The regional Parliament

The Brussels Parliament is the legislative body of the Brussels-Capital Region. It drafts, discusses and votes on legislative texts (ordinances and regulations) in the areas for which the Brussels Region is responsible. It contributes to the financing of the main thrusts of regional policy and of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region.

The Brussels Parliament also approves regional budgets and supervises the Brussels-Capital Region Government, which is responsible for implementing regional policy. To this end, the Brussels Parliament can address the Ministers and Secretaries of State or vote motions of no confidence.

The Brussels Parliament is made up of 89 members, elected by universal suffrage every five years by Belgians of legal age living in the Brussels Region. The External linkregional MPs are divided into two groups: 72 MPs are elected on a French-speaking list and 17 on a Dutch-speaking list.

Parliament chooses the members of the Regional Government and the Regional Secretaries of State from among the elected MPs. The latter are then replaced in Parliament by their substitutes from the electoral list.

Part of the Parliament's work is carried out in plenary sessions, but it also works in committees. The Brussels Parliament has standing committees, each responsible for one or more of the Brussels Region's areas of competence.

NB: the Community Commissions are not part of the institutions of the Brussels-Capital Region, even though their councils and executives are made up of members of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region and the Government of the Brussels Region.