Consultative Committee (Belgium)

The Consultative Committee is an organ in which representatives of the various Belgian governments sit to consult and prevent or settle conflicts.

Due to the state reform, Belgium currently has 6 governments. In order to maintain some coherence in policy, it was necessary to create a body in which the various governments can meet regularly and consult. The Consultative Committee was set up for the purpose.

In the composition of this committee, a double parity is used: there are as many Flemish-speaking as French-speaking people and as many members of the federal government as of the governments of the communities and regions of Belgium. In concrete terms, the following people sit on the Consultative Committee

the prime minister, who chairs the meeting
five members of the federal government
de minister-president of Flanders
a minister of the Flemish Government
de minister-president of the French Community
de minister-president of Walloon
de minister-president of the Brussels Capital Region
a minister of the Brussels Capital Region government, of the language community the Prime Minister does not belong to (in practice, therefore, of the Dutch language group)
when a matter concerns the German-speaking Community of Belgium, the Minister-President of the German-speaking Community also attends the meeting

Decisions are made by consensus consensus.

For example, the Consultative Committee is important in preventing conflicts of competence and resolving conflicts of interest. The Consultative Committee also came to the fore in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it accompanied or took over decisions of the National Security Council,^[1] and again during the energy crisis.

Interministerial committees

The Consultative Committee can set up a specific Interministerial Conference (IMC) for consultation between federal and regional ministers of a policy area. A number of conferences were planned for 2015.^[2] At the Consultative Committee of 18 December 2020, the series was expanded as follows^[3]

Civil service and modernisation of public services
Labour market policy, socio-professional and social integration
Home affairs
Foreign policy
Foreign trade
Sustainable development
Economy, SMEs, self-employed and energy
Finance and budget
Urban policy, integration and housing
Institutional reforms
Prisons
Agricultural policy
Environment mobility,
Infrastructure and telecommunications
Combating racism
Statistics strategic
Investments safety and enforcement policy
Public health
Women's rights
Welfare, sports and family
Science policy and culture

References

^ "Overlegcomité beslist strengere maatregelen en duidt COVID-19 commissaris aan". Prime Minister of Belgium. 2020-10-06. Archived from the original on 2020-10-07. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
^ "Interministeriële conferenties". Résidence Palace. 2015-01-16. Archived from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
^ "Interministeriële conferentie volksgezondheid". Federal Public Service Health. 2020-12-18. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2021-01-19.

[oc6okt-1] "Overlegcomité beslist strengere maatregelen en duidt COVID-19 commissaris aan". Prime Minister of Belgium. 2020-10-06. Archived from the original on 2020-10-07. Retrieved 2020-10-07.

[2] "Interministeriële conferenties". Résidence Palace. 2015-01-16. Archived from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2018-02-09.

[inter-3] "Interministeriële conferentie volksgezondheid". Federal Public Service Health. 2020-12-18. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2021-01-19.

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