Institutions

The structure of the Belgian state is often quoted as an example of the "Belgian compromise": the attempt to reconcile all actors and their particularities.

History has turned the Belgian people into a trilingual nation. Furthermore, the cultural and economic conditions developed differently in the various parts of the country in the course of time. The structure of the Belgian state reflects these differences.

One component of the State structure is the Community. The three Communities (the Flemish, the French and the German-speaking Community) run all fields of life related to language and culture: cultural matters, person-linked matters (family policy, youth protection etc.) and education.

As an institution, the "GC" (German-speaking Community) has three bodies, as all other constituent states: the Parliament, the government and the Ministry.
The Parliament of the German-speaking Community - the legislative power - settles by decree the Community's foundations.
The government of the GC - the executive power - applies these basic principles to the various fields of competence.
The Ministry of the GC - the Community's administration, so to speak - puts the political decisions into action and checks their observance.

Apart from these three main actors, the GC has a public service which runs everyday life and ensures the working of the Community: the teachers college, the employment office, the public radio station BRF, the office for disabled persons, the training institute for medium-sized businesses and the tourist office. Thereto also belong the media centre of the GC and the Community tourist centres in Worriken, at the dam in Eupen and in Burg-Reuland.

Sports, seniors and children, adult education and development aid are covered by various interest groups of the GC. These act as counsellor to the government, on one hand, and defend the interests of the citizens of all classes of society, on the other hand.