Skip to main content
  • 13 Accesses

Abstract

After the first direct election of Belgian representatives to the European Parliament in June 1979, the number of dual mandates fell steadily; they disappeared altogether in 1984 with the introduction of a law which considerably extended the list of incompatibilities specified in previous legislation.1 Legal bars to accumulating certain functions thus were added to those already imposed on Belgian parliamentarians by national electoral law. The result is that membership of the European Parliament is incompatible with almost all political offices at the national, regional, provincial, municipal and even local levels. This situation, as we shall see, has brought a number of changes in Belgium in respect of both political behaviour and party organisational structures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Defalque, L. (1985): ‘National Report on Belgium’, in Ciavarini-Azzi, G., (ed.), L’application du Droit Communautaire par les Etats membres ( Maastricht: Institut Européen d’Administration Publique ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sasse, C. (1977): Le processus de décision dans la Communautée européene. Les exécutifs nationaux au Conseil des ministres, Limoges, Publications de la Faculté (le Droit et des Sciences Economiques de l’Université de Limoges (Presses Universitaires de France).

    Google Scholar 

  • van den Eede, GJ. (1981): ‘De l’assemblée commune au parlement européen (1952–1980)’ Studia Diplomatica, XXXIV, 1981 Nos. 1–4, 111–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanhoonacker, S. (1994): ‘Belgium and the Ratification of the Maastricht Treaty’, in Laursen, F. and Vanhoonacker, S. (eds), The Ratification of the Maastricht Treaty ( Dordrecht: Nijhoff ).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 1996 Macmillan Press Ltd

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

de Bry, J. (1996). Belgium. In: Morgan, R., Tame, C. (eds) Parliaments and Parties. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24387-7_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics