THE BELGIAN

FEDERAL PARLIAMENT

Published by : The Belgian House of Representatives and Senate

Edited by : The House Department of Public and InternationalRelationsThe Senate Department of Protocol and ExternalRelations

Printed by : The central printing office of the House

II. 2004

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THE BELGIANFEDERAL PARLIAMENT

VISITOR’S GUIDE

This guide contains a concise description of the roomsthat you will be visiting. The numbers shown in themargins refer to points of interest that you will seealongside the circuit.

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INTRODUCTION

The Palace of the Nation is the seat of the FederalParliament. It is divided into two chambers: the House ofRepresentatives and the Senate. The House and the Senateare different in terms of their composition and competences.

150 representatives elected by direct universal suffrage sitin the House of Representatives.

The Senate is composed of 71 senators as well as PrincePhilip, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent who are senatorsby right.

The House and the Senate share competences on anequal footing in matters relating to:

– the revision of the Constitution;

– the elaboration of legislation concerning the structure,functioning, and institutions of the State;

– the organisation of Justice;

– the ratification of international treaties;

– the setting up of enquiry committees.

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The House of Representatives has the followingexclusive competences:

– to examine the government political statement andsubsequently to pledge its confidence in the governmentby voting (= vote of confidence);

– to control government policy by means of interpellationsaddressed to government members and concluded by avote of confidence or no confidence;

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate arecompetent in all other areas of legislation.The Senate can:

– send its own bills for the approval of the House ofRepresentatives;

– examine and amend the bills adopted by the House ofRepresentatives.

However, the House of Representatives has the last word.

In conclusion :

- the House of Representatives is the political Chamber ofParliament «par excellence»: the federal governmentmust answer to the House of Representatives for its policy(for more explanations see p. 29);

- the Senate is a «reflection» assembly on legislation andmajor society issues. It is also the meeting place for thecommunities (for more explanations see p. 45).

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THE BUILDING

After the fire, which destroyed the Palace of the Dukes ofBrabant in 1731, the surroundings of the Place royale andthe Park of Brussels were rebuilt according to the plans laiddown by architect B. Guimard. At the same time, it wasdecided to build the Palace of the Nation, which is now theseat of the Federal Parliament. The first stone was laid in1779 under the government of the Empress Maria Theresaof Austria, who ruled over Belgium at that time.

The palace was built in neoclassical style. This balanced andsymmetrical style dates back to the second half of theeighteenth century and aptly represents the ideas, whichwere prominent during the Age of Enlightenment.

Initially, the palace was designed to house the SovereignCouncil of Brabant, which was the supreme body of theDuchy of Brabant at that time in legal and administrativematters.

Under French rule (1796-1815), the palace was used as acourthouse. In the wing, which the Senate currentlyoccupies, a «House for Foreigners» was run for severalyears.

Under Dutch rule (1815-1830), the Parliament of the UnitedKingdom of the Netherlands, known as the States-General,alternated its sessions between the Hague and the Palace ofthe Nation in Brussels. This was the first time that the palacewas used to house a parliament.

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The provisional government (the government of the Belgianrevolutionaries) and the National Congress (the firstconstituent “parliamentary” assembly) moved into thebuilding in 1830.

The House of Representatives and the Senate have heldtheir sessions in this building since 1831. It has been calledthe «Palace of the Nation» since then.

The palace was devastated by fire in 1820 and 1883.Following these fires and as a result of the various changesof use of the palace, the interior constantly underwentrenovations. The exterior of the palace, however, remainspractically the same as it was when it was first built.Nevertheless, the front of the palace, which had beenpainted white according to neoclassical tradition, wasroughcast during renovation in 1920.

THE TYMPANUM

As you enter the palace, you cannot help but notice thetriangularshaped sculpture on the front of the palace abovethe columns. G. Godecharle sculpted this high-relieftympanum, which represents Justice, in 1781.

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THE PERISTYLE

The peristyle is the central welcoming and meeting point ofthe Palace of the Nation. Visitors may already haverecognised the decor of this vast vestibule due to the factthat a large number of televised interviews withrepresentatives and senators have been held here.

On either side of the peristyle, there is a monumentalstaircase. The staircase to the right, covered in greencarpet, leads to the House of Representatives; the staircaseto the left, covered in red carpet, leads to the Senate. Greenis the House of Representatives’ colour; red is the Senate’scolour.

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The Doric columns are reminders of the fact that theneoclassical style was inspired by ancient times.

Immediately to the right of the main entrance we can seetwo copper plates: the first plate commemorates the layingof the first stone of the Palace of the Nation on August 24th

1779; the second plate commemorates the reconstructionof the Palace after the fire which destroyed the House ofRepresentatives in 1883.

To the left, we can see three statues, which representfamous figures in our history:

– John I, the duke of Brabant, who united the duchies ofBrabant and Limbourg. The statue was sculpted by Ch.Geerts (1807-1855).

– Philip the Good, who succeeded in uniting the Belgianprovinces during his reign. For this achievement, JusteLipse gave him the title of «Conditor Belgii» (Founder ofBelgium). The statue was sculpted by J.-B. De Cuyper(1807-1852) from Antwerp.

