Parliament of the German-speaking Community
| logo | Parliament building |
|---|---|
|
|
| Basic data | |
| Seat: | Parliament Square 1 4700 Eupen |
| Legislative period : | 5 years |
| First session: | October 23, 1973 (RdK) |
| MPs: | 25 (+ advisory mandataries) |
| Current legislative period | |
| Last choice: | May 26, 2019 |
| Chair: | Alexander Miesen ( PFF ) |
| Distribution of seats: |
Government (13)
|
| Website | |
| www.pdg.be | |
The Parliament of the German-speaking Community (sometimes abbreviated DG Parliament or PDG ) is the legislative (legislative) body of the German-speaking Community (DG) of the Kingdom of Belgium with its seat in Eupen . The MPs have been elected every five years since March 10, 1974. It was founded in 1973 as the "Council of the German Cultural Community" (RdK), before it became the Council of the German-speaking Community (RDG) from 1984 and was named Parliament in 2004 .
The parliament is responsible for the legislation of the German-speaking community, the parliamentary control of the government and administration and the establishment of the budget. It is made up of 25 MPs and currently 8 advisory mandataries who are divided into six parliamentary groups in the current legislative period - the Christian Socials (CSP), the Social Democrats (SP), the Liberals (PFF), the independent regional movement (ProDG) and the Greens (Ecolo) and another independent force (Vivant) - divided.
The last PDG election took place on May 26, 2019 at the same time as the European elections, the election of the Chamber of Deputies and the election of the regional parliament.
history
With the passing of new legislation on the use of language in administrative matters in Belgium and the associated creation of the German-speaking area in 1962–1963, the foundation stone for the later emergence of the German-speaking community was laid.
The first state reform in 1968–1971 gave the German cultural community, as the German-speaking community was still called, its own representative body, the Council of the German Cultural Community (RdK). As the forerunner of today's parliament, however, it was only authorized to exercise ordinances, that is, legal decisions without legislative value, within the framework of national cultural legislation. The first RdK meeting took place on October 23, 1973, while the first direct elections were held on March 10, 1974. The RdK was thus the first state assembly in Belgium to be composed of directly elected members. In fact, the councils of the Flemish and French cultural communities - today the Flemish Community and the French Community - were composed only of indirectly elected mandataries, i.e. the respective Flemish and French-speaking members of the Chamber and Senate . At that time, however, there was no German-speaking executive.
The second major state reform from 1980 to 1983 gave the German-speaking community the power to decree in cultural and personal matters as well as in inter-community and international relations. At the same time, the German-speaking community set up its own government (then an executive branch). Since then it has also been allowed to exercise regional powers in agreement with the Walloon Region . By a law of December 31, 1983, the cultural community finally became a community. As a result, the newly created Council of the German-speaking Community (RDG) was set up on January 30, 1984, and the first community government was elected on the same day .
An amendment to the Belgian Constitution of July 9, 2004 finally ensured that all previous regional and community councils in Belgium were given the designation "Parliament".
Seat
The seat of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community has been in the so-called " Sanatorium " Eupens since October 18, 2013 , which is next to the main building of the Belgian Broadcasting Corporation (BRF) and opposite the Kehrwegstadion , the home stadium of KAS Eupen .
The sanatorium building was built from 1915 to 1917 and was originally intended to serve as a climatic health resort on behalf of the "German Society for Merchant Recreational Homes". After Eupen became Belgian as a result of the First World War , the merchant company sold the building to the Belgian National Association against Tuberculosis . From 1922 he used it as a sanatorium for lung patients. After Eupens was annexed in the course of the western campaign , the building was transferred back to the Kaufmannsgesellschaft in 1941, which opened the “Rheinische Ferienheim Eupen” there as part of the “ Strength through Joy ” program. From 1942 the premises were converted into a military hospital (first German, then American). After the war, in 1947 the property became a university sanatorium, which treated students from Belgian universities with lung disease and later private patients. However, the sanatorium had to be closed due to insufficient patient occupancy, so that the Belgian state bought the building in 1965 and set up a teaching facility there, namely the State Technical Institute (STI). In 1977 the STI - today the Robert Schumann Institute (RSI) - moved to Vervierser Straße in Eupen, while the sanatorium building was used as a boarding school from then on until 2007 . It was then renovated and a plenary hall was added to meet its new function as a parliament building.
