East Belgium - from a political point of view

The term East Belgium, encompassing the German language community and the French language communities of Malmedy and Weismes, is a historic term. From 1815 to 1920, this area was an integral part of the Prussian kingdom and the German empire. This affiliation is still continued today in the tourist regions of East Belgium, or the Eastern cantons.


East Belgium is part of the region Walloon

Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft (German speaking community) - DG

The German language community is one of three linguistic communities in Belgium.  It consists of nine communities in the east of Belgium without a common border, four communities in the North and five in the South, bordering the Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg.  More than 73 000 people live here, on an area of 854 km².
The official language is German, second language is French.  However, many people are also fluent in Dutch and English.
The community, in short “DG“, has its own government, parliament, and ministries, all located in the capital of Eupen.

The DG's competences are more far-reaching than just linguistic competencies.  The community is responsible for education, tourism/recreation/sports, family/health, culture, international cooperation, employment policies, language, and the protection of youth.  The government consists of four ministers, the parliament of 25 members.


The German language community is the third recognized linguistic community in Belgium

The government of the DG

The government of the DG is constructed as follows:

Oliver Paasch (ProDG)
Prime Minister

Isabelle Weykmans (PFF)
Minister for culture, media and tourisme

Antonios Antoniadis (SP)
Minister for family, health and social issues

Harald Mollers (ProDG)
Minister for education, training and employment

The area of the DLC is located in the province of Lüttich and is represented in the Euregio Maas-Rhein and the Euregio Saar-Lor-Lux as an independent partner.

Wallonia - one of the three Belgian regions

Belgium is a federal state consisting of three regions: Brussels, Flanders, and the Walloon. The DLC, as a community, is part of the Walloon region.

The three regions in the Belgian kingdom
Namur is the capital of the Walloon region. Here, the regional government, the parliament, and the regional ministries are located.
The Walloon region counts seven ministers and 75 members of parliament.  It is responsible for regional planning, environmental protection, rural redevelopment, residential construction, water policies, economic policies, energy policies, supervision of provinces and communities, foreign trade, agriculture, the inter-communal professional training, healthcare, and policies for disabled persons.

>> The touristic East Belgium
>> The German speaking community - DG
>> DG - The Parliament
>> DG - The government
>> Wallonia - The Region
>> Wallonia - The Parliamen

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