Parliament of the German-speaking Community
Encyclopedia
The Parliament of the German-speaking Community ( or PDG) is the legislative assembly of the German-speaking Community of Belgium
based in Eupen
.
The most important tasks of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community include the election and the supervision of the Government of the German-speaking Community, the adoption of decrees for the German-speaking Community and the preparation and adoption of the annual budget.
. These members are the only members who have the right to speak and to vote. In addition, there are also a number of members with a consultative vote who not actual members of the Parliament, but do have the right to attend and participate in its meetings.
The advisory members are the Provincial Councillors of Liège
, the members of the Walloon Parliament
, the members of the Chamber of Representatives and the members of the Senate
who reside in the German
-speaking area of Belgium
and have taken the oath of office in German, as well as the Member of the European Parliament
elected by the German-speaking electoral college
.
. However, in March 1974, the first direct elections for the Council of the German Cultural Community took place. The name of the parliament was changed to Council of the German-speaking Community in 1984, and to Parliament of the German-speaking Community in 2004.
The Government of the Walloon Region, with one representative for the German-speaking Community in its Parliament
, exercises regional matters over the territory. However, there has been some debate whether the German-speakers should have their own region. As article 139 of the Belgian Constitution specifies, the Walloon Region may transfer some regional powers to the German-speaking Community, which it has done for the following competences:
However, as opposed to the other two communities, it has no authorisation over the language use in administration, since all municipalities are municipalities with language facilities for French.
, the composition of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community is as follows:
The Socialist Party, the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress and the regionalist ProDG signed an agreement on 10 June to form the next Government of the German-speaking Community. It is the first time in the history of the German-speaking Community that an outgoing government coalition succeeds itself. Under the terms of the agreement, Karl-Heinz Lambertz
(SP) will remain Minister-President and Berni Collas
(PFF) will stay on as Community senator until January 2010, at which point he will be replaced by a socialist.
German-speaking Community of Belgium
The German-speaking Community of Belgium is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. Covering an area of 854 km² within the province of Liège in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of the so-called East Cantons...
based in Eupen
Eupen
Eupen is a municipality in the Belgian province of Liège, from the German border , from the Dutch border and from the "High Fens" nature reserve...
.
The most important tasks of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community include the election and the supervision of the Government of the German-speaking Community, the adoption of decrees for the German-speaking Community and the preparation and adoption of the annual budget.
Members and elections
The Parliament of the German-speaking Community has 25 members who are directly elected every 5 years, together with the elections for the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. These members are the only members who have the right to speak and to vote. In addition, there are also a number of members with a consultative vote who not actual members of the Parliament, but do have the right to attend and participate in its meetings.
The advisory members are the Provincial Councillors of Liège
Liège (province)
Liège is the easternmost province of Belgium and belongs to the Walloon Region. It is an area of French and German ethnicity. It borders on the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and in Belgium the provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, Walloon Brabant , and those of Flemish Brabant and Limburg . Its...
, the members of the Walloon Parliament
Walloon Parliament
The Walloon Parliament , formerly the Walloon Regional Council , is the Parliament of the Walloon Region, commonly called Wallonia, one of the self-governing Regions of Belgium with Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region...
, the members of the Chamber of Representatives and the members of the Senate
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
who reside in the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking area of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and have taken the oath of office in German, as well as the Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
elected by the German-speaking electoral college
German-speaking electoral college
The German-speaking electoral college is one of three constituencies of the European Parliament in Belgium. It currently elects 1 MEP by first past the post....
.
History
Since October 1973 the German-speaking Community has its own parliament, which was at that time known as the Council of the German Cultural Community . In 1973, the members were not directly elected, but the distribution of seats was determined by the election results for the national ParliamentBelgian Federal Parliament
The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate . It sits in the Palace of the Nation .- Chamber of Representatives :...
. However, in March 1974, the first direct elections for the Council of the German Cultural Community took place. The name of the parliament was changed to Council of the German-speaking Community in 1984, and to Parliament of the German-speaking Community in 2004.
Competences
The German-speaking Community has powers over cultural, linguistic and "personal" matters (e.g. education, health care, ...) like the other two communities of Belgium.The Government of the Walloon Region, with one representative for the German-speaking Community in its Parliament
Walloon Parliament
The Walloon Parliament , formerly the Walloon Regional Council , is the Parliament of the Walloon Region, commonly called Wallonia, one of the self-governing Regions of Belgium with Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region...
, exercises regional matters over the territory. However, there has been some debate whether the German-speakers should have their own region. As article 139 of the Belgian Constitution specifies, the Walloon Region may transfer some regional powers to the German-speaking Community, which it has done for the following competences:
- In 1995: monuments/patrimony
- In 2000: archaeological excavations and employment
- In 2005: supervision of the church council; supervision of the municipalities and police zones; the financing of the municipalities; funerals and gravestones
However, as opposed to the other two communities, it has no authorisation over the language use in administration, since all municipalities are municipalities with language facilities for French.
Current composition
Following the 2009 regional electionBelgian regional elections, 2009
Regional elections were held in Belgium on 7 June 2009 to choose representatives in the regional councils of Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community of Belgium...
, the composition of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community is as follows:
| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Social Party Christian Social Party (Belgium) The Christian Social Party is a party operating in the German-speaking community of Belgium. Its President is Mathieu Grosch.In the 2004 European Parliament election, standing as Christlich-Soziale Partei - Europäische Volkspartei, the party gained the single seat allocated by Belgian law to the... (CSP) |
7 | |
| Socialist Party Socialist Party (francophone Belgium) The Socialist Party is a Francophone social-democratic political party in Belgium. As of the 2010 elections, it is the second largest party in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the largest Francophone party... (SP) |
5 | |
| Party for Freedom and Progress Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt The Party for Freedom and Progress is a regional liberal party in Belgium, only active in the tiny German-speaking Community of Belgium.... (PFF) |
4 | |
| ProDG | 4 | |
| Ecolo Ecolo Ecolo is a French-speaking Belgian green political party in Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community of Belgium... |
3 | |
| Vivant Vivant Vivant is a small Belgian social liberal party founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats . Both parties are founded on the principle of individualism and can be called liberal... |
2 | |
| Total | 25 | |
The Socialist Party, the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress and the regionalist ProDG signed an agreement on 10 June to form the next Government of the German-speaking Community. It is the first time in the history of the German-speaking Community that an outgoing government coalition succeeds itself. Under the terms of the agreement, Karl-Heinz Lambertz
Karl-Heinz Lambertz
Karl-Heinz Lambertz , is a jurist and politician, currently the leader of the Government of the German-speaking Community of Belgium. He is noted for voicing an outspoken demand for his community, numbering about 70,000 around Eupen, to be separated from Wallonia and be recognised as a autonomous...
(SP) will remain Minister-President and Berni Collas
Berni Collas
Bernard "Berni" Collas was a Belgian German-speaking politician and member of the liberal Party for Freedom and Progress...
(PFF) will stay on as Community senator until January 2010, at which point he will be replaced by a socialist.
Committees
The Parliament of the German-speaking Community currently has 5 committees:- Committee I on General Policy, Local Government, Petitions, Finances and Cooperation
- Committee II on Culture
- Committee III on Education and Training
- Committee IV on Health, Employment and Social Affairs
- Oversight Committee on Electoral Expenditure and Communications of the Public Authorities of the German-speaking Community
External links
- Parlament der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft — Official site of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community.
- Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft — Official site of the German-speaking Community.