Editing Flanders (section)

== Government and politics ==
{{main|Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium}}
[[File:Kris Peeters 675.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kris Peeters]], former [[Minister-President of Flanders]], promoting [[Flanders in Action]]]]

Both the [[Flemish Community]] and the [[Flemish Region]] are constitutional institutions of the Kingdom of Belgium, exercising certain powers within their jurisdiction, granted following a series of [[state reform in Belgium|state reforms]]. In practice, the Flemish Community and Region together form a single body, with its own [[Flemish Parliament|parliament]] and [[Flemish Government|government]], as the Community legally absorbed the competences of the Region. The parliament is a directly elected legislative body composed of 124 representatives. The government consists of up to 11 members and is presided by a [[Minister-President of Flanders|Minister-President]], currently [[Geert Bourgeois]] ([[New Flemish Alliance]]) leading a coalition of his party (N-VA) with [[Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams]] (CD&V) and [[Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten]] (Open VLD).

The area of the Flemish Community is represented on the maps above, including the area of the [[Brussels-Capital Region]] (hatched on the relevant map). Roughly, the Flemish Community exercises competences originally oriented towards the individuals of the Community's language: culture (including audiovisual media), [[Flemish education|education]], and the use of the language. Extensions to personal matters less directly associated with language comprise sports, health policy (curative and preventive medicine), and assistance to individuals (protection of youth, social welfare, aid to families, immigrant assistance services, etc.)<ref name="fedgov2">{{cite web|title=The Communities|work=.be Portal|publisher=Belgian Federal Government|url=http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?origin=navigationBanner.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=indexPage&navId=2686|access-date=23 May 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184122/http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?origin=navigationBanner.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=indexPage&navId=2686|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>

The area of the Flemish Region is represented on the maps above. It has a population of more than 6 million (excluding the Dutch-speaking community in the Brussels Region, grey on the map for it is not a part of the Flemish Region). Roughly, the Flemish Region is responsible for territorial issues in a broad sense, including economy, employment, agriculture, water policy, housing, public works, energy, transport, the environment, town and country planning, nature conservation, credit, and foreign trade. It supervises the provinces, municipalities, and intercommunal utility companies.<ref name="fedgov3">{{cite web|title=The Regions|work=.be Portal|publisher=Belgian Federal Government|url=http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?origin=navigationBanner.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=indexPage&navId=2690|access-date=23 May 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184618/http://www.belgium.be/eportal/application?origin=navigationBanner.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=indexPage&navId=2690|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>

The number of Dutch-speaking [[Flemish people]] in the Capital Region is estimated to be between 11% and 15% (official figures do not exist as there is no language census and no official subnationality). According to a survey conducted by the [[Université catholique de Louvain|University of Louvain]] (UCLouvain) in [[Louvain-la-Neuve]] and published in June 2006, 51% of respondents from Brussels claimed to be bilingual, even if they do not have Dutch as their first language.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://regards.ires.ucl.ac.be/Archives/RE042.pdf Report of study by the Université Catholique de Louvain] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823190132/http://regards.ires.ucl.ac.be/Archives/RE042.pdf |date=23 August 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://taalunie.org/actueel|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313084633/http://taalunieversum.org/nieuws/1349/|url-status=dead|title=Taalunie|archivedate=13 March 2007|publisher=taalunie.org}}</ref> They are governed by the Brussels Region for economics affairs and by the Flemish Community for educational and cultural issues.

[[File:Brussels - Vlaams Parlement.jpg|thumb|The [[Flemish Parliament]]]]

As mentioned above, Flemish institutions such as the [[Flemish Parliament]] and [[Flemish Government|Government]], represent the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. The region and the community thus ''de facto'' share the same parliament and the same government. All these institutions are based in Brussels. Nevertheless, both types of subdivisions (the Community and the Region) still exist legally and the distinction between both is important for the people living in Brussels. Members of the Flemish Parliament who were elected in the Brussels Region cannot vote on affairs belonging to the competences of the Flemish Region.

