French Community

The French Community of Belgium is one of the country’s three linguistic communities. It covers Wallonia and Brussels, where most French speakers live. The Community has its own parliament, government and flag, which is the Walloon flag. Its name refers to the French language, not to France. The Community was created in the 1970s and 1980s as Belgium became a federal state. The Community represents about 4.5 million people. Nearly all of Wallonia’s residents speak French, except for a small German-speaking area. Brussels has 900,000 French speakers out of 1.2 million inhabitants. The Community also works with organisations like Wallonie-Bruxelles International to promote culture abroad. In 2011 it adopted the name Wallonia-Brussels Federation, though this remains controversial. Visitors to the Community’s institutions find them in Brussels’s Quartier Royal. The Parliament sits there, made up of Walloon and Brussels members. The Government also has its offices in Brussels. The Community’s flag flies over its buildings, linking it to Wallonia. Its media, including the RTBF network, use the new name in their broadcasts.