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Research on the economic impact of culture in Flanders has focused on the whole of cultural and creative sectors (CCS), including architecture, the audiovisual industry, communication and advertising, cultural heritage, design, fashion, gaming, music, new media, performing arts, publishing, and visual arts.[1] The definitions of CCS used in this research are similar to what the European Commission defines as ‘cultural and creative sectors’. The results therefore encompass all sectors discussed under section 3 — which cover the different stages of the cultural value chain and not solely the ‘cultural and creative industries’.[2] The latest figures refer to 2016 and apply... read more →

From the policy perspective, heritage in Flanders is divided in cultural heritage (which is part of the policy field of Culture) and immovable heritage (which is part of the policy area of Environment). The former is a competence of the Flemish Community — which means that the sphere of cultural heritage spans the territories of both Flanders and Brussels—, whereas the latter resides under the Regions — which means that the Flemish Region has a different policy on immovable heritage than the Brussels-Capital Region. Cultural heritage comprises both movable cultural heritage (archive documents, books and manuscripts, works of art, old... read more →

A number of issues have been the subject of debate in and on the cultural field in Flanders and Brussels in the past years. General issues include the socio-economic position of artists and cultural workers (see 2.3), the impact of digitization on the workings of the arts and cultural sector (see 2.4), the position of people with culturally diverse background in the field of culture (see 2.5.1), gender inequality and harassment (see 2.5.5), equal access to culture (see 2.5.1, 2.5.6, and 2.6), questions of ecological sustainability (see 2.8), and questions of funding for arts and culture (see 2.3, 2.7, and... read more →

In 2016, one out of five inhabitants of the Flemish Region is of ‘foreign’ origin.[1] In the Brussels-Capital Region, this amounts to seven out of ten. In the Flemish Region, the foreign origin lies in most cases (23%) in one of the neighbouring countries. EU-citizens make up 45% of inhabitants of foreign origin. In the Brussels-Capital Region, people with roots in another EU country represent 40%. When looking at the countries of origin, links can be made with historical and recent labour migration (e.g. Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Poland, Romania), Brussels as capital of Europe and as headquarters of NATO (attracting... read more →

Transnational collaboration on developing and sharing work and projects is widespread among artists and organisations in the professional arts scene in Flanders and Brussels.[1] This exchange is in part facilitated by international network organisations in arts and culture — some of which have their main seat in Belgium, such as IETM, On the Move, the EFA, Pearle*, or Culture Action Europe (all of them in Brussels). In the cultural heritage field in Flanders and Brussels, international cooperation happens through membership of network organisations (ICOM, NEMO, etc.), engaging in the UNESCO networks, or participating in international (digitization) projects such as Europeana.... read more →

Belgium is a member state of the EU, Council of Europe, UN, UNESCO, and the OECD. The Flemish government is also involved in these intergovernmental bodies, either through independent relations, or through the Belgian membership (which requires coordination with the other government levels involved). This involvement includes implementing treaties and policies, financial support for the workings of these bodies, and participation in working groups or conferences. Carrying out and monitoring treaties and policies[1] is done by different ministers and administration services of the Federal and Flemish governments, such as the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA; see 1.4.1) and the... read more →

Both the Federal State and the Communities and Regions have competences in foreign relations. The latter can devise policies on foreign affairs, but only with regard to their own competences (this is the principle of “in foro interno, in foro externo”). This means the Flemish government can sign agreements with (foreign) regions and other countries than Belgium.[1] Culture is deemed an important topic in the international relationships of the Flemish government. A significant part of government policies on international cultural cooperation can be described as being governed by the principle of ‘follow the actor’, in which especially players from the... read more →

Decisions of the Government of Flanders (‘Vlaamse Regering’) are made as a result of consensus between its ministers, who meet on a weekly basis. There is regular consultation and cooperation among the different entities of the government administration. The Department of Culture, Youth and Media (see 1.2.3), for example, cooperates with the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs (see 1.4.1), VISITFLANDERS (see 3.5.6), the Ministry of Education and Training (see 5.1), or other administration services dealing with Equal Opportunities Policies (see 2.5.1, 2.5.6, and 2.6). It also works together with other entities within the Flemish government, such as the Flemish Ombudsman... read more →

Belgium is a federal country. After six state reforms (in 1970, 1980, 1988-89, 1993, 2001, and 2012-2014), the Communities and Regions (see 1.2.3) hold a clearly defined set of competences (including, in the case of the Communities, Culture; see 1.1). The Federal State, which currently stands on the same hierarchical level as the Regions and Communities (see 1.2.1), still holds a number of important competences. Its legislation and policies apply to the whole territory of Belgium. Some of these are relevant when discussing cultural policy in Flanders and Brussels and pertain to social security, labour legislation, tax laws, or intellectual... read more →

1. Levels of government in Belgium 2. Organogram of the Flemish government