PREFACE
For many Chinese people, Belgium owes its fame to its capital, Brussels, and to a few of its typical national products such as chocolates, lace,
endive and beer. It would be incorrect to believe that the very positive image Belgium enjoys abroad rests solely on these few criteria. Belgium is more. It is home to the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE), the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and many other European and international institutions. Its foreign policy since the
end of the Second World War can be defined in a few words: attachment to European integration and to NATO, special attention to central Africa, and loyal partnership with the United States. Belgium is part of a major urban and
commercial axis and of a heavily urbanized zone extending from England to the north of Italy. Located in the north west of Europe, at the edge of the North Sea, Belgium, with its ten million people, is one of the most densely
populated and prosperous countries in the world. It occupies a central position in western Europe, between Germany, the Netherlands, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and France. But Belgium is also and above all a country greatly
attached to democratic values. By constitutionally recognizing three communities (the Flemish, the French and the German-speaking) and three regions (Flanders, Brussels-Capital and Wallonia), Belgium has become a modern and dynamic
federal State. Thanks to its excellent geographical location and its particularly well-developed communications networks, Belgium occupies a key position as the nerve center of European economic and city life. It thus amply
fulfills its vocation as "Capital of Europe".
A KINGDOM AND A FEDERAL STATE
The Belgian Monarchy Belgium has a hereditary constitutional monarchy. The King is the head of the state. According to the Constitution, the person of the King has immunity: his ministers are liable for him
before Parliament. Not a single deed by the King can have any consequence without its being countersigned by a minister. This provision places the King above religions and ideologies, above political persuasions and debates, and
above economic interest. At the same time the King is the guardian of the country's unity and independence. On July 31, 1993 H.M. King Baudouin, who had reigned for 42 years, died of heart failure in Motril, in the south of
Spain. His brother Albert took the constitutional oath on August 9, 1993 and ascended to the throne of Belgium, becoming the 6th King of the Belgians. Albert has been married to Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria since July 2, 1959.
The King and Queen have three children - Prince Philippe, born on April 15, 1960, Princess Astrid, who was born on June 5, 1962, and Prince Laurent, born on December 19, 1963. Princess Astrid is married to Archduke Lorenz of
Austria-Este, and they have four children: Prince Amedeo (born on February 21, 1986), Princess Maria Laura (born on August 26, 1988), Prince Joachim (born on December 9, 1991) and Princess Luisa Maria (born on October 11, 1995).
Since a recent constitutional reform, the throne is accessible to male and female members of the Royal family. The New Federal State of Belgium Belgium gained its independence in 1830. In recent years, the
country has rapidly evolved, through four institutional reforms ( in 1970, 1981, 1988-89 and 1993) into an efficient federal structure. Today, for the first time, the first article of the Belgian Constitution states: "Belgium
is a Federal State which consists of communities and regions" The decision-making power in Belgium is no longer exclusively in the hands of the Federal Government and the Federal Parliament. Now the management of the
country falls to several partners, equal in law, which exercise their responsibilities independently in different fields. The redistribution followed two broad lines. The first concerns linguistics and, more broadly, everything
relating to culture. It gave rise to the Communities, a concept which refers to the persons which make them up and to the bond which unites them, in this case language and culture. Belgium is situated at the junction between the
Latin and Germanic cultures. This explains why the country has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Thus Belgium has three Communities today, based on language: the Flemish Community, the French Community and the
German-speaking Community. These correspond to population groups. The second main line of the State reform is historically inspired by economic concerns, expressed by Regions which wanted to have more autonomous power. This gave
rise to the founding of three regions: the Flemish Region, the Brussels Capital Region and the Walloon Region. To some extent Belgian regions are similar to the American States or the German "Länder". The country is
further divided into ten provinces and 589 communes. The federal State retains important areas of competence including: foreign affairs, defense, justice, finances, social security, important sectors of public health and
domestic affairs, etc. The Regions and Communities are entitled to run foreign relations themselves in those areas where they have competence. Reconciling regional and cultural identity and federal structure is not an easy task,
but it does have the advantage of bringing the decision-making process closer to the people. The result is a more sharply defined political structure and greater emphasis on the quality of life.
THE REGIONS
The Flemish Region The Flemish Region covers 13,512 km2 and has a population of 5,824,628. With almost 431 inhabitants per square kilometer, the Flemish region represents one of the most densely populated
areas in the world. Flanders is an economic power boasting an exemplary communications structure: a network of modern motorways, two regional airports (Antwerp and Ostend), a railway network in the process of being modernized,
and its waterways and ports (Antwerp, the world's fourth port, Zeebrugge and Ghent), all very valuable assets. This Region contains the five Dutch-speaking provinces, namely: Antwerp, Limburg, East Flanders, West Flanders and
Flemish Brabant. The province of Antwerp is mainly characterized by its port complex and industrial areas, which represent a major source of employment and revenue for the province. The petrochemical industry, automobile
assembly and the diamond trade make a considerable contribution to its economic activity. Limburg hosts an important automobile assembly plant in Genk and important firms of the non-ferrous metallurgical industry. The economy
of East Flanders is based on four sectors: textiles, the metallurgical industry, the chemical industry and construction materials. East Flanders' agriculture consists mainly of cattle breeding and market gardening. The University
of Ghent is a leader in the field of biotechnology. Industry in West-Flanders is founded mainly on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES). 90 % of what they produce is intended for export. In the coastal area, tourism and
port activities form the most important sources of income. In Flemish Brabant, the main industrial activity is centered on the Halle-Vilvoorde district, near the capital Brussels. In the framework of its economic policy, the
Flemish Government has installed a system of industrial zones where many medium-sized companies specializing in leading edge technologies have set up business. Knowledge of languages has been a major contributory factor in placing
Flanders at the top of the list of European regions as regards exports per inhabitant. The Brussels-Capital Region Geographically speaking, the Brussels-Capital Region is an enclave of 162 km2 within the Flemish
region. As a Capital Region with a bilingual status, and 950,339 inhabitants, Brussels occupies a special place within the Federal State of Belgium. As headquarters of the European Commission, executive arm of the European
Union, and the European Parliament for its special sessions, Brussels contains a genuine European district, lying barely twelve kilometers from Brussels' international airport. This European district is home to a large number of
international institutions such as NATO, the Secretariat of the Benelux and WEU, etc. Brussels is also headquarters to a whole host of international organizations and companies and has the highest concentration of journalists,
competing with Washington, D.C. As the world's eighth financial center, Brussels is an important economic pivot. The Brussels Government is doing its utmost to accommodate light industry and advanced technology in the numerous
industrial business sectoral districts. In cooperation with its university centers, applied research is central to Brussels's economic policy. The priorities of the Government of the Brussels-Capital region include maintaining
and improving living standards, and facing up to the problem of emigration of residents, a problem affecting all Europe's capital cities. A program of urban renewal and construction of new housing has been set up for this purpose.
The greatest attention is now being given to town planning. The Brussels Government is also actively improving the infrastructure of public transport, telecommunications, housing, and the facilities of the European institutions.
The Walloon Region The Walloon Region covers an area of 16,844 km2 and has 3,293,352 inhabitants. It consists of the 5 French-speaking provinces of Hainaut, Namur, Liège, Luxembourg and Walloon Brabant. Europe's
major motorways run through the Walloon Region, a region which also includes a rail network (connecting it directly to the great North Sea ports and to Europe's main industrial regions), and two expanding airports, Brussels South
Charleroi Airport and Liège-Bierset. Wallonia is also criss-crossed by major waterways: the Sambre, the Meuse (linked to the Rhine and the Scheldt) and the Brussels-Charleroi canal. Walloon Brabant benefits from the pulling
power of the capital of Europe and therefore attracts investors, particularly in the field of new technologies. The University of Louvain-la-Neuve, which enjoys an outstanding international reputation, is also a magnet in the field
of high-level applied research. The province of Luxembourg is mainly oriented towards tourism, agriculture and the wood industry, but advanced industries are present here too, in the agri-foodstuffs sector. The provinces of
Hainaut and Liège are the two traditional industrial zones of the Walloon Region. Both had substantial coal reserves and were thus major players in the first industrial revolution. Today, both Hainaut and Liège are in the process
of thorough reconversion. Hainaut has a great many skilled workers, and follows a policy of welcoming new companies setting up business here. The aircraft construction sector is in full development. Liège is located in the
center of one of the busiest industrial zones in the world, the Rhine basin, and is recognized for the quality of its production in precision industries and of its manpower in leading edge sectors, such as the aerospace industry.
Namur is home to the region's political institutions. Wallonia is also an important agricultural center. Without compromising the quality of the region's traditional production, new fodder technologies have been developed here
in the field of agri-foodstuffs. Through animal selection, a new breed of cattle was reared, the famous Blanc Bleu Belge. The reputation of the Walloon researchers, laboratories and agricultural facilities extends beyond the
nation's borders. The same can be said for the quality of Walloon agricultural products, which are closely related to the excellent Belgian culinary tradition.
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