Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft: The DG is a member state of the Belgian Federation. The official language, used also in schools and courts, is German. The DG lies in the eastern part of Belgium, covering an area of 854 km² along the nation’s borders with Germany, Luxemburg and the Netherlands.
As a sovereign Region the DG maintains wide-ranging autonomy with its own parliament, government and civil service. The DG is essentially responsible for culture, education, vocational training and employment, family and social welfare and the supervision of local authorities.