includes debt repayments. The size of the transfers is always contested by the French-speaking side or they are just referred to as normal solidarity contributions. A recent study by Vives (Catholic University of Leuven) revealed that the transfers did not serve solidarity but had a paralyzing effect on the growth of the Walloon as well as the Flemish economy.

U

UF

The Union des Francophones/UF (Francophone Union) is a French-speaking list in Flemish Brabant. The UF has one elected representative in the Flemish Parliament and about half a dozen in the Flemish Brabant Provincial Council. The UF is an assembly of all French-speaking parties in the Vlaamse Rand (Flemish periphery), the FDF being their main partner. The UF refuses to recognise the Flemish character and Dutch-speaking status of many municipalities in Flemish Brabant. It is also striving for an expansion of Brussels.

UNIZO

The Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers, (Union of Self-Employed Entrepreneurs), better known as UNIZO, is an association of self-employed entrepreneurs, in particular small and medium-sized businesses and liberal professions. In 2000 UNIZO became the new name of the NCMV, the Nationaal Christelijk Middenstandsverbond (National Christian SMEs’ Association). With over 80,000 members UNIZO is the largest employer’s organisation in the country. It is particularly strong in Flanders, and its executive director is Karel Van Eetvelt.

V

VDAB

The Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Beroepsopleiding/VDAB (Flemish Public Employment and Professional Training Service) is a Flemish public service that coordinates supply and demand in the employment market and whose main task consists in serving as an intermediary for job seekers and providing them with support in getting back to work. Since the State reform in 1989 job placement is a competence of the Regions and job training a competence of the Communities. The VDAB’s counterpart in Wallonia is Forem, and in Brussels Actiris.

VEV

The Vlaams Economisch Verbond/VEV (Flemish economic alliance) was a Flemish employer’s organisation founded in 1926 by Lieven Gevaert. The VEV wanted to be the Flemish counterpart of the French-speaking targeted Comité Central Industriel (Centraal Nijverheidscomité, the Central Industrial Committee), which targeted Frenc-speakers and which later evolved into the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO/FEB). Its main objectives were the development of the Flemish economy and the Dutchification of Flanders. In 2002 the VEV merged with the Vlaamse Kamers van Koophandel (Flemish Chambers of Commerce) to create Voka.

Vlaams Belang

The Vlaams Belang/VB (Flemish Interest) is a radical right-wing Flemish-Nationalist party that was set up in 1978 as the Vlaams Blok following the Egmont pact. The party experienced significant electoral success despite, or thanks to, the 'cordon sanitaire' of the other political parties (who did not communicate with it). The VB is also known for its hard-line anti-immigrant position. In 2004, following a ruling of racism the party changed its name to Vlaams Belang, a move which led to its highest level of popularity of 24%, but then its electoral power diminished. The current chairman is Bruno Valkeniers.

Voka

Voka, the Vlaams netwerk van ondernemingen (Flemish Network of Enterprises) is a Flemish employer’s organisation that represents more than 16,000 companies in Flanders and Brussels, i.e. about 65% of private employment. Voka was created in January 2004 when the Vlaams Economisch Verbond (VEV) and the eight regional Chambers of Commerce in Flanders decided to work together. The current chairman is Luc De Bruyckere and Jo Libeer is its executive director.

Volksunie

The Volksunie/VU (People’s Union) was a Flemish-Nationalist party that exerted considerable political influence between 1954 and 2001, which led to greater independence for Flanders. The party experienced its most successful period in the early Seventies, whereas in 2001, the party fell apart due to internal dissensions. Two parties were formed as a result: the N-VA and the left-liberal Spirit, that later disappeared from the political scene. The N-VA now continues the legacy of the Volksunie.

W

Waffle iron politics

A phenomenon that belongs to the ‘Belgian disease’. Waffle iron politics involve an expenditure policy whereby money for large projects always needed to be compensated by a similar type of spending in the other part of the country. If money was needed for the Flemish ports, the same amount of money had to be allocated to projects in Wallonia (for example a motorway the boat-lift at Strépy–Thieu) and vice-versa, even though this was sometimes unnecessarily. Waffle iron politics is one of the reasons for the extremely high level of the Belgian national debt.