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The Brussels-Capital Region (French: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, German: Region Brüssel-Hauptstadt) or Brussels Region (French: Région Bruxelloise, Dutch: Brusselse Gewest) is one of the three regions of Belgium. Brussels citizens belonging to the French-speaking French Community of Belgium or to the Flemish Community, or often to one of the many communities of migrant and EU-nationals. Both French and Dutch have the status of official language in Brussels. French dominates.
History
The Region was created in 1989.
Demographics
On January 1, 2003, the region had a population of 992,041 for 161.382 km² which gives a population density of 6,309 inhabitants per km².
Native Belgians, being Flemings (estimated at 15 to 18% of Belgian nationals in Brussels) and French-speaking Belgians (over 80%) live alongside significant numbers of migrant communities, as well as rapidly growing communities of EU-nationals from other EU-member states. Minorities speak English, Arabic, Turkish, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Berber, and other languages. The degree of integration varies widely within each migrant group. However, in all major migrants groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired the Belgian nationality.
Although historically catholic, most people in Brussels are not active believers. About 10% of the population regularly goes to church. Among the religions, Roman Catholicism is the majority religion, followed by a large minority of Muslims and by atheists which are also recognised as a philosophical group. Other (recognised) religions (Protestantism, Anglicanism and Judaism) are practised by much smaller groups in Brussels.
Brussels is also a centre for both Dutch- end French-speaking free-masons and atheists. It houses several key organisations of the officially recognised "lay philosophy" (French: laïque, Dutch: vrijzinnig).
Institutions
Because of how the federalisation was handled in Belgium, the public institutions in Brussels offer a bewildering complexity. One distinguishes:
- 19 local, municipal authorities
- 6 inter-municipal policing zones
- 1 territorial administration level for the region; this administration level also assumes 99% of the responsibilities of the region;
- 2 community-specific public authorities, VGC or Vlaamse GemeenschapsCommissie for the Flemings in Brussels, and the COCOF (or Commission communautaire française); these authorities have both directly elected councils, an executive and their own admnistration;
- 1 bi-communitarian public authority, Gezamelijke Gemeenschapscommissie, in charge of certain cultural institutions of 'national, Belgian interest'; this body is basically a meeting formum between COCOF an VGC.
Cultural, education and community-related public matters are the competence of either the French Community of Belgium or the Flemish Community, or, for a few matters, from a bi-community cooperation.
See also
External links
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