See also: Flanders

The Flemish Communauté is one of the three constitutional communities of the Belgium.

It is the official institution of the Flanders, the political community consisted all the inhabitants of the Flemish Région and the inhabitants of the Région of Brussels-Capital which are Dutch-speaking (they represent a minority of the population of Brussels). Because of the demographic absence of census (the last one goes back to 1947), it is difficult to know with precision the exact number of Dutch-speaking which Brussels account except for the thousand, and thus, therefore, to determine exactly how much there is Flemings.

However, the generally allowed estimates give a report on 10 to 15% Dutch-speaking in the Area of Brussels-Capital. In other words, approximately 100.000 Inhabitants of Brussels (out of 1 million inhabitants) are the Dutch-speaking ones.

Since there is 6 million Flemings in Belgium, the Flemings of Brussels-Capital thus represent 1,5 to 2% of the full number of Flemings .

The Flemings decided, with the help of a decision in consensus with the Flemish Parlement:

• not to organize their regional institutions and to make excercer regional competences by the Community (elected officials Of Brussels Dutch-speaking not having however the right to vote for the Flemish regional businesses), and
• to establish their capital and the principal institutions with Brussels, city located apart from the territory of the Flemish Area.

Many French-speaking people are strongly irritated by this unanimous choice Flemings. This choice of Brussels arises from the autonomy of the institutions envisaged by the Belgian constitution. The Flemish institutions justify this choice by the concern of underlining the unit of the Flemish community and the support of the whole of this community for the Flemings of Brussels.

Flemings and their language, Dutch

The official language of the Flemish Community is Dutch. In certain communes on the border between the areas, the common to linguistic facilities, the French-speaking citizens are entitled to the local French public services, including the schools.

Certain French-speaking people still use the Flemish term when they want to speak about the language that the Flemings speak. It is an erroneous use, insofar as the Flemings, just like the Netherlanders, are Dutch-speaking). The idiom spoken in Flanders follows the same grammatical rules that with the Netherlands, uses (almost) the same vocabulary and division the same literature. It is about the “ Algemeen Nederlands ” ( YEAR ) whose integrity and promotion are ensured by the official organization Fleming-Dutch “ Nederlandse Taalunie ” (“Union of the language Dutchwoman”).

From the Linguistic point of view, the Flemish is, at most, the common denominator of the dialects of Dutch spoken in Flanders, whereas the Dutch is the official language and academic common to the Flemings and the Netherlanders. The 4 principal Flemish dialects (or groups dialects, to take account of the local alternatives) are the brabançon, the Limbourgeois, the Eastern Flemish and the Flemish Westerner. Still let us specify that the Flemish dialects are extremely different between them.

For a thorough article on the questions and stakes of the language, to see the detailed article Community Problems in Belgium.

Bonds on the Flanders

• website Vlaamse overheid site of the Flemish authority (partially in French, German and English).
• Flanders one line (information in English, French, German and Dutch)
• Toerisme Vlaanderen Tourism in Flanders (site available in English, French).
• Vlaams Parliament Flemish Parliament (only in Dutch, but of the translations in various languages are under development).
• Vlaamse regering Flemish Government.
• Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie (VGC) Flemish Community Commission (in Dutch only).
• radio operator Vlaamse in Televisie VRT: radio and Flemish public television.
• Dag Vlaanderen

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