Decree (Belgium)


In Belgium, a decree is a form of legislation passed by community or regional parliaments, except by the Brussels Parliament.
Decrees have the same legal force as laws, which can only be passed by the Federal Parliament. Even more, unlike other federal states, no hierarchy exists between laws and decrees, as each entity is supposed to have clearly defined subject-matter jurisdiction. The only difference is in terminology.
The following five legislative assemblies have the power to pass decrees:
This power was introduced in the first state reform in 1970, to the then-established Dutch and French cultural councils, the precursors to the present-day parliaments of the two main communities.
Unlike laws, decrees are not subject to royal assent. Decrees are not signed and promulgated by the king but instead are promulgated by the executive body, being the community or regional government or, in the case of the Brussels Francophone Parliament, the College of the French Community Commission. Decrees and ordinances are published in the Belgian Official Journal. Unlike ordinances, decrees are not subject to judicial review or to supervision by the federal government. The Constitutional Court is however responsible for supervising the division of power between the federal state, the communities and regions and may annul laws, decrees and ordinances.
Variants of decrees:
Additionally, there are three historical forms of legislation called decrees: