Analysis Of The German Speaking Community

Abstract: This chapter deals with the German-speaking Community in Belgium that consists of around 72.000. Having belonged to Germany for several years, the Community is attached to Belgium after the Second World War in 1945. In 1983, the Community is officially acknowledged as the German-speaking Community. Nowadays, the German-speaking Community consists of the nine municipalities Kelmis, Lontzen, Raeren, Eupen, Bütgenbach, Büllingen, Amel, Sankt Vith and Burg-Reuland. Being situated in the French-speaking Wallonia, German-speakers of the Community learn French already in the Kindergarten. At the end of school, pupils should at least have an intermediate level in French. Furthermore, they learn English as a second foreign language and they can choose Dutch as a third foreign language. The German-speaking Community has with
On the one hand, the German-speaking Community is threatened equal as the Flemish and the Walloon Community as an officially named German-speaking Community. On the other hand, the German-speaking Community is often completely ignored by the other communities. For example, in the Flemish or the Walloons Community, German is often not taught in school (Wimmer 2005: 90).

The German-speaking Community has several own institutions. The most important are the Council of the German-speaking Community (Rat der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft) and the executive which consists of three members (Delpérée 1986: 77). The member of the council elect the executive members. The German-speaking Community is responsible for “culture, education, (…) the cooperation between the communities and international cooperation” (translated from the original Delpérée 1986: 80). The members of the German-speaking Community do not have any legislative houses (Delpérée 1986: 77).

Short overview of the history of the German-speaking