The French Community
Territory
In Wallonia, the French Community exercises its powers solely in the French linguistic region.
Competencies
The Community matters are education, cultural matters, social affairs and language use (except for some matters reserved top the Federal Authority).
However, on 1 January 1994 the French Community transferred the exercising of a part of its competencies to the Walloon Region, who now exercises them.
Political institutions
The political institutions of the French Community are the Parliament of the French Community and the Government of the French Community.
The Parliament of the French Community is composed of 94 members: the 75 Walloon members and 19 members elected by the French linguistic group of the Brussels Parliament. It adopts legislative acts : the decrees.
The Parliament of the French Community essentially exercises two functions :
- as an instrument of legislative power, it discusses and passes decrees, and can take the initiative to draw them up. Once passed, the decrees are sanctioned and promulgated by the Government of the French Community;
- as a control body of the executive power, it controls the Government of the French Community, which it is accountable to it. This control is exercised, in particular, via the vote on budgets and accounts, the vote on motions of confidence or no confidence, parliamentary questions, etc.
The Government of the French Community is composed of members elected by the Parliament of the French Community, not necessarily from within. Moreover, the members of this government can be members of the Walloon Government or of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.
The Government of the French Community participates in legislative power and like Parliament, it can take the initiative to draw up decrees. As an executive power, it issues the orders necessary for the application of the decrees.
The Government of the French Community is accountable to the Parliament of the French Community. Both are based in Brussels, the political capital of the French Community.
Source: www.crisp.be (Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques).