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
- JULY 5, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
During the extraordinary session the European Parliament...
During the extraordinary session the European Parliament passed Resolution No
- APRIL 25, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Belgium was a cosponsor and voted in favor of the resolution...
Belgium was a cosponsor and voted in favor of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 25, 2001
- JANUARY 1, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Note: Belgium is term-president of the EU from June...
Note: Belgium is term-president of the EU from June to December 2001
- JANUARY 1, 2001BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Belgian laws allow courts to try foreigners for war...
Belgian laws allow courts to try foreigners for war crimes committed on foreign soil
- OCTOBER 19, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
A letter was sent from Belgium Justice Ministry to...
A letter was sent from Belgium Justice Ministry to Istanbul State Security Court saying that Fehriye Erdal, would not be extradited to Turkey
- SEPTEMBER 1, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt after a meeting of Belgian...
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt after a meeting of Belgian Council of Ministers said Belgium will not extradite Fehriye Erdal to Turkey
- AUGUST 26, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Fehriye Erdal ended her 43-day hunger strike after...
Fehriye Erdal ended her 43-day hunger strike after Belgian authorities agreed she could serve her house arrest in a new, secret location, the Interior Ministry said
- AUGUST 18, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Fehriye Erdal resumed her 33-day hunger strike after...
Fehriye Erdal resumed her 33-day hunger strike after suspending it for one day
- JUNE 19, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
The Belgian Refugees Department Chairmanship rejected...
The Belgian Refugees Department Chairmanship rejected the application of Fehriye Erdal for political asylum
- JUNE 1, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Georges Ruggiu, a Belgian journalist who worked for...
Georges Ruggiu, a Belgian journalist who worked for Radio Television libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) and who pleaded guilty to direct and public incitement to commit genocide and persecution in Rwanda in 1994 received a 12-year jail sentence from a United
- MAY 31, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Demir Sabanci, son of the assassinated Turkish industrialist...
Demir Sabanci, son of the assassinated Turkish industrialist Ozdemir Sabanci, was thinking of filing a lawsuit against the Belgium government in the European Court of Human Rights
- MAY 26, 2000BelgiumDEATH PENALTY
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt announced that...
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt announced that the government would not extradite Fehriye Erdal to Turkey, overruling the Supreme Court's decision