On Thursday 19 November 2019, legal publisher die Keure organised a webinar on administrative law ("Bestuursorganisatierecht") to accompany the publication of a new book on this topic, titled “Bestuursorganisatierecht”. The book is published in the administrative law series of die Keure and is edited by VOW’s Stéphanie De Somer. Please find more information on the book below.
At the webinar, Stéphanie De Somer and Vincent Vuylsteke, both lawyers at VOW, were invited with the other authors of the book to speak on several topics.
Dr. Stéphanie De Somer presented the recent developments regarding the status of advisory bodies of autonomous organisations of local authorities ("verzelfstandigde besturen"). Next to her work for VOW, Stéphanie is a lecturer at the University of Brussels and at the University of Antwerp (where she also holds a FWO post-doctoral fellowship). The book includes several chapters written by her, including one which was co-authored with Vincent Vuylsteke.
Vincent Vuylsteke, the head of our civil servants department, addressed the topic of their chapter at the webinar. He talked about the principles which characterise the decision-making process of the governing bodies of public authorities which have to take their decisions in a collegial manner ("collegiale bestuursorganen"). An example of such governing body can be a board of directors of a public institution.
This book provides a global overview of administrative law with regards to the governance organisation of the public authorities. The book also contains new research, new insights and current developments. The rules and principles that govern administrative organisations are often treated rather poorly. However, failure to respect these rules, which are often the result of fundamental constitutional principles, can affect the legality of administrative decisions and cause a great deal of delay and thus inefficiency. The realisation that the way in which governance is organised is a matter of 'law' does not yet seem to have permeated all regulators and authorities in Belgium. With this book, the authors hope to contribute to this awareness.
The book can be ordered in the website of die Keure and can be consulted on legal database Jurisquare.