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Charles V, wearing the great necklace of the Order of theGolden Fleece. In his right hand, he holds a parchmentbearing the name of the city of Tunis. This evokes thecapture of the city of Tunis in an attempt to prevent theTurkish invasion of the western side of the Mediterraneanregion. The statue was sculpted by J. -B. De Bay (1779-1863).

On the television screen to the right, we can see themeetings taking place in the House of Representatives. Theagenda is elaborated by the Conference of presidents andadopted by the House of Representatives in plenarysession.

A typical week in the House of Representatives

Monday: Committee of enquiry (if need be) meetings

Tuesday: Committee meetings

Wednesday: Committee meetings, possibly plenary session

Thursday: Political group meetings and plenary session which

includes a question time from 2.15 p.m. to approxi-

mately 3.15 p.m. and the vote on Private Member’s

Bills and draft Bills

Friday: Committee of enquiry (if need be)

The House of Representatives may change this standard agendawhenever it sees fit.

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THE MAIN STAIRCASE

At the top of the main staircase, visitors discover a greatstained-glass window «Lex» (= law). The lions and thelictors’ fasces with the birch and the axes symbolize theauthority and power of the State, which must implement thelaws adopted by the representatives of the Nation. Thedates on the left and on the right of the stained-glass windowrefer to the beginning and to the end of the first world war.

On both sides of this stained-glass window, we can see thebusts of the two prime ministers who governed Belgiumafter World War I.

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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Léon Delacroix Prime Minister of the firstBelgian government after World War I (alsoreferred to as the Loppem government) heldthe first legislative election on November 16th,1919. This election was important because itintroduced universal suffrage for all men (oneman, one vote) before this balloting systemprinciple was written in the Constitution.

The Prime Minister Léon Delacroix (1867 - 1929)

Under the government of Henry Carton deWiart, universal suffrage was written in the

Constitution on February 7th, 1921. From thatdate forward, all men aged 21 and over were

given the right to a single vote.

The Prime Minister Carton de Wiart (1869 - 1951)

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The white marble busts of our former prime ministersadorn the hallways of the House. Traditionally, the bust ofeach prime minister is sculpted by a Belgian artist.

As you make your way down the hallway, you will see onyour left hand side a XIX century parliamentary gown andfurther down the hallway, the bust of King Leopold I,sculpted by G. Geefs (1805-1883).

The passages to the left and to the right of the bust of KingLeopold I lead to the Members’ House where the senators,representatives, and parliamentary groups have theiroffices and where one can find restaurants and parlours.

The Members’ House is decorated with the works of(mostly Belgian) contemporary artists.

To the right of the bust of King Leopold I, we can see apainting by J. Delahaut and to the left, a work by artist L.Peire.

These two Belgian painters, Peire and Delahaut, arefamous for their work in the field of abstract geometrism.

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At the end of the hallway to the left, we find the screens,which the representatives can read and print news itemsissued by the Belga agency in both official languages. Tothe right, we find telephone boxes, which are used byrepresentatives.

The representatives have more sophisticated sources ofinformation at their disposal. They can follow more quicklythe latest developments of the parliamentarianproceedings via the databases and the Internet site of theHouse of Representatives.

Moreover, representatives have access to variousnational and international databases through the Library ofParliament.

Finally, representatives have an administrative aid and anassistant (a university graduate) who help them handle ofall of this information as well as carry out their variousother tasks.

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A bit further down, visitors can see the busts of the Primeministers who governed Belgium during the period prior toand following World War II:

Jules Renkin (1862-1934) was Prime Minister during theGreat Depression of the thirties;

Paul-Henri Spaak (1899-1972), was the Minister ofForeign Affairs during many years and also became theSecretary General of N.A.T.O.; he presided the very firstGeneral Assembly of the United Nations in 1946;

Hubert Pierlot (1883-1963), was the Prime Minister of theBelgian government in exile in London (from 1940 to1944);

Paul van Zeeland (1893-1973), was the Prime Ministerwho, in 1935, saved the country from the economic crisiscaused by the Great Depression. He also ran as the onlycandidate representing the traditional parties anddefeated the rexist Leon Degrelle in the famous partialelections held on April 1st 1937 (the rexist party was awalloon pro-nazi party before World War II);

Achille Van Acker (1898-1975), was one of the fathers ofan economy based on consultation and the Belgian SocialSecurity system immediately after World War II; thatsystem is basically financed and managed by thee actors:the government, the trade unions and the employers

The bronze effigy of Paul-Emile Janson (1872-1944) whowas Prime Minister from December 23rd 1937 to May 13th

1938. He died in the concentration camp of Buchenwald.

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THE COMMITTEE ROOMS

Most of the parliamentary activity takes place at thecommittee level.

The House of Representatives has eleven standingcommittees (for example: the Committee on ForeignAffairs) consisting of 17 members each. There are alsovarious special committees (for example: the Committee onthe Naturalisations, the Committee on Petitions). Finally,there are several advisory committees (for example: theAdvisory Committee on European Issues).

The political composition of these committees matches thatof the plenary assembly of the House of Representativesitself.

Each draft Bill (that is new legislation introduced by cabi-net ministers) and Private Member’s Bill (that is newlegislation introduced by one or more representativesor senators) is examined at the committee level first.

