conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgiumconventional short form: Belgium
local long form: Royaume de Belgique
local short form: Belgique
Data code: BE
Type of government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Flemish: provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen note: constitutional reforms passed by Parliament in 1993 increased the number of provinces to 10 by splitting the province of Brabant into two new provinces, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant
Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King LEOPOLD
to the throne in 1831)
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993;
parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state
Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993) is a
constitutional monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March
1992) was appointed by the king and then approved by Parliament
cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the king and approved by Parliament
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament Senate (Flemish - Senaat French - Senat): elections last held 21 May 1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (71 total, 40 directly elected; 31 will be indirectly elected at a later date) CVP 7, SP 6, VLD 6, VU 2, AGALEV 1, VB 3, PS 5, PRL 5, PSC 3, ECOLO 2; note - before the 1995 elections, there were 184 seats Chamber of Deputies(Flemish - Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordig: elections last held 21 May 1995 (next to be held by the end of 1999); results - CVP 17.2%, PS 11.9%, SP 12.6%, VLD 13.1%, PRL 10.3%, PSC 7.7%, VB 7.8%, VU 4.7%, ECOLO 4.0%, AGALEV 4.4%, FN 2.3%; seats - (150 total) CVP 29, PS 21, SP 20, VLD 21, PRL 18, PSC 12, VB 11, VU 5, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, FN 2; note - before the 1995 elections, there were 212 seats
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish - Hof van
Cassatie, French - Cour de Cassation), judges are appointed for life
by the Belgian monarch
Political parties and leaders: Flemish Christian Democrats (CVP -
Christian People's Party), Johan VAN HECKE, president; Francophone
Christian Democrats (PSC - Social Christian Party), Gerard DEPREZ,
president; Flemish Socialist Party (SP), Louis TOBBACK, president;
Francophone Socialist Party (PS), Philippe BUSQUIN, president;
Flemish Liberal Democrats (VLD), Herman DE CROO, president;
Francophone Liberal Reformation Party (PRL), Louis MICHEL,
president; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Olivier MAINGAIN,
president; Volksunie (VU), Bert ANCIAUX, president; Vlaams Blok
(VB), Karel DILLEN, chairman; National Front (FN), Daniel FERET,
president; AGALEV (Flemish Greens), no president; ECOLO (Francophone
Greens), no president; other minor parties
Other political or pressure groups: Christian and Socialist Trade
Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other
associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class
artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various
organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and
Wallonia; various peace groups such as the Flemish Action Committee
Against Nuclear Weapons and Pax Christi
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AG
(observer), AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN,
EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR,
NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCRO,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNPROFOR, UNRWA,
UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Andre ADAM
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333–6900
FAX: [1] (202) 333–3079
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. BLINKEN
embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels
mailing address: APO AE 09724, PSC 82, Box 002, Brussels
telephone: [32] (2) 508–2111
FAX: [32] (2) 511–2725
Flag: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow,
and red; the design was based on the flag of France
Economy———
Economic overview: This small private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although the government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region of Walloon. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Two-thirds of its trade is with other EU countries. The economy grew at a strong 4% annual pace during the period 1988–90, slowed
