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Belgium

Kingdom of Belgium

Civil lawFederal parliamentary constitutional monarchyReviewed· 2026-08-02
Capital
Brussels
Population
11,800,000
Languages
Dutch, French
Currency
EUR

Belgium · Constitution

Constitution of Belgium

Adopted on 7 February 1831 and among the oldest constitutions still in force. It has been amended repeatedly since 1970 through six state reforms that converted a unitary kingdom into a federation, and was renumbered and republished in a coordinated text in 1994. Revision requires a declaration of the articles open to change, dissolution of both chambers, and a two-thirds majority in each with a two-thirds quorum.

The constitutional text

Adopted on 7 February 1831 and among the oldest constitutions still in force. It has been amended repeatedly since 1970 through six state reforms that converted a unitary kingdom into a federation, and was renumbered and republished in a coordinated text in 1994. Revision requires a declaration of the articles open to change, dissolution of both chambers, and a two-thirds majority in each with a two-thirds quorum.

Separation of powers

Federal, alongside three Regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital) and three Communities (Flemish, French, German-speaking). Regional decrees and community decrees have the same legal force as federal statute within their competences; there is no general federal supremacy clause. The Constitutional Court, not a hierarchy of norms, resolves conflicts of competence.

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