Law of Belgium

Kingdom of Belgium
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Belgium
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The Belgian Law (Dutch: Belgisch recht; French: Droit belge) is very similar to that of neighbouring France, as a result of Belgium having adopted the Napoleonic code which governs French society. It also derives from the Constitution of Belgium and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Due to a series of state reforms in Belgium, the country has been transformed from a unitary to a federal state. Consequently, in addition to the federal level, the communities and regions have legislative authority in certain matters. Federal legislation is called a "law" whereas regional legislation is called a "decree" (decreet, décret), except for that of the Brussels-Capital Region which is called an "ordinance" (ordonnantie, ordonnance).

See also

• Divorce in Belgium
• Prostitution in Belgium

References