Leo Albert Elisabeth Peeters (born 2 May 1950 in Kapelle-op-den-Bos) is a Flemish politician and a member of the Socialist Party Different (sp.a).
Kapelle-op-den-Bos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Kapelle-op-den-Bos proper, Nieuwenrode and Ramsdonk. On January 1, 2006, Kapelle-op-den-Bos had a total population of 8,904. The total area is 15.25 km² which gives a population density of 584 inhabitants per km².
Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, language, politics and history, and sometimes involving neighbouring countries. The demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming, while the corresponding adjective is Flemish. The official capital of Flanders is Brussels, although the Brussels Capital Region has an independent regional government, and the government of Flanders only oversees the community aspects of Flanders life in Brussels such as (Flemish) culture and education.
In early 1995 he became Minister of Work and Social Affairs of the Flemish Government. Later that year he also became Minister of Internal Affairs, Urban Policy and Housing. During his time in office he wrote the Peeters directive, regulating the use of languages in Dutch-speaking municipalities. After the regional elections of 1999 he resumed his function as mayor of Kapelle-op-den-Bos and also became a member of the Flemish Parliament.
The Flemish Government is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, and the public administration divided into 13 policy areas, each with an executive department and multiple agencies.
The Peeters directive, officially Circular BA 97/22 of 16 December 1997 concerning the use of languages in municipal councils of the Dutch language area, is a circulaire of the Flemish government regulating the use of languages in municipal councils in the Flemish Region (Belgium), where the sole official language is Dutch. The directive is more in particular aimed at the municipalities with language facilities bordering the Brussels Capital-Region. It stipulates that each and every time French-speakers deal with the government, they must explicitly ask for their documents to be in French.
The Flemish Parliament constitutes the legislative power in Flanders, for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and a cultural community of Belgium.
