The German-speaking Community within the Belgian State

Though the German-speaking Community is an autonomous body with wide-ranging sovereign powers, it remains part of Belgium’s federal structure.

As yet, the German language area does not have its own electoral constituency, either with regard to elections to Belgium’s Chamber of Representatives, to the direct election of Senate members, or to the elections to Wallonia’s Regional Parliament. This means that there is no guaranteed representation in these legislative assemblies. The one exception is the constitutional provision that a Community Senator be appointed to the Senate by the Parliament of the German-speaking Community.

On a federal level

In the elections to the first chamber of the Belgian Federal Parliament, the Chamber of Representatives, the German language area is part of the Province of Liege constituency. The German-speaking representative is:

• Kattrin Jadin (PFF) 

The Parliament of the German-speaking Community appoints one member to the second chamber of the Belgian Federal Parliament, the Senate. In addition, a further member from the German-speaking Community was directly elected in the 13 June 2010 federal elections, in the Walloon constituency. The German-speaking senators are:

• Louis Siquet (SP) – Senator appointed by the German-speaking Community
• Claudia Niessen (ECOLO) – elected directly 

On a regional level

As part of the Walloon Region, the German-speaking population votes in the Verviers constituency on members of the Regional Parliament. At present, two members of the Walloon Regional Parliament live in the German language area:

• Edmund Stoffels (SP)
• Monika Dethier-Neumann (ECOLO)

In the Province of Liege

Though the German language area belongs to the Province of Liege, in elections to the Province Council it has its own constituency. There are six members of the Council living in the German language area:

• Barth Denis (CSP)
• Barth Joseph (SP)
• Bongartz-Kaut Marlene (Ecolo)
• Lux Balduin (PFF)
• Caroline Margreve (PFF)
• Marenne-Loiseau Anne (CSP)

Consultation committees

Within a state, the member states continually have to consult each other or the federal State. The Government of the German-speaking Community is empowered to represent the German-speaking Community in the appropriate consultation committees.