After the committees have discussed the proposed leg-islation, they vote and draw up a report which is printedin both official languages. The text that has been adoptedby the committee is then submitted to the House ofRepresentatives in plenary session.

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The International Room.

The organisation of committee tasks has changed inrecent years.Committee powers have been extended so as toenable committee members to question andinterpellate ministers or set up hearings.Each political group can call upon outside experts tohelp them in the committee works.

Most of the committee debates are open to the public.

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THE FIRST ROOM

The bust that adorns this room is the work of A. Dupagne(1889-1980) and represents Prince Charles (1903-1983)who was Regent of Belgium from September 1944 to July1950, replacing his brother King Leopold III (who wasobliged to follow the German troops in their retreat in 1944and who lived in exile in Switzerland after the capitulationof the nazi-regime).

Three paintings decorate this room.

The largest, painted by L. Devos and J. Maes shows H.M.King Leopold III taking the oath (February 23rd 1934). TheKing takes the oath before both chambers in joint session,pronouncing the words: «I swear to abide by theConstitution and laws of the Belgian people, to maintainthe independence of our nation, and to keep our territoryunited as one».

For solemn events, like the taking of the oath by the King,members of the House of Representatives and senatorsmeet in joint session in the plenary room of the House ofRepresentatives.

The painting next to the chimney was done by J. Starck (1814-1884) and depicts the last speech from the throne given

by H.M. King Leopold I (1865). As it is still the tradition todayin the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the King of Belgium

read a speech from the throne to all the representatives andsenators in joint session in the plenary room of the House ofRepresentatives for the opening of Parliament. This practice

was abandoned under the reign of H.M. Leopold II.

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The painting to the left of «The King taking the oath»depicts a heated debate being held in the House ofRepresentatives during the struggle between Catholicsand liberals over the control of education which lasted from1878 to 1884 (the «Schoolwar»).

Addressing the Assembly, the liberal Minister of PublicEducation, Pierre Van Humbeek, defends his educationpolicy despite violent criticism from the Catholicopposition.

Standing between the benches, we can see the figure ofWalthère Frère-Orban (1812-1896), who was PrimeMinister of the liberal government. This painting wascreated by the artist E. Blanc-Garin.

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THE SECOND ROOM

The large painting by J. Cran (1876-1926) shows H.M.King Albert I taking the oath (December 23rd 1909).

At the foot of the throne, we can see the cardinal Mercierwho arrived too late to take the seat which had beenreserved for him.

On either side of the chimney, there is a painting of afamous liberal figure:

Paul Janson (1840-1913)

and Paul Hymans (1865-1941).

Hymans, a renowned internationalist and honoured withthe Nobel prize, contributed to the foundation of theLeague of Nations.

From the window, we have a view on a wing of theMembers’ House. This wing was built in 1891 by H. Beyaertto house the managers’ offices of the Belgian NationalRailways Society.

The bust of Willem I, King of the Netherlands (Belgium wasa part of this kingdom between 1815 and 1830) can alsobe admired in this room. The bust is sculptured by F. Rude(1784-1855), a French artist who for instance chisselled abas-relief decorating the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The statue of Willem I is a typical neoclassical portrait :Willem I is portrayed as a Roman emperor.

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THE THIRD ROOM

The painting by J. Starck entitled H.M. King Leopold IItaking the oath (December 17th 1865) occupies a centralposition in this room. The painting depicts the House ofRepresentatives as it appeared in the first half of the XIXthcentury before it was damaged by fire in 1883.

A portrait of Emile Vandervelde (1866-1938) painted byI. Opsomer, an artist from Antwerp, hangs on the sidewallof this room. Vandervelde was one of the founders of theBelgian Worker’s Party (1885), which became later on thesocialist party.

The Bureau and the Conference of presidents meet inthis room.

The Bureau is the management (executive) body ofthe House of Representatives; chaired by thePresident of the House of Representatives.

The Conference of presidents organisesparliamentary proceedings and is made up of thePresident and vice-presidents of the House ofRepresentatives, the presidents of the politicalgroups as well as a member of the government.

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Down the hallway leading to the hemicycle of the House ofRepresentatives, visitors come face to face with CharlesWoeste (1837-1922), an eminent Catholic conservativerepresentative and co-founder of the Catholic Party(1884).

To the right, we can glance at an office where Bureaumembers and committee presidents welcome guests.

The painting on the left side of the hallway depicts the innercourtyard of the Palace of the Dukes of Brabant. Thiscourtyard leads to what is now the “Place royale”.

Along the walls of the hallway, we find the busts of thePrime ministers who governed the country during thefifties and sixties.

The bust of Prime Minister Theo Lefèvre (1914-1973)sculpted by O. Jespers is an example of a modern portraitand daring interpretation of a model by an artist.

The one of Pierre Harmel by I. Ianchelevici strikes us by itsoriginal interpretation.

Outside, in the garden, we see a fountain with sculpturesof youngsters by sculptor G. Minne (1886-1941). Minne,who was a close friend of the President of the House ofRepresentatives, Camille Huysmans (1871-1968),donated this fountain to the Parliament in 1936.

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Further down, on the left-hand side of the hallway, we findthe busts of the most recent Prime ministers.

