Belgium · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Belgium, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- Constitution
- The 1831 text as coordinated in 1994; supreme over all domestic norms.
- EU law and treaties
- Directly effective and take precedence over conflicting domestic law.
- Federal statutes (lois / wetten)
- Voted by the Chamber, and by the Senate where bicameral procedure applies.
- Decrees and ordinances
- Regional and community legislation, equal in rank to federal statute.
- Royal and ministerial decrees
- Executive implementing norms; reviewable by the Council of State.
- Codes
- The new Civil Code is replacing the 1804 code book by book; the new Penal Code replaces the 1867 code from 1 September 2026.
- Case law
- No formal stare decisis, but Cassation and Constitutional Court rulings are followed in practice.
The legislative process
Most federal bills now follow a monocameral procedure in the Chamber of Representatives; the Senate intervenes only in the matters the Constitution reserves to bicameral treatment, such as constitutional revision and the institutional framework. The Council of State Legislation Section gives a prior opinion on drafts. A text is sanctioned and promulgated by the King and enters into force after publication in the Moniteur belge / Belgisch Staatsblad.
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