Central-local relations in Belgium: A tale of divergence

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Central-local relations in Belgium A tale of
divergence

• Ellen Wayenberg Filip De Rynck
• University College Ghent

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WORKING POINTS

• BELGIUMS DIVERGING LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS
• FLANDERS DIVERGING MULTI-GOVERNMENTAL
  ARRANGEMENTS

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BELGIUMS DIVERGING LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS

• Belgiums complex institutional framework
• Federalization from local governments viewpoint
• Its impact upon Belgiums local government system
• Potential path of development of the local
  government systems
• Local governments discretion and access

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Belgiums complex institutional framework
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Federalization from local governments viewpoint

• Creation of a new layer of central governments
• communities person-oriented competencies
• regions territory-oriented competencies
• Regionalization of the competency for several of
  the cornerstones of the local government system
• supervision over local government (1980)
• the municipal fund (1988)
• the basic local government legislation (2001)

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Impact upon Belgiums local government system

• Belgium classified as disposing over a uniform
  local government system in international studies
• Local government system of the Southern European
  or the Franco type
• low level of local discretion
• high level of (direct) local access
• Uniformity or divergence in Belgiums local
  government system?

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Potential path of development of the local
government systems
Type of LG system Variable Southern European Northern European
Local governments discretion Low(-er) High(-er)
Local governments (direct) access High(-er) Low(-er)
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Local governments discretion

• Evolution captured by focussing upon
• Central supervision over local government
• the Flemish region steps towards more local
  discretion
• restricted exercise of opportunity control
• reduced number of local decisions subject to ex
  ante control
• the Walloon and Brussels-Capital region
  preservation of the ancient regime of
  far-reaching central supervision over local
  government

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Local governments discretion

• Central funding of local government
• earmarked subsidies as a more important source of
  local income in the Walloon and the
  Brussels-Capital Region than in the Flemish
  region
• Central regulation of local governments tasks
• frequent use of the intergovernmental policy
  agreement or contract in the Flemish region
  allowing to arrange local task implementation in
  a bilateral way versus primarily top-to-down task
  regulation in the Walloon and the
  Brussels-Capital region

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Local governments discretion

• Central regulation of local governments
  administrative and political organisation
• NPM thinking on the part of the Flemish region
  when regulating LGs administrative organisation,
  allowing the latter more discretion versus no
  traces of NPM thinking on the part of the
  Walloon and the Brussels-Capital region
• no outspoken regional divide as far as the
  political organisation is concerned

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Local governments access

• Evolution captured by focussing upon
• direct local access to central government
• practice of dual mandates still prevalent in all
  three regions / tempered impact of this practice
  in the Flemish region by the increased use of
  intergovernmental contracts
• indirect local access to central government
• no formal procedures for this kind of access in
  the three regions though more prevalent in the
  Flemish than in the Walloon and the
  Brussels-Capital region

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Conclusion

• Belgiums federalization a tale of divergence
  as far as the local government system is
  concerned
• Regional divide coincides with language (area)
  divide
• the Flemish Region evolution into the direction
  of a northern european system
• the Walloon and Brussels-Capital region
  preservation of the traditional southern european
  system