The Flemish Community Commission () is the local representative of the
Flemish authorities in the
Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital ...
, one of the three
regions
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. The VGC depends on the
Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament (Dutch language, Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislature, legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic reg ...
, and its council is made up by the members of the Dutch linguistic group of the
Brussels Parliament, whereas its executive is made up of the two Flemish ministers and the Flemish secretary of the Brussels-Capital Government.
The VGC was established by the special (constitutional) law of 12 January 1989.
The VGC has competencies for cultural, educational, well-being and health for
Flemings in Brussels. It reaches an estimated 200,000 inhabitants of Brussels with its services, mostly Dutch-speakers, and a significant number of
migrants. However, several of these competencies are rather limited in practice, e.g. it has not the slightest authority for hospitals.
Strictly legally speaking, the VGC is only competent for institutions depending on the Flemish government, and not for individual citizens. This was a consequence of the fact that no formal Flemish citizenship was established.
The VGC is the successor of the ''Nederlandse Commissie voor de Cultuur van de Brusselse agglomeratie (NCC)'' (in Dutch), established in 1971. The VGC also assumed all Flemish community-specific responsibilities in Brussels of the former province of
Brabant when it was split up.
It does not have legislative power contrary to the other two community commissions. The French equivalent may adopt
decrees
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...
and the Common Community Commission may adopt
ordinances, which both have force of law.
See also
*
Brussels Parliament
*
Common Community Commission
*
French Community Commission (COCOF)
External links
Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (VGC)TV-Brusselwebsite Vlaamse overheidVlaams ParlementVlaamse regering Vlaamse radio en Televisie
{{Authority control
Community Commissions in Belgium
Politics of Brussels