The Fifth State Reform
The Lambermont Accord and the Lombard Accord heralded in the fifth state reform in 2001.
The Lambermont Accord
The Lambermont Accord transferred certain powers to the regions and communities.This made local authority and provincial law a matter for the regions.Powers concerning agriculture, fisheries and foreign trade were also regionalised.Development cooperation (with regard to regional and community areas of responsibility), auditing of electoral expenses for elections to the Parliament and the supplementary financing of the political parties were transferred to the communities and regions.In addition, the Accord provides for a number of measures relating to the financing of the communities, the extension of the fiscal powers of the regions and an extra budget allocation from the Federal Government to the Flemish and French-speaking Community Commission.
The Lombard Accord
The Lombard Accord amends the way the Brussels institutions operate.The six Brussels members of the Flemish Parliament have since become directly elected.The Accord also amends the distribution of seats between the two linguistic groups in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region. The voting majorities required in each linguistic group in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region to adopt the main regional ordinances concerning the administrations which they oversee were also amended.
Both accords came into effect pursuant to two special laws enacted on 13 July 2001.