Before the parliament of the German-speaking community moved into the sanatorium, it was located in a building on the Kaperberg in Eupen, which was built in 1812 for a Eupen cloth manufacturer and has housed the institution since 1973.
composition
General
The German Community Parliament is composed of 25 deputies, who every five years - the same time as the European elections - directly elected are.
In addition, the following mandataries are legally considered advisory members of Parliament, i.e. without a decisive vote:
- the members of the Chamber of Deputies elected in the Verviers constituency and the members of the Walloon Parliament who are resident in the German-speaking area and who have taken the constitutional oath exclusively or primarily in German;
- the senators elected by the French electoral college and the senators elected by the senate, provided that they meet the same conditions;
- members of the Provincial Council of Liège Province elected in the electoral district of Eupen , provided they meet the same conditions;
- the member of the European Parliament elected in the German-speaking constituency who is domiciled in the German-speaking area.
There are currently 8 advisory mandataries in the Parliament of the German-speaking Community.
Electoral system
The 25 members of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community are elected by the voters of the communities that belong to the so-called German-speaking area , i.e. the communities of Amel , Büllingen , Burg-Reuland , Bütgenbach , Eupen , Kelmis , Lontzen , Raeren and Sankt Vith . The German-speaking area is thus the only constituency for elections to the community parliament.
The following conditions must be met in order to be able to participate in the election ( active voting rights ):
- have Belgian citizenship,
- be at least 18 years old,
- be entered in the population register of a municipality in the German-speaking area,
- are not in one of the legal grounds for exclusion (such as a sentence of more than four months in prison).
As in all elections in Belgium, voting is compulsory. Each voter has one vote, which he can either give to the entire list ("head vote"), or which he can distribute to the candidates on a list in order to influence the internal order of the candidates on a list ("preferred vote").
The seats are distributed proportionally according to the so-called D'Hondt procedure , named after the Belgian legal scholar Victor D'Hondt (1841–1901). In order to be included in this calculation, the list must contain at least 5% of the votes cast since 2004 (see threshold clause ).
MPs
To become a member of the parliament of the German-speaking community ( passive right to vote ) four conditions must be met:
- have Belgian citizenship,
- be at least 18 years old,
- be entered in the population register of a municipality in the German-speaking area,
- are not in one of the legal grounds for exclusion.
Before MPs can take office, they must take the constitutional oath (“I swear to follow the constitution”).
The office of MP is incompatible with certain other functions. It is not possible to be a member of parliament and hold a ministerial office at the same time.
MEPs also enjoy a certain parliamentary immunity . The right to freedom of expression, which is already anchored in the constitution as a fundamental right, is strengthened for parliamentarians. The criminal liability of parliamentarians is also subject to special provisions in the constitution. Unless discovered in the act, an MP can only be arrested with the permission of Parliament. An MP who is being prosecuted can at any time ask Parliament to suspend the prosecution. These guarantees are only valid during the session periods.
Functions
Vote of confidence
In any democratic system, a government can only exist if it can rely on a parliamentary majority. This is done by reading the government statement and then asking for confidence . The members of the government are elected by parliament; the ministers are solely responsible to parliament.
Community legislation
Parliament, together with the government, exercises the legislative power of the community. This happens through the adoption of common legal norms, the so-called decrees. These are usually passed with an absolute majority (50% + 1, i.e. at least 13 MPs) of the votes cast, with a majority of MPs (50% + 1) present. The decrees of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community are published in German in the Belgian State Gazette with a translation in French and Dutch and in German in the Memorial of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community .
In addition to the government, all MPs have the right of initiative and can submit decree proposals.
Government and budget control
The government of the German-speaking Community has to answer for its policy before parliament and the members of the government have to answer questions. The initially expressed confidence can be withdrawn by Parliament at any time, either through a constructive vote of no confidence in which Parliament proposes a successor government or a successor minister, or through a rejected vote of confidence.
