Belgian structure.

Monarchy: At the top of our country, there is a king called Filip I. His role is more symbolic than ever before. He symbolises the unity and permanence of the nation and is also a mediator in the political field as this is a role where caution and discretion are required (Belgian Federal Government, 2016).

Federal state: we have one overall government and parliament for Belgium as a whole and these powers are related to public interest, such as: public finances, the judicial system, social security, … 3 Regions: each one has its own government and parliament their powers are related to their region/territory such as: economy, employment, water policy, energy, environment, …

3 Communities: each one has again its own government and parliament, only the Flemish one has fused with their regional one. Their powers are related to language, such as: culture, education, …

These governments and parliaments are all equal from a legal perspective. 6 parliaments and 6 governments for a small country like ours

10 Provinces: responsible for everything in its territory that is of provincial interest, anything which needs to be done in the interests of the province and which does not fit into the powers of one of the institutions from above. For example: highways and waterways

589 Communes: a commune can do anything that is not prohibited from doing, as long as it has to do with ‘communal interest’, the collective needs of the inhabitants (Belgian Federal Government, 2016).