The busts of Leo Tindemans, by R. Poot, of WilfriedMartens, by J. Vermeersch, and of Mark Eyskens, by W.Peeters, are characteristic of the modern design withwhich official portraits are done. Rather than showing aphysical resemblance, the artists have attempted torender an expression of the Prime ministers’ personalities.The bust of Mark Eyskens is made of bronze due to thefact that more artists are used to working with thismaterial.

Do also notice our last acquisition : the bronze bust of thePrime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene. This bust is sculpted byR. Poot.

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Leo Tindemans Mark Eyskens

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THE PLENARY SESSION ROOM

This room was built in 1817 to house the Second House ofthe States-General of the Netherlands.

After the Belgian Revolution, of 1830, the 200 members ofthe National Congress held session here. It is in this veryroom that the Constitution for an independent Belgium wasdrawn up.

The House of Representatives has been meeting in thisroom since 1831. In 1883, the room was completelydestroyed by fire. It was rebuilt by H. Beyaert and solemnlyinaugurated in 1886 by King Leopold II.

In 1831, the House of Representatives had only 102members. This number gradually increased as thepopulation grew. Following the 1993 revision of theConstitution, the number of representatives was reducedfrom 212 to 150.

In order to become a representative, one must be aBelgian citizen and be at least twenty-one years old.

The 150 representatives are directly elected by universalsuffrage in 11 constituencies (the number of seats in eachconstituency is proportional to its population. The seatsare distributed to the party lists of candidates in proportionto the number of votes obtained). The representatives aredivided into linguistic (88 Dutch speakers / 62 Frenchspeakers) and political groups. A political group isconstituted when at least 5 members of the same partyhold seats in the House of Representatives.

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PS: Parti socialiste = French-speaking socialistssp.a-spirit: Socialistische Partij Anders/Sociaal Progressief Alternatief

= Flemish socialistsSpirit: progressive party born out of the former flemish nationalistpartysp.a and Spirit built a cartel for the elections of May 2003. Theirrepresentatives build now one political group in the House and theSenate.

ECOLO: Ecologistes Confédérés pour l’Organisation de Luttes Originales= French-speaking green party

MR: Mouvement Réformateur = French-speaking liberalsVLD: Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten = Flemish liberalsN-VA: Flemish nationalistsFN: French-speaking nationalist partyVLAAMS BLOK: Flemish nationalistsCD&V: Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams = Flemish christian-democratscdH: Centre Démocrate Humaniste = former French-speaking christian-

democrats

ECOLO(4)

sp.a spirit(23)

PS(25)

MR(25)VLD(25)

VB(18)

CD&V(21)

cdH (7)

FN-NF(1)

N-VA(1)

The political composition of the House of Representatives

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On either side of the statue of King Leopold I, we findseveral important dates in the history of Belgiumengraved on the wall:

September 26th, 1830The formation of the Provisional Government;

November 10th, 1830The first meeting of the National Congress;

November 18th, 1830The solemn proclamation of the independence of Belgium;

July 21st, 1831The taking of the oath of King Leopold I at the Place royalein Brussels; 21st July is the National Day of Belgium;

February 7th, 1831The promulgation of the Belgian Constitution;

February 25th, 1831The taking of the oath of Regent Louis Surlet de Chokier;the powers of the Provisional government were beingpassed over to the National Congress;

June 4th, 1831Vote by the National Congress to choose Prince Leopold ofSaxe Coburg Gotha as the first King of Belgium.

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Under the statue of King Leopold I, which faces the room,we can see the chair of the President.

The Secretary General of the House and the DeputySecretary-General, who are in charge of helping thePresident during the plenary sessions, sit in the chairsbehind the President. The Secretary General is thehighest-ranking official of the House.

Below the presidential bureau, we can see the rostrum(= the speaker’s platform) from where the representativesaddress the Assembly.

Below the rostrum, we can see the bench of the questiontime from which the representatives ask questions to thegovernment each Thursday afternoon.

To the right of the presidential platform, we find two longtables where the writers draw up a summary of the debates.This summary will be published in the summary report andon the House’s website only a few hours after the meeting.

Plasma screens are to be found forward, to the left and tothe right of the presidential platform. Those screensindicate the item of the agenda which is being examinedand the speaker’s name.

There are six «broadcast-quality cameras» in the plenaryroom which are operated from the control room. Thepictures are at the disposal of the TV-stations, and this freeof charge.

There are also three webcameras which automatically movetowards the speaker. This makes it possible to follow thedebates in the plenary session directly from our website.

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To the left and to the right of the plasma screens, we cansee the voting panels. The benches of the representativesare equipped with voting keys: green for yeas (affirmativevotes), red for nays (negative votes), and white forabstention. The number corresponding to therepresentative’s seat lights up on the voting panel in eithergreen, red or white, according to his or her choice.In this way each citizen can precisely check the vote of hisrepresentative. The verbatim report, which is alsopublished on the House’s website, mentions these votes.

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The visitor cannot help but be surprised bythe soberness of the House ofRepresentatives. The statue of King Leopold I,sculpted by Ch.-A. Fraikin (1817-1893)overlooks the room.

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After each vote, the total results appear on both votingpanels located on the left and the right of the room next tothe platforms.At the other end of the plenary room, interpreters makesimultaneous translations from French into Dutch or viceversa.

