Flemish Government


The Flemish Government is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, and the public administration divided into 13 policy areas, each with an executive department and multiple agencies.
The Flemish Government cabinet consists of up to a maximum of eleven ministers, chosen by the Flemish Parliament. At least one minister must come from Brussels. The ministers are drawn from the political parties which, in practice, form the governing coalition. The Government is chaired by the Flemish Minister-President. Ministers head executive departments of the government administration. Ministers must defend their policies and performance in person before the Flemish Parliament. The Flemish Government must receive and keep the confidence of the Flemish Parliament.
Until 1993 the Flemish Government was called the Flemish Executive.

Cabinet composition

Jambon">Jambon Government">Jambon (2019-current)

Homans">Homans Government">Homans (2019)

Bourgeois">Bourgeois Government">Bourgeois (2014-2019)

Peeters II">Peeters II Government">Peeters II (2009-2014)

Following the 7 June 2009 election, CD&V, N-VA and SP.A parties formed a coalition.

Leterme I/Peeters I (2004-2009)

Following the 2004 election, /, / and parties formed a coalition.
The composition at the end of the legislature:

Dewael I (1999-2003)/Somers I (2003-2004)

After the regional elections of 1999, a coalition of VLD, SP, Agalev and the VU was formed with Patrick Dewael as Minister-President.
After the federal elections of June 2003, Patrick Dewael resigned as Minister-President and went to the federal political level. He was succeeded by Bart Somers as Flemish Minister-President until the end of term in 2004. Due to changes in political parties, the coalition was different:
After the regional elections of 1995, a coalition of CVP and SP was formed.
MinisterNameParty
Minister-President, Foreign Policy, European Affairs, Science and TechnologyLuc Van den BrandeCVP
Vice-Minister-President, Education and Public AdministrationLuc Van den BosscheSP
Environment and LabourTheo KelchtermansCVP
Finance, Budget and Health PolicyWivina DemeesterCVP
Public Works, Transport and Spatial PlanningEddy BaldewijnsSP
Economy, SME, Agriculture and MediaEric Van RompuyCVP
Home Affairs, Urban Policy and HousingLeo PeetersSP
Culture, Family Policy and WelfareLuc MartensCVP
Brussels Affairs and Equal en Equal Opportunities PolicyAnne Van AsbroeckSP

List of Flemish Minister-Presidents

NamePeriodPartyComments
1974 – 1981CVPOnly of Flemish Community
Gaston Geens22 December 1981 – 21 January 1992CVP
Luc Van den Brande21 February 1992 – 1999CVP
Patrick Dewael 13 July 1999 – 5 June 2003VLD
Bart Somers11 June 2003 – 20 July 2004VLD
Yves Leterme20 July 2004 – 28 June 2007CD&V
Kris Peeters28 June 2007 – 25 July 2014CD&V
Geert Bourgeois25 July 2014 – 2 July 2019N-VA
Liesbeth Homans2 July 2019 – 2 October 2019N-VA
Jan Jambon2 October 2019 – presentN-VA

Administration

The Flemish administration denotes the Flemish civil service. With the 2006 reform program Better Administrative Policy, the Flemish civil service is designed to make the Flemish public administration more efficient and transparent.
The tasks of the Flemish public administration are now organised in 13 policy areas. Each policy area comprises a department and a number of independent government agencies. Only those with their own article are mentioned below.
The 11 policy areas are:
  1. Public Governance and the Chancellery
  2. Foreign Affairs
  3. * Liaison Agency Flanders-Europe
  4. * Flanders Investment and Trade
  5. Finance and Budget
  6. Education and Training
  7. Economy, Science and Innovation
  8. * Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology
  9. * Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen
  10. * National Botanic Garden of Belgium
  11. Culture, Youth, Sport and Media
  12. * Agency for the Promotion of Physical Development, Sport and the Outdoor Recreation
  13. * Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
  14. Welfare, Public Health and Family
  15. * Care Inspectorate
  16. Agriculture and Fisheries
  17. Work and Social Economy
  18. Mobility and Public Works
  19. * Flemish Transport Company "De Lijn"
  20. Environment
  21. * Flemish Energy Agency
  22. * Immovable Heritage
Several other institutes, such as the Flemish Opera and the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, were not incorporated into the above structure.
Every year, the Minister-President presents the current state of affairs in Flanders and the Government's plans for next year during the September Declaration on the fourth Monday in September.

Budget

The below figures use the 2018 budget as example, which had €44.7 billion in expenses and €42.3 billion in revenue.
The revenue comes from the following sources:
The expenses are as follows per policy area:
€13.2 billionEducation and TrainingMostly wages of education personnel
€12.1 billionWelfare, Public Health and FamilyE.g. child benefits
€3.96 billionChancellery and GovernanceMostly funds for local governments
€3.69 billionWork and Social EconomyMostly service vouchers
€3.67 billionMobility and Public WorksMostly the public transportation company De Lijn and road infrastructure and road safety
€2.52 billionFinances and BudgetMostly financial incentives for private property
€2.04 billionSpatialE.g. management of immovable heritage and sustainable energy
€1.66 billionEconomy, Science and InnovationSupporting entrepreneurship, scientific research and innovation
€1.29 billionCulture, Youth, Sports and MediaMostly the public broadcaster VRT and sports
€0.19 billionAgriculture and FisheriesMostly the Agriculture Investment Fund
€0.17 billioninternational FlandersTourism, international entrepreneurship, development aid and international relations
€0.13 billionHigher EntitiesOperating costs of the ministerial cabinets and the Flemish Parliament

Projects

The Flemish Government owns the rights to , an English-speaking online and print newspaper focused on current affairs in Flanders and Brussels. The project was launched in 2007 by Geert Bourgeois – then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism -, for three main reasons:
In May 2017, the Flemish Government announced it wouldn’t be rebidding the Flanders Today project. Both the print and the online version of the paper are to be shut down in October 2017.