The system of organization of science and education is focused on promoting effective interaction between university centers (there are 22 of them in the country), government departments and production and financial companies. Specialized societies have been created (for example, the Institute for the Support of Scientific Research in Industry and Agriculture), whose activities are funded by the Ministry of Economy. The vast majority of financial support is provided to the chemical-pharmaceutical industry, electronics, and metallurgy. Of decisive importance is concessional lending (about 80-90% of all funds) at the stage of development work. In the future, the provision of tax incentives is widely used.
According to Educationvv, to support university research, a national fund “NFVS-FNRS” was created. The Center for Development Studies at the University of Antwerp is especially active (it prepared a model for a new specialization of the national economy). Particular success was achieved by a group of university centers in the development of a new energy program (reorientation from coal to other sources), as well as a program for the efficient use of the Belgian sea coast (creation of a single port complex Antwerp-Ghent-Zeebrugge). The role of three internationally renowned universities is also noticeable: in Louvain (the oldest in the country, founded in 1426), Liege and Brussels.
Culture, literature and art developed before the formation of Belgium as an independent state on the basis of the Walloon dialect of French and the Flemish (or Brabant) dialect of the South Dutch dialect. During the period of the struggle for national sovereignty (1830s) with the Netherlands, French became the literary language, which replaced Walloon. In 1946, the spelling of the Flemish language was unified with the Dutch (Dutch).
In the Walloon literature of the Middle Ages, the work of the Renaissance poet Jean Lemaire de Belge (1473-1516) was especially prominent. Charles de Coster (1827–79) wrote The Legend of Ulenspiegel and Lama Gudzak (1867) and was the first to gain worldwide recognition. Em is considered the greatest symbolist poet. Verhaarn (1855-1916).
Flemish literature after the formation of the Belgian independent state was dominated by decadent schools. The idol was the Symbolist poet Carl Van de Wustein (1875-1929). Flemish school of fine arts, which took shape in the 17th century. as a result of the separation of Flanders from the Netherlands (the natives of this part of the country were P. Brueghel and P. Rubens), had a huge impact on the entire Belgian culture. Many well-known Belgian masters of painting, sculpture, graphics (G. Vapers, L. Galle, C. Meunier, and others) can be considered her followers. The process of forming a single culture in a country that does not have its own language continues with great difficulty.
General information about Belgium
The official name is the Kingdom of Belgium (Royaume de Belgique, Koninkrijk Belgie, Kingdom of Belgium). Located in Western Europe. The area is 30.51 thousand km2, the population is 10.3 million people. (2002). The official languages are Dutch, French and German. The capital is Brussels (959 thousand people, 2000). Public holiday – Independence Day July 21 (since 1831). The monetary unit is the euro (since January 2002). Belgium has no possessions (previously owned the colony of the Belgian Congo, and also had a mandate for the territory of Ruanda-Urundi in Africa).
Member of 70 international organizations, incl. UN (since 1945), Benelux, EU, NATO, WTO, etc.
