the Constitution. Since then the language affiliation of municipalities can be changed only by special law. At the same time language communities were established, with the Flemish and French Communities being responsible for the regulation of the use of languages in their language area in the areas of administration, education, and for interactions between employers and their workforce. The present day Currently the language used by the Belgian authorities, administration, education, businesses, and the army is determined by the courts. The constitutional right of freedom of language remains intact and absolute only in the home, leading to ongoing tensions in Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. Railway information The National Railway Company of Belgium's policy is to provide information on the train in the language of the region. For example, on a train travelling from Antwerp to Charleroi, announcements are made first in Dutch (in the Flemish Region), then in French and Dutch (in the Brussels-Capital Region), again in Dutch and finally in French in Wallonia. Station announcements at Eupen and Hergenrath, the two stations in the German-speaking community, are made in German and French (in that order). This requires rail travellers to be conversant with the name of their destination in both languages (though on-board ticket inspectors are bound to respond in either language). In and around international stations, such as Brussels Airport, Dutch and French announcements are supplemented by announcements in German and English. Road signs As mentioned above, road signs are required to give destinations only in the local language, requiring travellers to recognise their ultimate and intermediate destinations in multiple languages. For example, on the Belgian portion of the E40 motorway, westbound travellers to Liège are directed to Lüttich and eastbound travellers are directed to Luik, but signs near the city itself refer only to Liège. See also Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium State reform in Belgium Street name controversy Francization of Brussels References This article originated as a translation of the article on the Dutch-language Wikipedia. External links Omzendbrief-Peeters Belgian legislation Legal history of Belgium Politics of Belgium Political history of Belgium Belgium Languages of Belgium Bilingualism in Belgium Belgium Political controversies in Belgium