The control of the government also includes the control of the individual ministers. Parliament can therefore require individual members of the government to be present.
In addition, the parliament alone is authorized to approve the annual budget for the income and expenditure of the German-speaking community and to control budget implementation by the government. It is supported in this by the Court of Auditors .
Finally, the parliament of the German-speaking Community has the right to investigate. This means that Parliament can set up a committee of inquiry that has the same powers as an investigating judge.
Others
The parliament of the German-speaking community elects a member from among its members who meets in the federal senate as a so-called community senator. Since the fourth reform of the state (1993), the Senate has in fact been assigned the role of a “place of meeting of communities and regions ” in the federal state of Belgium, where the other constituent states of Belgium are also represented. The current Senator of the German-speaking Community is Karl-Heinz Lambertz ( SP ).
The parliament of the German-speaking Community can also, sometimes at the request of the federal authority, draw up various opinions and reports, for example on language legislation or state reform . It can also accept petitions.
Finally, Parliament also appoints the ombudsman for the German-speaking Community introduced in 2009 . The ombudsman is appointed for a term of six years. His mandate can be renewed once.
Prize of Parliament
Since 1976 the parliament has been awarding a prize for works published in writing in the German language, which deal with the fields of literature, local history, architecture, spatial and landscape planning, linguistics, archival and library science as well as biographies, economics, political science and law, human sciences and art and Culture can be assigned. The prize is awarded annually in two of these ten subject areas in a five-year cycle and must deal with a topic from the German-speaking area of Belgium. Only in the field of literature is it sufficient if the author is Belgian himself. Author groups can also join forces under certain conditions. The endowment of the prize varies and is determined by the Presidium, approved by Parliament and entered in the budget. Prize winners can only take part in the competition after ten years with a new work. Previously known award winners include the historians Henri Michel (1986), Carlo Lejeune (1991, 1997) and Peter M. Quadflieg (2012).
organization
Bureau
The parliament of the German-speaking Community is chaired by its president, who is elected every five years at the beginning of the legislative period. It traditionally comes from the government majority, but usually acts in a non-partisan way. The President chairs the plenary session, ensures order in the assembly and compliance with the rules of procedure. He also chairs the Presidium.
The Presidium is formed from the parliamentary groups according to the system of proportional representation. At the opening of the session, Parliament appoints a President, a first Vice-President, a second Vice-President, a third Vice-President, a fourth Vice-President and a first secretary, a second secretary and a third secretary, who together make up the Bureau form. The Presidium prepares the sessions of the parliament and is responsible for the implementation of all measures necessary for the parliament.
Alexander Miesen has once again been President of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community since September 19, 2016 .
The former chairmen are:
- 1973–1976: Johann Weynand (CSP)
- 1977–1981: Albert Gehlen (CSP)
- 1981–1985: Manfred Betsch (CSP)
- 1985–1990: Kurt Ortmann (CSP)
- 1990–1994: Mathieu Grosch (CSP)
- 1994–1999: Manfred Schunck (CSP)
- 1999-2004: Alfred Evers (PFF)
- 2004–2010: Louis Siquet (SP)
- 2010–2013: Ferdel Schröder (PFF)
- 2013–2014: Alexander Miesen (PFF)
- 2014–2016: Karl-Heinz Lambertz (SP)
- 2016–2019: Alexander Miesen (PFF)
Committees
The work of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community takes place in the plenary session and in the various committees. There are several types of committees:
-
Standing committees : The name of the committees, their area of responsibility within the framework of the competences of the parliament and their composition are determined by the parliament on the proposal of the presidium. The standing committees are:
- Committee I on general policy, local authorities, spatial planning, sustainable development, petitions, finance and cooperation
- Committee II on Culture, Employment, Economic Development and Rural Development
- Committee III on Education, Training, Child Care and Adult Education
- Committee IV on Health, Social Affairs, Housing and Energy
- Committee V for the control of the electoral expenditure and the notifications of the public authorities of the German-speaking community
- Special committees : Parliament can set up special committees whenever it deems it necessary.