The [[official language]] for all Flemish institutions is [[Dutch language|Dutch]]. French enjoys a limited official recognition in [[municipalities with language facilities|a dozen municipalities]] along the borders with French-speaking Wallonia, and a large recognition in the bilingual Brussels Region. French is widely known in Flanders, with 59% claiming to know French according to a survey conducted by [[Université catholique de Louvain|UCLouvain]] in [[Louvain-la-Neuve]] and published in June 2006.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://regards.ires.ucl.ac.be/Archives/RE042.pdf Report of study by Université Catholique de Louvain] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823190132/http://regards.ires.ucl.ac.be/Archives/RE042.pdf |date=23 August 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{in lang|nl}} [http://taalunieversum.org/nieuws/1349/ Taaluniversum.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313084633/http://taalunieversum.org/nieuws/1349/ |date=13 March 2007 }}, summarising report</ref>

=== Politics ===
{{Main|Politics of Flanders|Political parties in Flanders}}

Historically, the political parties reflected the [[pillarisation]] (''verzuiling'') in Flemish society. The traditional political parties of the three pillars are [[Christian-Democratic and Flemish]] (CD&V), the [[Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats]] (Open Vld) and the [[Socialist Party – Differently]] (sp.a).

However, during the last half century, many new political parties were founded in Flanders. One of the first was the nationalist [[People's Union (Belgium)|People's Union]], of which the right nationalist [[Vlaams Blok|Flemish Block]] (now [[Vlaams Belang|Flemish Interest]]) split off, and which later dissolved into the now-defunct Spirit or [[Social Liberal Party (Belgium)|Social Liberal Party]], moderate nationalism rather left of the spectrum, on the one hand, and the [[New Flemish Alliance]] (N-VA), more conservative but independentist, on the other hand. Other parties are the leftist alternative/ecological [[Groen!|Green]] party; the short-lived anarchistic libertarian spark [[ROSSEM]] and more recently the conservative-right liberal [[Lijst Dedecker|List Dedecker]], founded by [[Jean-Marie Dedecker]], and the socialist [[Workers' Party of Belgium|Workers' Party]].

Particularly the [[Flemish Block]]/[[Flemish Interest]] has seen electoral success roughly around the turn of the century, and the [[New Flemish Alliance]] during the last few elections, even becoming the largest party in the [[Belgian federal election, 2010|2010 federal elections]].

=== Flemish independence ===
{{Main|Flemish Movement}}
{{Pie chart
|caption = 2011 survey by ''[[Het Nieuwsblad]]'' and {{ill|Koppen (TV program)|lt=''Koppen''|nl|Koppen (televisieprogramma)}} on whether Flemings feel proud of their Belgian nationality.<ref name="survey">{{cite web|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/5a3gld44|title=Sire, er zijn toch nog Belgen|work=[[Het Nieuwsblad]]|access-date=2024-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605152716/https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/5a3gld44|archive-date=2017-06-05|url-status=live|date=2011-10-06|language=nl-be}}</ref>
|value1 = 20
|label1 = Very proud
|color1 = green
|value2 = 53
|label2 = Proud
|color2 = lime
|value3 = 18
|label3 = Not proud
|color3 = red
|value4 = 8
|label4 = Very not proud
|color4 = maroon
|other = 1
|other-label = No opinion
}}
[[File:Menen - Border crossing 1 cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Border crossing sign near [[Menen]].]]

For some inhabitants, Flanders is more than just a geographical area or the federal institutions (Flemish Community and Region). Supporters of the Flemish Movement even call it a nation and pursue Flemish independence, but most people (approximately 75%) living in Flanders say they are proud to be Belgian and opposed to the dissolution of Belgium. 20% is even ''very proud'', while some 25% are not proud and 8% is ''very not proud''. Mostly students claim to be proud of their nationality, with 90% of them saying so. Of the people older than 55, 31% claim to be proud of being a Belgian. Particular opposition to secession comes from women, people employed in [[Service (economics)|services]], the highest social classes and people from big families. Strongest of all opposing the notion are housekeepers—both housewives and house husbands.<ref name="survey"/>

In 2012, the Flemish government drafted a "Charter for Flanders" (''Handvest voor Vlaanderen'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/biblio/opendigibib/monografie/2012/280_handvest_voor_vlaanderen_20120524.pdf|title=Handvest voor Vlaanderen|website=vlaamsparlement.be|language=nl-be}}</ref> of which the first article says ''"Vlaanderen is een deelstaat van de federale Staat België en maakt deel uit van de Europese Unie."'' ("Flanders is a [[federated state|component state]] of the federal State of Belgium and is part of the European Union").