Council of State (Belgium)

The Council of State (Dutch: Raad van Stateⓘ; French: Conseil d'État; German: Staatsrat) is the supreme administrative court of Belgium.

Its functions include assisting the executive with legal advice and being the supreme court for administrative justice.

The Council meets and has offices in the Palace of the Marquess of Assche, built by Alphonse Balat.

After World War II, the need arose for a Supreme Administrative Court, and such an organ was created by the law of 23 December 1946 as a body that administers justice.

Article 160 of the Belgian Constitution provides that there is, for all of Belgium, one Council of State, the composition, competence and functioning of which are regulated by law.

The aforementioned judges are appointed for life by the King out of a list containing three names nominated by the Council of State itself.

The building is a hôtel particulierknown as Palais du marquis d'Assche[1][2][3] The Belgian Council of State was modelled after her French namesake with greatly similar powers.