- Committees of inquiry : see above (“Government Control”).
- Sub-committees and working groups : Sub-committees or working groups can be set up within the committees to deal with a particular project or subject. Example: the subcommittee on state reform.
Parliament administration
The Parliament of the German-speaking Community has its own administration that does the administrative background work. Under the responsibility of the Greffier or the Secretary General of Parliament, the following services supported the Bureau:
- General Secretariat
- Service meetings
- Service expertise and publications
- Administration service
- Public relations and documentation service
Election results
Current parliament
The current parliament of the German-speaking community was put together on June 17, 2019 after the community elections on May 26, 2019 .
The ProDG emerged from the polls as the strongest parliamentary group. While the Christian Socialists (CSP), the Socialists (SP) and above all the Liberals (PFF) made significant losses, ProDG, Ecolo and Vivant emerged as the big winners of the election.
The outgoing coalition of the SP, PFF and ProDG agreed a few days after the election to continue the alliance, led by ProDG. The CSP remains in the opposition, in which it has been since 1999.
| Election to the Parliament of the German-speaking Community 2019 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party | be right | Seats | |||||
| number | % | +/- | number | +/- | % | ||
| ProDG | 9,146 | 23.33 | 1.13 | 6th | 24.00 | ||
| Christian Social Party (CSP) | 9,069 | 23.14 | 1.72 | 6th | 1 | 24.00 | |
| Socialist Party (SP) | 5,820 | 14.85 | 1.23 | 4th | 16.00 | ||
| Vivant | 5,807 | 14.81 | 4.20 | 3 | 1 | 12.00 | |
| Ecolo | 4,902 | 12.51 | 2.96 | 3 | 1 | 12.00 | |
| PFF - MR | 4,454 | 11.36 | 4.18 | 3 | 1 | 12.00 | |
| Valid votes | 39.198 | 92.22 | |||||
| Invalid votes | 3,305 | 7.78 | |||||
| Votes cast | 42.503 | 100.00 | - | 25th | 100.00 | ||
| Number of eligible voters and turnout | 49,441 | 85.97 | 0.41 | ||||
Allocation of seats since 1974
| Legislative period | CSP | PFF | SP | PJU-PDB | ProDG | Ecolo | SEP | Vivant | coalition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-1974 | 13 | 6th | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | (1) |
| 1974-1977 | 12 | 4th | 3 | 6th | - | - | - | - | (1) |
| 1977-1988 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 7th | - | - | - | - | (1) |
| 1978-1981 | 11 | 4th | 3 | 7th | - | - | - | - | (1) |
| 1981-1986 | 9 | 6th | 3 | 7th | - | - | - | - | CSP + PFF + SP |
| 1986-1990 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 5 | - | 1 | 1 | - | CSP + PFF |
| 1990-1995 | 8th | 5 | 4th | 4th | - | 4th | - | - | CSP + PFF + SP |
| 1995-1999 | 10 | 5 | 4th | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | CSP + SP |
| 1999-2004 | 9 | 6th | 4th | 3 | - | 3 | - | 0 | PFF + SP + Ecolo |
| 2004-2009 | 8th | 5 | 5 | 3 | - | 2 | - | 2 | PFF + SP + PJU-PDB |
| 2009-2014 | 7th | 4th | 5 | - | 4th | 3 | - | 2 | SP + PFF + ProDG |
| 2014-2019 | 7th | 4th | 4th | - | 6th | 2 | - | 2 | ProDG + SP + PFF |
| 2019-2024 | 6th | 3 | 4th | - | 6th | 3 | - | 3 | ProDG + SP + PFF |
(1) From 1973 to 1983 the Council of the German Cultural Community (RdK) did not have an executive, so it was not necessary to form a coalition of its own; the unofficial majority in the RdK corresponded to the coalition that formed the government at the national level.