The galleries around the room all have a very specificfunction:

- the gallery to the right of the statue of King Leopold I,allows senators to keep up with the debates going on inthe plenary room of the House of Representatives;

- the gallery to the left of the statue is reserved for themilitary commander of the Palace of the Nation and forthe diplomatic corps;

- to the left of the diplomatic corps gallery, we find the royalgallery;

- to the left of the royal gallery the verbatim report of themeetings is drafted.

- the gallery located on the first floor is reserved formembers of the press, the guests of the President and ofthe Quaestors, and the collaborators of the ministers.

- the debates held in the House of Representatives areprimarily open to the public. The gallery on the secondfloor is reserved for the public.

As you leave the plenary session room, you can see therefreshment stand and the internal post for the represen-tatives, and the committee agendas. You can also consultthese agendas on our website.

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What is the role of the House of Representatives?

To find a majority (government making power)Without a vote of confidence from the House ofRepresentatives, the new government cannot work. After adebate on the governmental statement, the government mustobtain the support of at least 76 representatives. The membersof the House of Representatives who support the governmentconstitute the majority whereas the others constitute theopposition.

To monitor government policyThe House of Representatives monitors the federalgovernment. Only the House of Representatives can call thegovernment or a minister to order and, if necessary withdrawits confidence in the government. The interpellation is one ofthe means of monitoring government policy. Approximately 400interpellations are made each year.

To control public financesThe House of Representatives has the power to control thefinances of the federal state. The Court of Auditors providesassistance to the House of Representatives in carrying out itstask of controlling public accounts.

To make legislationThe House of Representatives and the Senate have equalpowers rergarding the Constitution; legislation concerning theState organisation (structure, functioning…); the judicialorganisation; the ratification of international treaties…The House of Representatives is competent in all other areasof the legislation.

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The Senate may submit amendments to the bills that have beenpassed in the House of Representatives within a certain period oftime. The Senate may also introduce its own legislation (= on itsown initiative) to the House of Representatives.However, the House of Representatives always has the final say.

To keep tabs on government affairsThe House of Representatives asks the governmentapproximately 2.200 oral and 2.400 written questions every year.It creates committees of enquiry in order to study problemsfacing today’s society. The enquiry committee on thedisappearance of children was a typical example of this. On thebasis of the conclusions drawn by the enquiry committee, thejudiciary and police departments were reformed.

Any more tasks…The House of Representatives nominates the federalombudsmen whose task is to examine complaints from citizens.The House of Representatives votes on the granting of Belgiannationality and nominates councillors to the Court of Auditors.

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THE CONFERENCE ROOM

This room is a sort of antechamber to the plenary room ofthe House of Representatives.

In this room, visitors can admire the busts of renownedBelgian politicians of the XIXth century.

Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier (1769-1839): a moderateliberal, President of the National Congress and firstRegent of Belgium.

Etienne Constantin de Gerlache (1785-1871): a catholic,who was the head of the government for some days,President of the House, and the first President of theSupreme Court of Justice for 35 years.

Auguste Beernaert (1829-1912): a catholic who won theNobel Peace Prize in 1909; during his term at the head ofthe Belgian government, plural universal suffrage for maleadults was instituted in 1893.

Walthère Frère-Orban (1812-1896): a liberal conservativewho was one of the main opponents of universal suffrageand a defender of the system of vote based on propertyqualification.

Visitors will also notice the portrait of King Leopold I (1790-1865) dressed in a Cuirassier colonel’s uniform, and theportrait of his second wife, Queen Louisa Maria d’Orléans.Both portraits were painted by F. Geefs (1807-1883).

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THE READING ROOM

Representatives can read Belgian and foreign newspapersin the reading room of the House of Representatives.

This room is one of the oldest rooms in the Palace of theNation.

After the revolutionary events of September 1830, theProvisional Government met in this room. Thisgovernment took power and laid the foundations for anindependent Belgian State. It set up a constituentcommittee, which drew up a very progressive Constitutionfor the times. The busts that we can see in this room arethose of the members of the Provisional Government,which was a mixture of progressive young liberals andmore conservative people.

The Senate held its sessions in this room from 1831 to1849.

The wall on the right-hand side is entirely dedicated to thegallery of portraits of the former presidents of the House ofRepresentatives. Each president of the House has hisportrait painted.

Many of the portraits in this room were painted byrenowned Belgian artists, for example, the portrait ofProsper Poullet painted by G. Vande Woestijne (1881-1947).

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The life-size portraits of the sovereigns hang on the wall tothe left:Queen Maria Henrietta was painted by A. Stevens; KingLeopold II pointing to a chart of Africa (he implemented thecolonisation of Congo) was painted by S. Detilleux; QueenElisabeth by H. Richir, King Albert I by J. Leempoels,Queen Astrid and King Leopold III by E. van de Winckel.On either side of the door that leads into the Senate, wecan see the portraits of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola.These paintings were done by J. Maes.

The massive Carrara marblechimney is flanked by two columnshaving a low relief design. Thechimney was originally the work ofF. Rude. After the fire, whichdevastated the House ofRepresentatives in 1883, thischimney was replaced by a copydone by Ch.-A. Fraikin. A Louis XIVclock and two Chinese vasesadorn the chimney.

