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St. Michael’s Agreement

Belgian history [1992]

Quick Summary

The St. Michael's Agreement, signed in September 1992, finalized Belgium's transformation into a federal state. This agreement was a culmination of a slow but definitive process of federalization that began in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It granted cultural autonomy to the Flemish and Walloon regions, and later extended regional powers to encompass the economy and education. The agreement also established the bilingual Brussels metropolitan area as a third independent region and divided the province of Brabant into Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant. This federalization was significantly influenced by economic factors and the growing linguistic and regional tensions within the country.1

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