("-" = did not take part in the election; "0" = failed to enter parliament)
See also
- Political system of Belgium
- Government of the German-speaking Community
- Ministry of the German-speaking Community
literature
- S. Thomas: David versus Goliath? The (power) relationship between parliament and government of the German-speaking community . In: K. Stangherlin (Ed.): La Communauté germanophone de Belgique - The German-speaking Community of Belgium . La Charte, Brussels 2005, ISBN 2-87403-137-2 , pp. 287-319 .
- F. Berge, A. Grasse : Belgium - disintegration or federal future model? The Flemish-Walloon conflict and the German-speaking community (= regionalization in Europe, Volume 3 ). Leske and Budrich, Opladen 2003, ISBN 3-8100-3486-X , p. 173-178 .
Web links
- pdg.be - Official website of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community
- dg-ombudsmann.be - Official website of the ombudsman of the German-speaking community
Individual evidence
- ↑ FPS Home Affairs: Election 2014. Accessed June 1, 2014 .
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - Institutional Development. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - formerly a sanatorium. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Article 8, § 1 of the law of December 31, 1983 on institutional reforms for the German-speaking community ( BS January 18, 1984). See also: dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - MPs. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Articles 116–117 of the (coordinated) constitution and Article 6, § 1 of the law of 6 July 1990 regulating the modalities for the election of the Council of the German-speaking Community ( BS July 20, 1990).
- ↑ Article 8, § 4 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - advisory mandataries. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Article 8, § 2 of the law of December 31, 1983. See also: dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - electoral mode. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Article 3 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 3 of the law of July 6, 1990.
- ↑ Article 4, § 1 of the law of July 6, 1990.
- ↑ Article 44 and 45 of the law of July 6, 1990.
- ↑ Article 43bis of the law of July 6, 1990.
- ↑ Article 5, § 1 of the law of July 6, 1990.
- ↑ Article 13 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 119 of the Constitution and Article 11bis of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 11ter of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 58 u. 120 of the Constitution.
- ↑ Article 59 and 120 of the Constitution.
- ↑ Article 122 of the Constitution and Article 60 of the special law of August 8, 1980 on institutional reform ( BS August 15, 1980) and Article 49 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 70 of the special law of August 8, 1980 u. Article 51 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 17 of the special law of August 8, 1980 u. Article 5, § 1 of the law of December 31, 1983. See also: dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - decree. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Article 35 of the special law of August 8, 1980 u. Article 44 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 47 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 132 of the Constitution.
- ↑ Article 70 of the special law of August 8, 1980 u. Article 51 of the law of December 31, 1983. See also: dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - election and control of the government. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Articles 71-72 of the special law of August 8, 1980 and Article 51 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 37 of the Special Act of August 8, 1980 u. Article 44 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 50 of the special law of January 16, 1989 on the financing of communities and regions ( BS January 17, 1989) and Article 60bis of the law of December 31, 1983. See also: dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - budget. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Article 40 of the special law of August 8, 1980 u. Article 44 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 67, § 1, Paragraph 1, No. 5 of the Constitution.
- ↑ Article 78 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 41 of the special law of August 8, 1980 u. Article 44 of the law of December 31, 1983.
- ↑ Article 6 of the decree of May 26, 2009 creating the office of an ombudsman for the German-speaking community ( BS October 7, 2009). See also: dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - Ombudsman in the German-speaking Community. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - The Parliament's Prize. Retrieved November 10, 2014 .
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Prize winners since 1976. Accessed on November 10, 2014 .
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - The President of Parliament. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Article 9 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community.
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - Presidium tasks. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Rule 4 of the Rules of Procedure.
- ↑ Rule 8 of the Rules of Procedure.
- ↑ Alexander Miesen at senat.be , accessed on March 2, 2017
- ↑ Rules 14-29 of the Rules of Procedure.
- ↑ dgparlament.be: Parliament of the German-speaking Community - tasks and organization of parliamentary administration. Retrieved April 1, 2014 .
- ↑ Rule 76 of the Rules of Procedure.
- ↑ Results in numbers. In: elections2019.belgium.be. May 27, 2019, accessed May 27, 2019 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 37 ′ 27.1 ″ N , 6 ° 2 ′ 38.2 ″ E