The function of the reading room is partly outdated.Nowadays, the representatives have their own office in theMembers’ House where they can prepare theirparliamentary work with the assistance of anadministrative collaborator and a collaborator with auniversity degree.

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THE GREEN ROOM

Although the House of Representatives is green and theSenate is red, the room in which we now stand is part ofthe Senate. Along the windows, we find the tables wherethe senators can put a final touch to their speeches.Senators often gather here in small groups to exchangeideas.

THE SENATE

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On either side of the door thatleads into the Senate, you cansee a portrait.

The portrait of the first Presidentof the Senate, Goswin, Baron deStassart (1780-1854) waspainted by F. -J. Navez who wasa pupil of the great Frenchpainter L. David, one of themasters of neoclassical art.

The portrait to the right shows Goswin, Baron de Stassart,the first President of the Senate. The Baron de Stassartwas a firm believer in unionism. In fact, from 1830 to 1850,the Conservatives (Catholics) and the Liberals(progressives) buried their disagreements to join forces tobuild a new Belgian State in a unionist spirit.

The Liberal Party was not founded until around 1846. Theorganised Catholic and Socialist parties came into being atthe end of the XIXth century.

The harmony between the design and colour which we findin this painting combined with the sharpness with whichthe Baron de Stassart stands out from the background arecharacteristic of the neoclassical style.

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The portrait of the secondPresident of the Senate, BaronPierre de Schiervel (1783-1863)was painted by A. Chauvin.

The portrait that hangs on the wall to the left of the doorfollows the artistic style used in the first portrait. Therepresentation of the second President of the Senate,Baron Pierre de Schiervel, may be considered as acharacteristic painting of Romanticism. This can be seen inthe mysterious background of the painting.

In agreement with the House of Representatives, whichholds a collection of portraits of the sovereigns, the Senatesees to it that their busts are sculpted in white marble.

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To the right of the door, we find the busts of King Albert Iand his consort, Queen Elisabeth. Both busts weresculpted by V. Rousseau.

Towards the right, we find the bust of King Leopold IIIagainst the outside wall. The traces of visible points are notthe result of deterioration! These points were used by thesculptor E. Rombaux to create an exact marble replica ofthe plaster model. The bust was never completed.

Next to her spouse, we can see Queen Astrid. Thissculpture is by Georges Minne, one of the masters of theSymbolist movement in our country.

At the other end of the room, we can see the busts of KingLeopold II and his wife Maria Henrietta, both carved by thesculptor Thomas Vinçotte.

The busts of Leopold I, the first King of Belgium and hisconsort, Queen Louisa Maria d’Orléans, can be found inthe plenary room of the Senate.

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Leaving the green room, you can see the busts of KingBaudouin and Queen Fabiola.

The bust of King Baudouin was carved directly out of themarble by I. Ianchelevici. The bust of Queen Fabiola wasalso carved by the hand of this Rumanian-born sculptor.

King Baudouin Queen Fabiola

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THE SMOKING ROOM

Through the open doors to your right, you will find thesmoking room, splendidly decorated with tapestries.These tapestries were specially designed for this room byW. Geets in the XIXth century and woven according to thetraditional methods in the Bracquenié workshop based inMalines.

Of these XIXth century tapestries that depict variousturning points in our national history, we shall describe one:The Compromise of the Nobles. Here we can see variousCatholic and Protestant nobles from the north and thesouth of the Netherlands presenting a request for freedomof conscience to the governess Margret of Parma whoadministered our provinces in the name of King Philip II ofSpain in 1556. These nobles were not granted the freedomthey sought to obtain but were instead branded as«beggars», a name which they proudly adopted for theirrevolutionary movement.

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THE READING ROOM

The newspapers, periodicals and an on-line connectionwith the Belga press agency help the senators keep well-informed about the latest developments in Belgium andaround the world. On the wall, visitors can see the portraitsof the former presidents of the Senate who seem to bereading the day’s current events along with their fellowsenators.

Of course, senators also have access to the Internet andto the Parliament’s modern and well-equipped library.

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As you leave the Senate reading room and head towardsthe Senate plenary room, you cannot miss the elegant whitemarble statue of the Duke of Brabant as a child, the futureKing Leopold III.

The Duke of Brabant, the future King Leopold III, a statue sculpted by P. Dubois.

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THE PLENARY SESSION ROOM

You are now entering the prestigious plenary session roomwhere the 71 senators hold session. The composition of theSenate has been adjusted to take into account the reality of afederated Belgium.

40 directly elected senators:15 senators are elected by the French Electoral College and 25by the Flemish Electoral College. They are elected on the sameday as the representatives and hold office for a term of fouryears.

21 senators designated by the Community Parliamentsfrom among their members:10 senators chosen by the French-speaking CommunityParliament,10 senators chosen by the Flemish Parliament, and1 senator chosen by the German-speaking CommunityCouncil.These senators have a double mandate, which means thatthey remain members of their respective CommunityParliaments while holding seats in the Senate. The Senate istherefore the meeting point for the federated bodies and thefederal government.

10 co-opted senators chosen by the two groups ofsenators mentioned above: 4 French-speaking senatorsand 6 Flemish-speaking senators.

