ABSTRACT
As will already have become clear from the above discussion of the reform process, the territorial organisation of the Belgian federal state is highly complex. Although Belgium has a population of only 10 million, there are five types of democratically elected government (municipalities, provinces, regions, Communities and the federal government), as shown in Figure 4.1. It is incorrect to describe these as tiers of government for two reasons. First, the federal and regional governments are constitutionally equal; secondly, the Belgian regional level comprises two functionally distinct forms of government, Communities and Regions. These constitutionally separate institutions function in distinct policy spheres. Most importantly, their territorial boundaries are not coterminous. This latter property makes the Belgian federation unique.
