Belgium
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
- CONSTITUTION
- February 7, 1831; revised on July 14, 1993 to create a federal state; amended several times, last in 2019
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- civil law system based on the French civil code; recognizes ICJ jurisdiction as compulsory with reservations
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral Parliament, Senate (Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French) and Chamber of Representatives (Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Constitutional Court or Grondwettelijk Hof (in Dutch) and Cour Constitutionelle (in French) (composed of 12 judges - 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking); Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) and Cour de Cassation (in French) (court organized into 3 chambers: civil and commercial; criminal; social, tax, and military; each chamber includes a Dutch division and a French division, each with a president and 5-6 judges); Courts of Appeal; regional courts; specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, immigration, and audit matters; magistrate courts; justices of the peace
RELIGIONS
Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 2.3%, other Christian 2.8%, Muslim 6.8%, other 1.7%, atheist 9.1%, non-believer/agnostic 20.2% (estimate 2018)
From the country
- APRIL 25, 2002BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Belgium was a cosponsor and voted for the resolution...
Belgium was a cosponsor and voted for the resolution 2002/77 on the death penalty at the 58th UN Commission on Human Rights
- FEBRUARY 27, 2002BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Saudi Arabia is trying seven foreigners accused of...
Saudi Arabia is trying seven foreigners accused of bomb attacks that raised fears of anti-western terror in the kingdom, the interior minister said
- JANUARY 1, 2002BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Belgian laws allow courts to try foreigners for war...
Belgian laws allow courts to try foreigners for war crimes committed on foreign soil
- DECEMBER 15, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
The President of the European Parliament Nicole Fontaine,...
The President of the European Parliament Nicole Fontaine, in a press conference following her address to the Heads of State and Government of the EU and the European Commission, gathered at the Laeken Summit, said that Parliament's great concern was to th
- DECEMBER 13, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
European Parliament approved a resolution on EU judicial...
European Parliament approved a resolution on EU judicial cooperation with the United States in combating terrorism (Doc
- DECEMBER 11, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
December 11, 20001: Palestinian National Authority...
December 11, 20001: Palestinian National Authority (PNA) officials criticized a European Union statement for equalizing the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories with the Palestinians' legal resistance of the occupation
- DECEMBER 10, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
The European Union foreign ministers decided to maintain...
The European Union foreign ministers decided to maintain their "common position" on Cuba which conditions cooperation with Havana on the Castro government applying reforms on human rights and moving towards political pluralism
- DECEMBER 5, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
The European Union's 15 member states were among 114...
The European Union's 15 member states were among 114 countries that agreed an unprecedented declaration reaffirming the illegality of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories and calling on Israel to respect international humanitarian law
- NOVEMBER 30, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
At the UN Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and...
At the UN Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) session the representative of Belgium, on behalf of the European Union, introduced a draft resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- NOVEMBER 14, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
At the opening session of the UN Third Committee's...
At the opening session of the UN Third Committee's general debate on human rights European Community representative Paola Amadei, said the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights had been targeted on four key themes - support to strengthen demo
- NOVEMBER 14, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Stephane de Loecker, the Belgian representative at...
Stephane de Loecker, the Belgian representative at the UN Third Committee debate on human rights, speaking on behalf of the European Union said the abolition of the death penalty would help further respect human rights
- NOVEMBER 14, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller criticized...
True Path Party (DYP) leader Tansu Ciller criticized the [EU] demands for Turkey to abolish capital punishment for everybody, without any exceptions, including terrorists, in a period when it is accepted that all terrorists, including Usamah Bin-Ladin, sh