In addition to the 71 senators mentioned, there are threesenators whose titles are conferred upon them by right: H.R.H.Prince Philip, Duke of Brabant (the King’s eldest son andCrown Prince), H.R.H. Princess Astrid (the King’s daughter)

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and H.R.H. Prince Laurent (the King’s second son). They tooktheir oath of office respectively on June 21st 1994, onNovember 20th 1996 and on May 31st 2000.The work done by the Senate is regulated by the Bureau,which is made up of the president of the Senate, the threevice-presidents of this assembly, the presidents of thevarious political groups, and the three senators-administrators (the «Quaestors»).

As is the case for the House of Representatives, most ofthe preparatory specialised work is carried out by variouscommittees established in proportion to the composition ofthe Senate itself. There are six standing committeesmade up of 17 senators each.

Political composition of the Senate(71 elected members + Crown Prince Philip,

Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent)

sp.a-spirit 12 7 3 2PS 12 6 4 2VLD 12 7 3 2MR 10 5 4 1CD&V 9 6 2 1VL. BLOK 8 5 2 1cdH 4 2 2 -ECOLO 2 1 1 -FN 2 1 - 1

71 40 21 10

Political groups Directlyelectedsenators

Communitysenators

Co-optedsenators

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Originally in 1831, there were only 51 seats in the Senateand only 500 citizens were eligible to stand for these seats:one had to pay very high taxes to be allowed to run for aseat. Furthermore, in order to have the right to vote at thelegislative elections, one had to pay a poll tax. At the time,there were no more than 46,000 citizens for approximately4 million inhabitants. The purpose of the Senate was, infact, to act as a conservative check to the House ofRepresentatives, which was composed in a moredemocratic fashion.

By 1893, the Senate had grown to only 54 members, themajority of which were aristocrats. The gradualdemocratisation of the electoral system began to diminishthe class distinctions between senators andrepresentatives. At present, the conditions foreligibility are the same for both the Senate and theHouse of Representatives: one must be a Belgiancitizen, enjoy full civil and political rights and be at leasttwenty-one years old.

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What is the role of the Senate?

After the revision of the Constitution in 1993, the Senateunderwent the most radical change in its history. Not only itscomposition, but especially its powers were fundamentallyaltered. Here is a breakdown of the changes made.

A. Legislation

1. Purely bicameral matters

The House of Representatives and the Senate have equalpowers with respect to basic federal legislation. A bill willtherefore not pass unless both Chambers agree on an identicaltext.

This rule applies namely to the revision of the Constitution andto basic institutional legislation (example: law designed toprevent discrimination against individuals on the basis ofideology or philosophy or the laws concerning the courts).

2. Attenuated bicameral system

Senators may submit Private Member’s bills. The government,however, is obliged to introduce its draft bills to the House ofRepresentatives.

If at least 15 senators request it within 15 days, the Senate canexamine a bill, already adopted by the House ofRepresentatives (power to evoke bills). The Senate can thenpropose amendments (= changes) to this bill within a period of60 days.

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3. Major society issues

The Senate studies major issues facing today’s society anddebates on these issues (examples: research on unemploymentand social exclusion, discussion of the relations between the lawand the press, the enquiry committee on organised crime,research on euthanasia and palliative care). The Senate alsodedicates much of its time towards improving or elaboratingbasic legislation. The senators are helped by the Service on theEvaluation of legislation, which checks existing or proposedlegislation according to quality standards such as legibility, legalsecurity and equality, necessity, ...

B. Competence for international matters

The Constitution states that it is the Senate, which has thepriority to examine the bills concerning the ratification ofinternational treaties.The Senate may therefore hold in-depth debates on internationalpolitics.

The Senate also wants to be informed of on the positionstandstaken by Belgian delegates from the very beginning ofpreparatory negotiations in the case of a multilateral treaty.

C. Meeting point between the federal government and thecommunities and regions

Whenever one of the assemblies in Belgium (federal, regional ofcommunitary) fears that a bill introduced by another assemblymay seriously harm its interests, it is the Senate, which tries tosettle this conflict of interests.

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D. Monitoring Role

The Senate has the right to put oral or written questions to thegovernment, but may also make requests for explanations fromthe government. These take the form of detailed questions thatmay lead to a debate and the adoption of a motion.

The Senate may also create committees of enquiry. For in-stance, the committee enquiring into the legal and illegal exploi-tation of natural resources and their trade in the region of GreatLakes in the light of the current conflicts and Belgium’s involve-ment in that. There was also a special committee to examineBelgium’s participation in humanitarian and military missionsabroad. These committees have the same competence as anexamining magistrate.

E. Nominations

The lists of candidates to become a member of the Council ofState or a judge in the Court of Arbitrage are presented in turn bythe House of Representatives and by the Senate.

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In the front of the room you can see the Presidentialplatform, from which the President of the Senate chairsthe debates, with at his left the Secretary General, thehighest ranking civil servant of the Senate, who assists thePresident during the plenary session.

Four “broadcast-quality cameras” have been deployed inthe plenary session room. The meetings are recorded andprocessed in the control room (near the plenary sessionroom). Upon simple request, these pictures are at thedisposal of the TV-stations, and this free of charge.

