Skip to main content
Brussels Capital-Region - Homepage

Common Community Commission (COCOM)

The Common Community Commission (COCOM) regulates and manages matters common to the two communities in the Brussels-Capital Region. Cocom is also an institution for dialogue, which makes it possible to achieve maximum coherence between the policies pursued by the French and Flemish Communities in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Created in 1989, the Joint Community Commission (also known as Cocom) is a fourth community entity, alongside the French, Flemish and German-speaking Communities.

It regulates and manages individual-related matters, more specifically matters involving health and aid to individuals, in the bilingual Brussels-Capital region.

Scope of action

In these areas, it is responsible for individuals, the people of Brussels, but also (among others):

  • anyone who benefits from the services of institutions providing health care and aid to individuals;
  • anyone infected or potentially infected with an infectious disease, such as tuberculosis, measles, etc.;
  • primary care providers (general practitioners, etc.);
  • newcomers who follow an integration programme;
  • athletes, whether amateur or elite, who participate in events in Brussels;
  • cinema-goers (film screening).

It is also responsible for more than 300 bi-communal institutions and services (hospitals, Public Centres for Social Welfare, care services, accommodation centres, etc.) operating in its areas.

Cocom is responsible for public and private institutions which have not chosen to be part of one of the two Communities (French or Flemish):

  • Public Centres for Social Welfare;
  • hospitals;
  • residential homes and nursing homes;
  • day care centres;
  • services providing care or assistance at home;
  • health screening and health promotion services; 
  • support and accommodation services;
  • etc.

Responsibilities

Cocom's responsibilities are exercised by two institutions: Opens in new windowVivalis (= Cocom’s administration) and Opens in new windowIriscare, a public interest organisation. 

You will find details of the responsibilities exercised by Vivalis and Iriscare on their respective pages.

Bodies

United Assembly

The United Assembly is the legislative body of the Joint Community Commission.

It consists of the members of the French and Dutch language groups of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. This means that the 89 members of the Brussels Parliament (72 French-speaking, 17 Dutch-speaking) sit in both the Regional Parliament and the United Assembly.

It issues ordinances (this is a specific name, but it is equivalent to what the federal government calls a law and what other regional governments call a decree), by a majority of members (presence quorum) and an absolute majority of votes (voting quorum). However, the United Assembly differs from a traditional parliament in that, as a body of a bilingual entity, all ordinances must be passed by a majority of votes in each language group.

United College

The United College is the executive body of the Joint Community Commission. It adopts the decrees that are necessary for the execution of Cocom's ordinances.

It consists of: 

  • the four ministers of the government of the Brussels-Capital Region, who have a deliberative vote;
  • the president of the government of the Brussels-Capital Region, who is also president of the United College;
  • a Brussels member of the government of the French Community and a Brussels member of the Flemish Government, both appointed by their executives. They each have an advisory vote.
Back to top