The Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region

The remit of the Brussels Parliament

The Brussels Parliament is the legislative body of the Brussels-Capital Region. It prepares, debates and votes on the laws (orders and regulations) in the areas of competence of the Brussels-Capital Region. It helps fund the main areas of regional policy, as well as the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.

The Brussels Parliament approves the regional budgets and oversees the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, which is tasked with implementing the regional policy. To this end the Brussels Parliament can demand to see ministers and secretaries of state or pass votes of no confidence.

Composition of the Parliament

The Brussels Parliament is made up of 89 members, elected by universal suffrage every five years by Belgian adults registered in one of the communes of the Brussels-Capital Region. The regional deputies are split into two groups: 72 parliamentarians are elected from a list for French speakers and 17 from a list for Dutch speakers.

The Parliament chooses the members of Government of the Brussels-Capital Region and the regional state secretaries from among the elected parliamentarians, who are then replaced by their substitutes on the electoral list.

Some of the work of the Parliament takes place in plenary session, while some work is done in committees. The Brussels Parliament has permanent committees, each one responsible for one or more competences of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Note: the Community Commissions are not institutions of the Brussels-Capital Region, although their councils and executive bodies are composed of members of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region and the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Informations updated on 25 November 2020