On the benches of the senators sit the voting boxes, withdisplay of three coloured buttons (the green button for anaffirmative vote, the red button for a negative vote and thewhite button for abstention).The two voting panels display the individual votingbehaviour of each senator through green, red and whitelights. You can find these voting panels, hidden behindgolden screens, on the left and the right side of the room.

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This voting panel providesan overall view of the votes

cast by the senators: thegreen lights show all of the

votes «in favour», the redlights show all of the votes

«against», and the whitelights indicate the number of

abstentions.

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All around this gallery, L. Gallait painted portraits of historicalfigures who have been credited with having laid the symbolicfoundations of independence of the future Belgian State. Lookingfrom left to right (facing the portraits), we find warriors, defenders ofcommunal liberties, and the princes who contributed to thedevelopment of the arts and industry.

The dome, which is decorated in gold leaf and adornedwith the coat of arms of the nine original provinces, shedsa pleasant soft light on the gallery of portraits around theplenary meeting room.

The most important rulers of our regions from the MiddleAges until the XVIIIth century are immortalized here.

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This painting by E. Blanc-Garin shows the room as it was before thealterations that were made to at the end of the XIX century, withoutthe rostrum in front of the speaker’s desk.

The Senate used to meet in what is now the House ofRepresentatives’ reading room until 1849. It then movedinto the room where you are now standing, decorated in amixture of Louis Philippe and Louis XVI styles.

The number of senators increased as the population grewand also because of the election of provincial senatorsfollowing the 1893 revision of the Constitution.

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The plenary meeting room thus became too small and hadto be enlarged in 1903. To do this, the wall located on theside of the desk was moved back. The decoration on thenew wall was done by Count Jacques de Lalaing, anddepicts various turning points in the history of our regions:

On the left panel:

- to the left, the fierce resistance of the Flemish patriotsagainst foreign (French) occupation;

- to the right, Charles the Bold, the last duke of Burgundydemonstrates the power of the dukes of Burgundy byforcing King Louis XI of France to witness thepunishment of his allies in Liege.

On the centre panel:

- in the upper left-hand corner, the period of Spanish ruleovershadowed by the Duke of Alva who was notoriousfor his cruelty;

- in the lower left-hand corner, the figures of Duke ofEgmont and William I, Prince of Orange, two heroes ofthis tragic period, saying farewell to each other. WilliamI would go on to fight against Spanish repression ashead of an invasion army called the «beggar’s army.»

- to the right, the terrible wars fought between the SunKing Louis XIV, wars which ravaged Brussels inparticular.

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On the right-hand panel:

- to the left, the revolutionary currents (the Statists andthe Vonckists) which opposed the rule of the Austrianemperor Joseph II;

- in the centre, the French General Dumouriez chargesinto Belgium bringing with him the ideas of the Frenchrevolution and pushing back Austrian resistance;

- to the right, the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.

After World War I, two bronzeplates were placed under thebusts of King Leopold I andQueen Louisa Maria d’Orléansto commemorate the patriotswho were sentenced to death inthis very room by a Germanwar court.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING

THE LANDING AND THE MAIN STAIRCASE

To the right of the landing, within view of the mainstaircase, visitors can see the marble bust of Philippe,Count of Flanders, who was the brother of King Leopold IIand the father of King Albert I.

You leave the Senate by the main staircase.

Thank you for your visit

The House ofRepresentatives

Rue de Louvain, 13Tel: 02/549 81 36Fax: 02/549 83 02

E-mail address:pri@lachambre.bepri@dekamer.be

Website:http://www.lachambre.bewww.dekamer.be

The Senate

Rue de Louvain, 7Tel: 02/501 78 49Fax: 02/501 79 31

E-mail address:info@senate.be

Website:http://www.senate.be

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How to attend plenary sessions in the House of Representatives orin the Senate?Parliamentary sessions automatically start on the second Tuesday ofOctober and usually end in the middle of July.The entrance to the House of Representatives: rue de Louvain, 13.The entrance to the Senate: rue de Louvain, 7bis.The plenary sessions and basically all Senate or House ofRepresentatives committee meetings are open to the public. However,the number of available seats is limited.All the information about plenary sessions and the House ofRepresentatives committee meetings can be found by reading theweekly information bulletin issued by the House of Representatives, byconsulting the webpages on the Internet Site of the House ofRepresentatives (http://www.lachambre.be) or by calling 02/549 81 36.All the information concerning the Senate plenary sessions andcommittee meetings can be obtained by consulting the webpages onthe Internet Site of the Senate (http://www.senate.be) or by calling02/501 78 49.

Visits to the Federal ParliamentGuided tours of the Belgian Federal Parliament are given from 10.00a.m. to 4.00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, for groups of 10 to 40people.The areas visited on the tour may vary due to parliamentary activityat any given time. The tours are free of charge and take approximatelyone hour. The required authorization must be requested, preferably onemonth ahead of time, either by phoning, faxing, mailing or writing tothe House of Representatives, Department of Public and InternationalRelations or to the Senate, Department of Protocol and ExternalRelations.

SenateRue de Louvain, 7Tel: 02/501 70 70 - 02/501 73 55Fax: 02/501 74 14E-mail: info@senate.be

House of RepresentativesRue de Louvain, 13Tel: 02/549 81 11Fax: 02/549 83 02E-mail: pri@lachambre.be